Carbo Tech Composites Selects VISTAGY's FiberSIM® as its Composites Design Software for Formula One Programs


Austrian company will utilize new automated plybook feature to achieve faster and more accurate manufacture of complex composite parts

Waltham, Mass., USA, March 13, 2006 - - VISTAGY, Inc., the developer of engineering software that provides specialized design functionality to commercial CAD/PDM/PLM systems, today announced that Carbo Tech Composites, a leading manufacturing company and Formula One specialist, has selected VISTAGY's FiberSIM® software as its composites design solution. The company will use the software to design and manufacture high-end composite parts for the motor sports industry, including all Formula One projects.

Due to the rigors of Formula One racing, composite parts must be durable enough to withstand many millions of load changes and be extremely light-weight for optimal vehicle performance, while conforming to all mandated safety provisions. Using FiberSIM's flat pattern and new automated plybook generation capabilities, Carbo Tech engineers will streamline the materials design and lay-up process to quickly and accurately build composite parts that meet all customer specifications.

Plybooks enable engineers to identify, list and understand the actual sequence and relationships between the numerous plies that make up composite products. In the past, Carbo Tech designed each individual ply by manually creating sequential drawings and lists, consuming many hours of design time and risking manufacturing errors.

FiberSIM automatically generates 2D and 3D plybooks as well as cross sections, customized notes, multiple views, lay-up orientations, and all necessary documentation for composite parts manufacture, and shares the documents across the entire product development chain. As a result, Carbo Tech expects to significantly decrease product design and manufacturing times while ensuring part quality. The company will also use FiberSIM to create manufacturing data such as flat patterns for cutting or laser projection machines.

"Formula One engineers need to constantly design innovative composite parts as rapidly as possible to raise the bar on the competition and win on the circuit," said Ralf Brand, head of design at Carbo Tech Composites. "After evaluating FiberSIM, we are convinced that the software will enable us to more efficiently design, accurately simulate and reliably manufacture our most complex composite parts."

"Carbo Tech has a long history of meeting its Formula One customers' needs for durable, light-weight parts on tight schedules," said Alex Edwards, general manager, Europe at VISTAGY, Inc. "With FiberSIM, engineers can automate previously manual processes to help them achieve their design and manufacturing goals quickly, efficiently and more cost effectively."

About Carbo Tech Composites

Carbo Tech Composites is a leading composite product manufacturing company located in Salzburg, Austria. Carbo Tech's staff works with top Formula One series teams and organizations. The Carbo Tech team's main focus is on complete consistency, from conception through to construction, strength design, model building, mold making and final testing of composite parts.

About FiberSIM®

FiberSIM® is a suite of software that turns commercial CAD systems into tools specialized for designing and manufacturing composite parts. The software enables engineers to create a complete digital product definition of a composite part within their 3D modeling environment. FiberSIM supports the entire product development process as well as flexible design methodologies for a wide variety of materials and manufacturing methods. The software simulates how composite material deforms over complex curvature and generates manufacturing information including documentation, flat patterns, and data to drive downstream manufacturing equipment. FiberSIM also uses XML technology to share composites data with people and applications throughout the enterprise.

About VISTAGY, Inc.

VISTAGY, Inc. develops engineering software that provides specialized functionality to significantly improve the value of commercial 3D CAD systems. VISTAGY's specialized engineering environments enable engineers to capture and communicate complete digital product definitions within CAD, thereby increasing productivity, improving the communication of product information throughout the product lifecycle, and allowing better-informed decision-making early in design. VISTAGY software is used throughout the world in the aerospace, automotive, marine, medical, sporting goods, and transportation interiors industries. The company also offers training and consulting services. For more information, contact VISTAGY in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA, at +1.781.250.6868 or visit www.vistagy.com.

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