Case Study: University of New Hampshire achieves best-ever SAE Formula One season with SOLIDWORKS Education Edition

Improving SAE Formula One Racing Team performance with SOLIDWORKS Education Edition

The University of New Hampshire’s SAE Formula One team, UNH Precision Racing, needed to shorten the CAD learning curve and give students access to integrated simulation and visualization tools to improve real-world engineering experiences and racecar performance. To meet that challenge, the university adopted SolidWorks’ SOLIDWORKS Education Edition—replacing a harder-to-use CAD package—to streamline training and provide integrated design, FEA, and rendering capabilities.

Using SolidWorks’ SOLIDWORKS Education Edition (500 licenses), the team applied flow, frequency, and structural analyses, plus collision detection and photorealistic rendering, to optimize parts, reduce weight, and resolve assembly issues before fabrication. The SolidWorks-powered workflow improved interdisciplinary collaboration and student engagement and helped UNH Precision Racing achieve its best season ever (2013–2014), placing 26th overall in a highly competitive field.

University of New Hampshire

Brad Kinsey

Professor and Chairman, Department of Mechanical Engineering