NewtonWorks Expands Student Formula Support with OPTISHAPE-TS Structural Optimization Design Assistance

NewtonWorks Co., Ltd. announced that it has significantly expanded its support program for Student Formula, in which students develop racing cars themselves, and has begun providing design assistance using the structural optimization software OPTISHAPE-TS. In addition to its existing system analysis support using the 1DCAE tool Simulatio X, the company will provide OPTISHAPE-TS free of charge to help students pursue more advanced manufacturing challenges, including extreme lightweighting and stiffness optimization at the individual part level. As part of the initiative, NewtonWorks held a technical training session at its office in January 2026 for students from Yokohama National University and Teikyo University, officially launching practical support for real-world implementation. The Student Formula Japan competition challenges students to plan, design, and build their own vehicles and compete on overall engineering capability. For cars aiming for the podium, achieving both lightweight construction and high stiffness is essential because both directly affect driving performance. Until now, however, many design decisions have relied on student experience and trial and error, making it difficult to approach theoretical design limits. Through its Student Support Project, launched in 2025, NewtonWorks has supported whole-vehicle system analysis using the 1DCAE/MBD tool Simulatio X. Starting this year, in response to student requests to optimize the shapes of individual parts and frames, the company has fully launched design support using the structural optimization software OPTISHAPE-TS. OPTISHAPE-TS mathematically derives ideal shapes from a mechanical perspective, helping resolve design uncertainty in lightweighting, where excessive material removal can lead to insufficient stiffness and reduced driving stability. The support covers frame layout design, optimization of frame pipe diameter and wall thickness, and lightweight part design that takes actual manufacturing processes such as machining and welding into account. During the training session, students learned the basic operation of OPTISHAPE-TS and worked on exercises such as frame reinforcement studies using sample models and topology optimization of uprights. Participants asked many practical questions not only about software operation but also about how to apply the tool to actual Formula vehicle design. NewtonWorks’ Student Formula Support Project team said students who began using the software have reported discovering previously unnoticed waste in their models. The company said it is pleased that objective numerical analysis has led to new insights and discoveries for the students, and that it will continue supporting their challenges through simulation technologies such as Simulatio X and OPTISHAPE-TS.