Ontology-based technology model for the use in the early stage of product development

One of the key factors for a successful product development is the early integration of technologies in the innovation process. Especially emerging technologies, as e.g. nanotechnologies, pose a wide range of new functionalities and therefore high potentials for a future product. To combine the technological knowledge with the identified product requirements in the early stages of the development, it is necessary to create a logical connection between those two domains. This connection provides a systematic access to technological solutions especially tailored for the particular needs of the product developer. By using an ontology-based model for the technology domain, it is possible to interrelate all the relevant aspects (functionalities, material, structures, sizes, etc. as well as corresponding experts and research institutions) and therefore provide a comprehensive and logically connected data pool. The underlying IT support allows for a fast and extensive search and extraction of the adequate solutions for the product development within this data pool. The detailed model of this ontology-based approach will be presented in this paper. The implementation and combination with specific product requirements will be shown using the example of nanotechnology.