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.