Case Study: Bahrain Polytechnic builds a student-designed car and develops industry-ready engineers with SOLIDWORKS

Designing and Building a Car With Solidworks Solutions

Bahrain Polytechnic challenged its mechanical engineering students to design and build a vehicle from first principles as a year‑three, problem‑based learning project that would convert classroom theory into a manufacturable product. To support the program, the school standardized on SolidWorks—using SOLIDWORKS Education Edition and SOLIDWORKS Simulation—to give students professional design and analysis tools.

Using SolidWorks, students designed, simulated (Von Mises stress, deflection) and manufactured the polytechnic’s first completed car, a desert buggy, validating simulation results against manual calculations. SolidWorks’ virtual testing reduced reliance on physical prototypes and accelerated development, helped establish a hands‑on senior design curriculum, prepared students for industry careers, and fostered teamwork, leadership and Bahrain’s local manufacturing and engineering talent pipeline.

Bahrain Polytechnic

John Donald

Engineering Tutor