Nanyang Technological University Purchases 300 Licenses of SolidWorks 3D Mechanical Design Software; Institution Establishes Strong Fundamentals in CAD and CAE for Mechanical Engineering Students

Business Wire, Oct 3, 2005

CONCORD, Mass. -- The CAD/CAM Laboratory of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), has purchased 300 licenses of SolidWorks(R) Education Edition software to teach mechanical engineering students the fundamentals of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE). All students enrolled in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will have access to SolidWorks software for use in their mechanical engineering fundamentals courses and final year projects.

NTU is a research-intensive university in Nanyang, Singapore, ranked among the top 50 universities in the world, and its engineering school is ranked among the best globally. The university strives to ensure that courses offered are innovative and relevant to industry needs and global trends. Serious focus is placed on hands-on engineering experience and meeting real-life design challenges in the corporate world.

SolidWorks has become the primary teaching software for CAD in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering so that students spend less time learning to use CAD software and more time working on practical assignments. Second-year students learn the basics of solid and assembly modeling in a two-and-a-half-day course. The first class of 785 students successfully completed the course in May 2005. Starting in July 2005, students began using COSMOSMotion(TM) analysis software to learn the fundamentals of dynamics and control. As many as 3,000 students will learn and use SolidWorks, COSMOSWorks(R), and COSMOSMotion software during their four-year degree program at the school.

"After extensive evaluation, we chose SolidWorks software because of its ease of use, functionality, tight integration between CAD and CAE software, and excellent supplier technical support," said Associate Professor Graeme Britton, director of the school's CAD/CAM laboratory. "We have been able to substantially reduce operating costs because COSMOSWorks and COSMOSMotion analysis software are included with SolidWorks. Previously, we had to purchase separate CAD and CAE software for this purpose."

The university's software choices reflect real-world market needs, according to Rainer Gawlick, vice president of worldwide marketing for SolidWorks Corporation. "Companies look for graduates who are able to scale the learning curve and hit the ground running in today's competitive business world," said Gawlick. "Faced with a shorter time to market and the need to constantly innovate, industry prefers to employ young graduates who are trained in the use of software that has a global presence and a majority of users. Nanyang's strong international alliances with Asia Pacific industry and other SolidWorks campuses, such as Stanford, Tsinghua, and Cornell, demonstrate the vitality of the SolidWorks community. We are committed to supporting the expansion of this dynamic network and look forward to seeing the creativity they will foster."

NTU relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller SeaCAD Technologies for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.

About Nanyang Technological University

NTU is an international research-intensive university ranked among the top 50 universities in the world. It has a strong engineering college ranked among the best globally, a business school with one of the top 100 MBA programs in the world, an internationally acclaimed National Institute of Education, one of the leading communication and information schools in Asia, and a biological sciences school at the forefront of Singapore's life sciences initiative. Undergraduate enrollment will swell from 17,500 to 22,300 with the establishment of three new schools - the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Art, Design and Media, and the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg.

About SeaCAD Technologies Pte Ltd

SeaCAD Technologies Pte Ltd is a leading supplier of engineering and information technology products and services in South East Asia. Its engineering product line encompasses complete solutions for 3D mechanical design and automation, finite element analysis and simulation, and manufacturing systems. SeaCAD's information technology products include product data management and hardware solutions. SeaCAD also provides a range of quality services, including product end user training, mechanical design, simulation and analysis, manufacturing, and process re-engineering consultation, in addition to full API customization and programming. For more information, visit www.seacadtech.com.

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. It is the #1 supplier of 3D mechanical design software for the mainstream market. SolidWorks leads the market in number of users in production, customer satisfaction, and revenue. 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).