Current manufacturing trends show that, in the future, manufacturing industry will face small batch size, diversity and customized requirements from customers. Hence many companies have introduced smart manufacturing in response to the market demands. With the introduction of sensors and smart technologies, the demand for massive data transmission has increased. 5G is a new generation of mobile communication technology with capability to accelerate the manufacturing industry to move toward smart manufacturing. This article will introduce the development of smart manufacturing as well as the main applications of 5G in the manufacturing field.