SawStop makes woodworking safer with finger-saving table saw designed in SolidWorks and COSMOS

Oregon

CONCORD, Mass., March 26, 2007 - A small Oregon company is changing woodworking professionals' jobs with a table saw designed in SolidWorks® software that only cuts wood, not fingers. SawStop has invented a table saw that immediately retracts the blade when it touches a finger, making woodworking safer and eliminating painful and very costly medical procedures.

Table saws are involved in more than 60,000 accidents every year, or one accident every nine minutes, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Those accidents result in nearly $2 billion of injury-related costs annually. Realizing the need for a safer saw, lifelong woodworker Steve Gass applied his doctorate in physics to design a saw that runs with a small electrical current on the blade. When the blade touches a finger (or something else that conducts electrical current), the current drops and engages a brake. As the blade's teeth sink into the brake, the momentum forces the blade to drop below the table. The entire process takes only three milliseconds, which is a fraction of the time it takes to blink your eye.

SawStop Vice President of Engineering Dave Fulmer said inventing the product went more smoothly than learning to use the first CAD software the company bought. "We're all inventors or engineers, but none of us really had any CAD experience," he said. "It took us about eight months to realize that purchasing Autodesk Inventor® was a mistake. It wasn't very intuitive, it didn't handle complex assemblies very well, and all of our manufacturers in Taiwan used SolidWorks. In just a couple of weeks learning SolidWorks, we were able to design complex components such as the brake mechanism, including the spring that sets the brake into the blade to stop the saw."

Fulmer and his team rely on COSMOSXpress and COSMOSWorks® Designer analysis software to ensure the table saws perform as expected and can stand up to constant use. SolidWorks' integration with these products enables SawStop to minimize prototyping costs and time and eliminate added manufacturing costs from overbuilding.

SolidWorks CEO John McEleney recently demonstrated how the saw works using a hot dog in front of more than 3,000 attendees at SolidWorks World 2007. "The speed with which the blade retracts and the sound it makes is stunning," he said. "So far, this invention has prevented nearly 150 serious injuries, and that number will increase as sales continue to grow. SawStop is another example of a small company with a groundbreaking idea designing great products that make a difference."

SawStop relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller Shounco Design Studios for ongoing software training, implementation, and support. To see how the SawStop can save woodworkers' fingers, watch it in action at http://www.sawstop.com/media/Table%20Saw%20-%20WMV%20high.wmv.

About SawStop

SawStop, LLC is a company formed to develop and market improved active safety technology for woodworking equipment. SawStop was started by Stephen Gass after he invented the SawStop technology. SawStop's goal is to see its safety technology incorporated into every type of woodworking equipment sold so that the number of debilitating injuries to woodworkers can be dramatically reduced.

For more information, visit the company Web site (www.sawstop.com).

About Shounco Design Studios

Shounco Design Studios, Inc. is the premier Northwest CAE /CAD/ CAM company serving Oregon and Washington since 1995. Shounco Design Studios has its roots in the engineering consulting business and prides itself on being a "Complete Engineering Resource Center" for its customers. With SolidWorks authorized training centers, a toll-free hotline for support, and one of the most advanced support and eLearning Web sites in the industry, Shounco Design Studios puts a heavy emphasis on supporting its customers and making their success a priority. Visit the company's Web site at www.shounco.com.

About Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a Dassault Systèmes S.A. subsidiary, develops and markets software for design, analysis, product data management, and documentation. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, giving teams intuitive, high-performing software that helps them design better products. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company’s Web site (http://www.solidworks.com/) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

About Dassault Systèmes

As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, Dassault Systèmes brings value to more than 100,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance to recycling. The Dassault Systèmes portfolio consists of CATIA for designing the virtual product – SolidWorks for 3D mechanical design – DELMIA for virtual production – SIMULIA for virtual testing – ENOVIA for global collaborative lifecycle management, and 3DVIA for online 3D lifelike experiences. Dassault Systèmes’ shares are listed on Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) and Dassault Systèmes’ ADRs may be traded on the US Over-The-Counter (OTC) market (DASTY). For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com/.