Machines employ power to achieve desired forces and movement (motion). A machine has a power source and actuators that generate forces and movement, and a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement. Modern machines often include computers and sensors that monitor performance and plan movement, and are called mechanical systems.
Design is the creation of a plan or conventions for the construction of an object or a system (as in architectural blueprints, engineering drawings, business processes, circuit diagram and sewing patterns). Design has different connotations in different fields (see design disciplines below). In some cases the direct construction of an object (as in pottery, engineering, management, cowboy coding and graphic design) is also considered to be design.
Machine design is the process of engineering design. A machine is made up of mechanisms that work together to satisfy the requirements of what the machine needs to accomplish.
