Forming Technologies Releases CATBLANK CAA V5 based for Flat Pattern Development in CATIA V5

Fully Associative Flat Pattern Development for Complex Geometry

OAKVILLE, Ontario, November 16, 2006 - Forming Technologies Inc. (FTI) the industry’s leading developer of solutions for design, simulation, and costing of sheet metal components, announced today at the Aerospace Design Expo 2006, the global availability of CATBLANK CAA V5 based which delivers powerful new capabilities for developing extremely accurate flat patterns for complex geometries even if they undergo significant deformation during manufacturing.

Based on FTI’s proven metal forming simulation technology, CATBLANK utilizes advanced methods for determining accurate, fully developed blank shapes for any type of sheet metal part, from simple brackets to complex metal stampings. While the geometry based approach utilized by most commercially available applications is limited to linear bends, FTI’s breakthrough technology is able to correctly account for stretch and deformation, changes in thickness and material properties and process specific manufacturing conditions.

“CATBLANK was developed to address a widespread need for fast and accurate flat pattern development throughout the manufacturing world,” said Michael Gallagher, Vice President of Business Development at FTI. “Our customers were looking for a specialized tool that would enable them to reduce tooling tryout time and cost estimating effort by determining precise material requirements with minimal effort. CATBLANK fulfills the needs of manufacturers from all industries – from automotive and aerospace to electronics and consumer products.”

CATBLANK’s powerful solver engine is capable of considering a wide variety of input variables including material properties, friction, locator pins in the tooling, and pre-bending of the blanks. It typically requires less than 2 minutes to develop the flat pattern shape. By integrating CATBLANK into the CATIA V5 environment, risk of data loss through file translation is eliminated while users are able to work within the familiar CATIA V5 PLM environment.

“The integration of FTI’s technology within the CATIA V5 environment is part of our
mission to help our customers address complex metal forming issues at an early stage in the product development process,” said Dr. Medhat Karima, President and CEO of FTI. “We are very pleased to work jointly with Dassault Systèmes to incorporate stamping
technology and we look forward to providing enhanced value to our mutual customers.”

About Dassault Systèmes
As world leader in PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) solutions, the Dassault
Systèmes group brings value to more than 70,000 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 life cycle of products from conception to retirement. Its offering
includes integrated PLM solutions for product development (CATIA®, DELMIA®,
ENOVIA®, SMARTEAM®), mainstream product design tools (SolidWorks), and 3D
components (ACIS®) from Spatial Corp. Dassault Systèmes is listed on the Nasdaq
(DASTY) and Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) stock exchanges.. For more
information, visit www.3ds.com

About Forming Technologies
Forming Technologies Incorporated is the world’s leading developer of computer aided engineering software for design, costing, and formability of sheet metal components. For the past 18 years, FTI has provided OEMs and suppliers in the automotive, aerospace and appliance industries with innovative software and training solutions designed to reduce development time and material costs. FTI has trained over 12,000 engineers in Formability and Die Design and is considered the Best in Class around the world for their industry training programs. FTI and its global network of partners provide sales and technical support to customers in more than 35 countries. For information visit the company’s website ( www.forming.com)