Chalmers University To Teach Automotive Engineering Students in Sweden Design Fundamentals With...

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CONCORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2004

500 licenses of SolidWorks Education Edition software will prepare students for engineering careers around the world

Chalmers University, one of the oldest and largest engineering institutions

in Scandinavia, has purchased 500 licenses of SolidWorks(R) 3D mechanical design and COSMOS(TM) analysis software to teach students automotive engineering design skills. Beginning this fall, students seeking a master's degree in engineering will use SolidWorks Education Edition to learn how to design and test multiple automotive parts, from pistons to brakes and even a sports car, to prepare for their careers after graduation.

For more than 175 years, Chalmers University has pioneered engineering education for students entering the fast-growing industries in the region. The university is located in Goteborg, Sweden near Volvo and Saab. Its graduates have accepted engineering positions with companies around the world. Students taking the school's international automotive design course will use SolidWorks to quickly learn the fundamentals of designing automotive parts in 3D so they can address the unique needs of auto makers in different parts of the world. They will also learn key finite element analysis principles by using COSMOSWorks(TM) for structural analysis, COSMOSMotion(TM) for testing how objects behave in motion, and COSMOSFloWorks(TM) for fluid flow simulation.

"Chalmers is unique in that it compresses what would normally be a year-long course in the U.S. into an intensive eight-week semester," said Henry Chea, research engineer and instructor at Chalmers. "With many computer aided design and analysis tools, students used to spend most of the semester just learning the software. Some are very difficult to grasp and they force students to follow all sorts of complex steps to do something. SolidWorks and COSMOS are far more intuitive and natural, almost like freehand art. Students learn these tools much faster, so they can begin exploring different possibilities sooner."

Students will also work together in teams to design a new, street-legal sports car that could become the basis for a new company spun off from the university. Students are using SolidWorks to design, test, and build a car that could be ready for market in a few years, according to Chea, who is the project leader. Chea and his students are working with area automotive engineers, including those from Swedish super car manufacturer Koenigsegg, to refine the design and ensure that it meets technical expectations for speed, performance, and safety.

Other students will use SolidWorks to collaborate with outside companies on real-world projects. "SolidWorks and COSMOS will help students determine what kind of engineering careers they want to pursue because using these innovative products lets students maximize their time to explore different flavors of engineering," said Chea. "Moreover, while some countries prefer one CAD platform over another, SolidWorks has a global user base. Graduates with SolidWorks skills will be prepared for the jobs they want worldwide."

According to Chea, the university will gauge student adoption and feedback on SolidWorks and COSMOS from this fall's automotive engineering course to determine how to extend the software to other curricula.

"Having supplied the region's industry with well-prepared engineering graduates for nearly two centuries, Chalmers University continues to stay on the cutting edge by teaching students the 3D design skills they will need in their professional careers," said Rosanne Kramer, director of worldwide education markets for SolidWorks Corporation. "SolidWorks and COSMOS go beyond textbook knowledge and teach students how to approach practical solutions to real-world design challenges."

Chalmers University works with SolidWorks reseller SolidEngineer for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.

About Chalmers University of Technology

Chalmers University of Technology was founded in 1829 and is one of Sweden's biggest technical universities. Around 40 percent of Sweden's graduate engineers and architects throughout the years were educated at Chalmers. The university offers doctoral and licentiate course programmes as well as bachelor's degree programmes in science and engineering, master's degree programmes in engineering and architecture and nautical programmes.

Around 13,100 people work and study at Chalmers, including more than 10,500 undergraduates. The turnover is approximately SEK 2.1 billion per year, around two-thirds of which is related to research and doctoral programming. Located on the Chalmers campus is Chalmers Science Park, the site of a number of company research departments as well as various university bodies involved in interaction with business and industry. Chalmers is involved in approximately 140 industrial and educational projects within the European Union. For more information about Chalmers, visit www.chalmers.se.

About SolidEngineer Svenska AB

SolidEngineer provides complete CAD, CAE, and PDM solutions. The key focus is to meet customers' requirements and offer them integrated and specific solutions within the whole process of product development. Products distributed include SolidWorks, COSMOSWorks, and SMARTEAM. SolidEngineer was founded in 1996 and has since steadily increased both revenue and personnel. Today the company is one of the key SolidWorks resellers within the Swedish territory and has offices at six locations: Stockholm, Karlstad, Gothenburg, Sundsvall, Jonkoping, and Helsingborg. SolidEngineer offers training at all of these locations. For more information, call +46 (0)8 544 730 20 or visit the company's Web site www.solide.se.

About SolidWorks Corporation

SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for mechanical design, analysis, and product data management. Founded in 1993, SolidWorks' mission is to unleash the power of 3D for everyone in product development and foster a collaborative user community. In eight years of delivering product, SolidWorks has shipped more than 300,000 seats of software worldwide. SolidWorks has offices around the globe and sells, distributes, and supports its products through an international reseller network. For the latest news, information, or a live online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. COSMOS, COSMOSWorks, COSMOSMotion, and COSMOSFloWorks are trademarks of Structural Research and Analysis Corporation. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2004 SolidWorks Corporation.