It is the aim of this study to present a framework for the design of technical systems. This can be achieved through a general Design Science, a knowledge system in which products are seen as objects to be developed within engineering design processes. The authors have developed this design science from a division of the knowledge system along two axes. One deals with knowledge about technical systems and design processes while the other presents descriptive statements. Relationships among the various sections of the knowledge system are made clear. Well-known insights into engineering design, the process, its management and its products are placed into new contexts. Particular attention is given to various areas of applicability. Widespread use throughout is made of easily assimilated diagrams and models.

This book presents a comprehensive and unifying theory to promote the under standing of technical systems. Such a theory is useful as a foundation for a ratio nal approach to the engineering design process, as a background to engineering education, and other applications. The term "technical system" is used to represent all types of man-made artifacts, including technical products and processes. The technical system is therefore the subject (in the grammatical sense of the word) of the collection of activities which are performed by engineers within the processes of engineering design, including generating, retrieving, processing and transmitting of information about products. It is also the subject of various tasks in the production process, including work preparation and production planning, and in many economic considerations, company-internal and societal. In this way, the Theory of Technical Systems is a contribution to science, as in terpreted in the wider, Germanic sense of a "co-ordinated and codified body of knowledge". It brings together the various viewpoints of engineers, scientists, economists, ergonomists, managers, users, sociologists, etc., and shows where and how they influence the forms of engineering products. It also explains the influ ences that a product exerts on its environment. This Theory of Technical Systems should thus interest design engineers, and en gineers involved in production, management, sales, etc. In an interdisciplinary ap plication of value analysis, the Theory of Technical Systems should provide answers to many questions raised in this field.

Designing engineering products technical systems and/or transformation processes requires a range of information, know-how, experience, and engineering analysis, to find an optimal solution. Creativity and open-mindedness can be greatly assisted by systematic design engineering, which will ultimately lead to improved outcomes, documentatio

Years of experience in the area of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in industry, research and education form the basis for this overview. The author covers the development from PDM via PLM to SysLM (System Lifecycle Management) in the form commonly used today, which are necessary prerequisites for the sustainable development and implementation of IoT/IoS, Industry 4.0 and Engineering 4.0 concepts. The building blocks and properties of future-proof systems for the successful implementation of the concepts of Engineering 4.0 are thereby dedicated to holistic considerations, which also inform in detail. SysLM functions and processes in mechatronic development and design as well as across the entire product lifecycle - from requirements management to the Digital Twin - are covered as examples. SysLM trends such as low code development, cloud, disruptive business models, and bimodality provide an outlook on future developments. The author dedicates the treatment of the agile SysLM introduction to the implementation in the enterprise. The basics are deepened with examples of a concrete SysLM system.