Case Study: Centre for Concepts in Mechatronics achieves 5× improved printer repeatability and faster development with MathWorks Model-Based Design

Centre for Concepts in Mechatronics Improves Resolution of Industry-Leading Agfa Printers Using Model-Based Design

The Centre for Concepts in Mechatronics (CCM) was engaged to improve repeatability and image resolution on Agfa Dotrix Modular industrial inkjet printers, where substrate tension and stretch caused misalignment of ink droplets and operators lacked a way to tune force‑control parameters. CCM used MathWorks’ Model‑Based Design tools—including Simulink, Simulink Coder, Simulink Real‑Time, MATLAB, and Control System Toolbox—to design a controller that could be integrated into existing printers while minimizing development time and cost.

Using MathWorks tools, CCM modeled the nonlinear substrate dynamics, designed and simulated three coupled control loops, automatically generated C code, and deployed a real‑time embedded implementation with an operator GUI. The MathWorks‑based solution was deployed on Dotrix Modular printers, cut design‑to‑test iterations to about five minutes, improved functional performance by a factor of five, and produced a hardware‑independent, lower‑cost controller that sped time‑to‑market.