MIT, Queen's University and More to Deploy Algor FEA Software for Solar Electric Vehicle, SAE Mini Baja and Other Competitions

PITTSBURGH--Aug. 5, 2002--ALGOR, Inc., a leading maker of software for mechanical engineers, offers finite element analysis (FEA) and Mechanical Event Simulation (MES) software grants to organizations participating in engineering competitions as part of an ongoing commitment to support the use of engineering software in the design process.

Recipients include college- and university-level Formula SAE®, SAE Mini Baja® and solar car teams as well as professional racing teams and participants in other engineering-related competitions.

Pete Augenbergs, Mechanical Group Leader for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Solar Electric Vehicle Team, said, "We applied for the ALGOR grant when we learned that the software works directly with Rhino and SolidWorks CAD geometry. Our FEA and MES software will be used to analyze designs for the chassis and suspension components of our new car."

"Performing FEA and MES on initial design concepts saves participants in these competitions time and effort by ensuring quality designs prior to actual construction," ALGOR Product Manager Bob Williams said. "This frees up more time to perfect the final product through prototype testing. We work closely with grant recipients throughout the design cycle to implement the software in the most effective manner."

ALGOR's software grants include:

a full range of FEA capabilities for analysis of structural, thermal, fluid flow and electrostatic effects as well as motion; proprietary InCAD technology for seamless data exchange with computer-aided design (CAD) software including Autodesk Inventor, CADKEY, Mechanical Desktop, Pro/ENGINEER, Solid Edge and SolidWorks; full technical support including frequent software updates, e-mail bulletins and Internet-based training; free, one-hour software demonstration Webcasts at www.eTechLearning.com; one free software training Web Course accessible on the web and on CD-ROM or VHS; an easy-to-use graphical interface including right-click functions, context-sensitive help and built-in data validation; numerous keystroke-specific tutorials and an accuracy verification CD-ROM; and process-oriented documentation. Recent ALGOR grant recipients include:

Saginaw Valley State University and Vanderbilt University for the Formula SAE competition, in which SAE student members conceive, design, fabricate and compete with small formula-style racing cars; Queen's University for the SAE Mini Baja competition, in which SAE student members design, build, test, promote and compete with off-road vehicles that will sustain rough terrain and water; Queen's University, the University of Arizona and MIT for various solar car competitions, in which university teams, companies and clubs from around the world build and race solar-powered cars; Triple Eight Engineering, a UK-based professional racing company, for the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Grants are also available for teams competing in other educational and professional contests.

Groups wishing to learn more about ALGOR's products and software grants should contact the Software Award Coordinator at 1.800.48.ALGOR or e-mail softwaregrant@algor.com.