Building AI Agents for Engineers

While rule-based automation follows predefined instructions to perform repetitive tasks, AI agents act autonomously and are able to make decisions in complex, dynamic situations. This book shows how to build AI agents for product development, particularly hardware development. It is aimed at development engineers, designers and engineering managers. The book covers the following topics: Basic principles and architectures of agentic systems Technological components of agentic systems: frameworks and patterns for designing agents as well as interfaces to CAx, PLM, and ERP systems Governance, change management, and role responsibilities Outlook: vision of a future engineering organization Step by step, the book demonstrates how AI agents can be developed by using low-code platforms. It also considers Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). MAS go one step further by combining several AI agents that interact with each other to achieve common or individual goals. The book provides criteria for selecting pilot projects and guides you through the project phases of the implementation. Use cases from the industryfrom automotive tier suppliers to consumer goods OEMs up to engineering service providersprovide valuable practical insights from engineering leaders at companies such as NASA, Miele, IMS Gear or ARRK Engineering. They show how AI agents can reduce costs in product development and provide a competitive advantage through shorter time-to-market cycles.

Tobias Wigand is a trained mechanical engineer with over 15 years of experience in product development. He currently works as an Account Executive at Synera GmbH. Ram Dhiwakar Seetharaman is Head of AI and Product Manager at Synera GmbH. He has a background in computational mechanics and has more than 5 years of experience in building AI for engineering. Michael Finocchiaro, Independent PLM and Engineering AI Consultant Felix Klutzny, Consultant Digital Engineering, ARRK Engineering Ryan McClelland, AI Infusion Lead and Mechanical Engineer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Dr. Patrick Schmidt, Head of Systems and Process Engineering, Miele Eric Stähle, Development Engineer at IMS Gear