Case Study: 3T achieves fast, reliable SCARA robot emergency braking with MathWorks Model-Based Design

3T Develops Robot Emergency Braking System with Model-Based Design

3T, working for a leading Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer, set out to develop an emergency braking system for SCARA robots that could stop a robot with millimeter accuracy in under 0.5 seconds without causing damage. Facing expensive and risky cleanroom testing and the time cost of hand‑writing VHDL, 3T turned to MathWorks and its Model‑Based Design toolchain, including MATLAB, Simulink, and HDL Coder, to evaluate feasibility and minimize hardware debugging.

Using MathWorks products (Simulink, MATLAB, Fixed‑Point Designer, Simscape Electrical, HDL Coder, and HDL Verifier), 3T built and simulated a complete system model, converted the controller to fixed‑point, generated VHDL, integrated vendor IP, and verified the design with ModelSim‑compatible testbenches. The MathWorks workflow cut cleanroom time from weeks to days, enabled late requirement changes to be implemented in days, resolved a complex bug in one day, and delivered a braking controller now in production.

3T

Ronald van der Meer

Systems Engineer