Approaches to the Design of Micro Mechanical Systems

Abstract

The design and manufacture of micro mechanical systems is characterised by a multi-disciplinary environment. The use of established design approaches such as axiomatic design, functional analysis and biomimetic design can be used in the conceptual design phases. The concept of micro engineering is introduced to identify important characteristics of the design and secure a coupling to manufacturing possibilities at an early stage. The paper discusses the different design approaches applied to micro mechanical systems and illustrates some issues based on specific cases.