From Contact Lenses to the Artificial Heart, SolidWorks Sets 3D Mechanical Design Standard for Medical Industry.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CONCORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 2003

SolidWorks gives more than 8,000 designers the ability to be first

to market with the most innovative products in

$20 billion-plus industry

Angioscopes, braces, chiropractic tables, contact lenses, dialysis machines, genetic analysis instruments, implantable defibrillators, insulin pumps, lasers, surgical tools, wheelchairs, even artificial hearts... more than 8,000 medical equipment designers at more than 2,500 companies around the world use SolidWorks(R) 3D mechanical design software, the standard in medical product design, to develop these devices and a wide range of life-saving equipment.

Gerson (Gus) Rosenberg, a professor of bioengineering and surgery at Penn State College of Medicine and Design News 2002 Engineer of the Year, used SolidWorks to design the LionHeart(TM) heart-assist device and the "Penn State Heart," an electromechanical heart being co-developed by Abiomed.

"SolidWorks is a powerful design tool," he said. "Its ease of use and intuitive nature allows us to rapidly design and modify parts and assemblies with relative ease. We have used other CAD systems here, but none is as easy to learn and use as SolidWorks. The product saves us a lot of time and makes designing fun. The help files are excellent, and our local SolidWorks reseller (ACAD Computer Services Inc.) offers great support."

CPS Innovations of Knoxville, Tenn., is using 32 seats of SolidWorks to design positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, a new breed of medical technology that detects heart disease, cancer, and brain damage earlier than CAT scans, X-rays, or MRIs.

"We use SolidWorks in the entire design process, including tooling for manufacturing," said Ken Grace, senior mechanical engineer for CPS Innovations. "SolidWorks offers us a very rapid ramp-up to proficiency: a new employee who has never used 3D mechanical design software before can generate useful work in a week or less. SolidWorks also helps us ensure the product is as aesthetically pleasing as it is powerful in helping patients.

"In addition, we're using COSMOSWorks(TM) for structural analysis and eDrawings to show management the new designs we're working on. We're also saving time and getting new designs to market faster by sharing them directly with our machinists, injection molders, and other manufacturing partners, who also use SolidWorks."

SolidWorks has become the standard for medical device manufacturers for a number of reasons. No 3D mechanical design system achieves its power/ease-of-use ratio, which is critical for the sporadic users who spend much of their time away from the design table working with physicians, suppliers, and regulators. Ease of use and sharply reduced design time help manufacturers speed their products to market, which is critical in a competitive industry valued at $20 billion in the United States alone. SolidWorks also complements the health-care industry's emphasis on shorter hospital stays, portable treatment, less invasive procedures, and outpatient care. Finally, the SolidWorks SMARTEAM(R) product data management offering supports heightened Food and Drug Administration requirements, including 21 CFR Part 11, which requires auditable, time-stamped electronic "paper trails" secured at every step by electronic signature.

"Few industries are more demanding than the medical device industry," said Paul Adams, SolidWorks technical sales manager. "You have to get it right the first time because what might be a minor design change in another industry, such as material selection or a manufacturing process change, is a major change in the medical industry, where it will be scrutinized by the FDA, impeding a company's ability to bring product to market. SolidWorks really shines in environments like these, which helps explain our popularity in the industry."

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 seven years of delivering product, SolidWorks has shipped more than 245,000 total seats of software worldwide.

SolidWorks has offices around the globe and sells, distributes, and supports its products through a worldwide 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 [phone]).

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. COSMOSWorks is a trademark of Structural Research and Analysis Corporation. SMARTEAM is a registered trademark of SmarTeam Corporation Ltd. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2003 SolidWorks Corporation.