Autodesk Announces ADEPT Airmotive as Inventor of the Month for March 2008

Digital Prototyping Helps Company Speed Development of Lightweight,
Fuel-Efficient General Aviation Engine

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced that ADEPT Airmotive (ADEPT), an innovative
manufacturer of general aviation engines for the light aircraft market, has
been named as the Autodesk Inventor of the Month for March 2008. ADEPT relied
upon Autodesk Inventor engineering design software to develop its
revolutionary 320T -- a 320-horsepower general aviation engine with a compact
design that offers low vibration levels and high structural integrity. The 280
lb. engine is lighter than a traditional piston engine of comparable
horsepower, allowing the 320T to reap significant fuel efficiencies to the
operator of the aircraft and is less impactful on the environment.
The Inventor of the Month program
(http://www.autodesk.com/inventorofthemonth) recognizes the most innovative
design and engineering advancements made by the extensive community using
Autodesk Inventor software -- the foundation of the Autodesk solution for
Digital Prototyping.
Leveraging Digital Prototyping capabilities within Inventor allowed ADEPT
to produce accurate 3D models of the 320T before anything was actually built
-- reducing the number of physical prototypes that needed to be constructed.
Processes that once took hours -- such as changing the wall thickness of an
engine component -- were completed almost instantaneously with Inventor. This
allowed engineers to spend less time constructing geometric models and more
time creating innovative designs, and then simulating the performance of the
designs under real-world conditions.
"Digital Prototyping was absolutely critical because it allowed us to
bring a single digital model through every phase of design and development,"
said Richard Schulz, managing director at ADEPT. "We were able to explore the
form, fit and function of our designs, without expending time and resources on
physical prototypes."
This optimization process allowed ADEPT to minimize potentially expensive
downstream changes by catching errors before they reached manufacturing. As a
result, ADEPT -- with a core team of only three designers -- was able to
produce a working prototype of the 320T, paving the way for the introduction
of a new generation of modern general aviation engines.
"Digital Prototyping allows manufacturers of any size to innovate more
effectively while simplifying the concept to manufacturing process," said
Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice president of Autodesk Manufacturing
Solutions. "ADEPT's remarkable achievements are a testament to this notion,
and it is a pleasure to name them as our Inventor of the Month for March."
About the Autodesk Inventor of the Month Program
Each month, Autodesk selects an Inventor of the Month from the more than
700,000 users of Autodesk Inventor software, the foundation for Digital
Prototyping. Winners are chosen for engineering excellence and groundbreaking
innovation. For more information on Autodesk Inventor of the Month, contact
Autodesk at IOM@autodesk.com.
About ADEPT Airmotive
ADEPT Airmotive's core activities are the design, development and
manufacture of a range of general aviation engines for the light aircraft
market. The company is based at Virginia Airport in Durban, South Africa,
where it has its design and administration offices and an R&D/Testing
facility. For additional information about ADEPT Airmotive, visit
http://www.adeptairmotive.com.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the
manufacturing, construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its
introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest
portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers
experience their ideas before they are built. Fortune 1000 companies rely on
Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world
performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance
quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk,
visit http://www.autodesk.com.
Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor and Inventor are registered
trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other
brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at
any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical
errors that may appear in this document.
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Contact: Christine Stoner 416.874.8841 Alyson Howard 312.297.7430
Email: christine.stoner@autodesk.com alyson.howard@edelman.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.

Christine Stoner of Autodesk, +1-416-874-8841, christine.stoner@autodesk.com,
or Alyson Howard, +1-312-297-7430, alyson.howard@edelman.com, for Autodesk