INDUSTRY

CONCORD, MA -- SolidWorks Corporation today announced that PWR Championship Racing has switched to SolidWorks(R) three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD) software to speed design time while reducing the risk of errors that could affect performance and safety. PWR will use SolidWorks 2001Plus to streamline conversion of 2D drawings into 3D solid models and translate design information from other CAD formats more easily than it could with Autodesk Inventor. PWR is a professional auto racing franchise that designs and races championship race cars that compete around the world in the Championship Auto Racing Team (CART) series. These cars closely resemble Formula 1 machines and can reach speeds of 240 mph. Design flaws and problems with 3D CAD software are not an option. PWR will standardize on SolidWorks to eradicate the problems it faced with 2D to 3D design conversions, multiple CAD format translations, and 3D design imports into production machines. "Migrating designs is not an easy process," said Julian Karras, drawing office manager at PWR. "We often had to spend time manually working on the 2D drawings before we could do anything with them in Autodesk Inventor. With SolidWorks, it's a straightforward, automatic conversion. The transition from 2D to 3D using SolidWorks allows us to focus on refining the race car designs rather than struggle with the data conversion. Beyond the migration from 2D to 3D, SolidWorks gives us the 3D solid modeling functionality that Inventor couldn't, so we can design high-performance race cars in a short period of time. Simply put, we could not complete our job using Inventor." Race to the starting line PWR faces constant, critical deadlines, with the most intense pressure to complete design revisions before the racing season begins. Karras and his design team receive the chassis and the engines from suppliers and immediately begin designing modifications to the car to make it faster, more powerful, and safe, while strictly adhering to CART guidelines. "The difference between winning and losing is often directly related to race car preparation," Karras said. "By taking the basic race car and enhancing it, paying attention to detail, PWR championship racing will be one step closer to a winning package." For example, the team might use 3D CAD software to adjust the rear wing assembly's angle by a few degrees to keep the back of the car down at high speeds while still minimizing wind resistance. While PWR could check to make sure the wing was securely fastened to the car at different speeds, it could not determine how the wing's angle would affect the car's aerodynamics. Instead, the team would have to take the car to the track and test it, or take it to a special wind tunnel facility with fees of nearly $900 per hour. With SolidWorks and its fully integrated analysis product, COSMOS/Flow, PWR can easily check the aerodynamics on the computer screen, and make design changes on the spot, saving time and money. "We were an early Inventor adopter, and after three years, we realized that SolidWorks could provide an easy migration path from 2D to 3D while Inventor lacked the functionality we needed," Karras said. "SolidWorks has set the standard for easy-to-use 3D CAD software that delivers all the capabilities that engineers under the pressure of tight deadlines need to get their jobs done." PWR uses SolidWorks to reduce design time by converting 3D CAD files into a format that production teams can automatically load into a computer that will guide machining tools creating the part. SolidWorks tightly integrates with CNC Software's Mastercam, a computer-aided machining technology that automatically links the product design to the manufacturing process. Before using SolidWorks applications, manual keying of data, and additional work to finish the product could delay production and testing. "Time is of the essence in professional motor sports," said John McEleney, CEO of SolidWorks. "Beyond just the race itself, all of the effort that goes into perfecting the car to perform at its best takes a lot of work. This work happens under tight deadlines, and PWR's engineers don't have the time to fuss with CAD software that doesn't work. We are proud to help PWR implement a solution they know will be successful." For more information visit www.solidworks.com.