Computer-aided optimum design and NC milling of planar cam mechanisms

In the present paper a computer-aided procedure for optimum design and NC milling of cam mechanisms is introduced. In the first part of the paper a non-linear programming optimization technique, to design a cam mechanism with optimum transfer functions and minimum dimensions, is presented. Furthermore, considering the interpolation facilities of the available NC milling machine, a procedure to generate the cam NC-code, enabling the achievement of the desired cam accuracy and of the permitted transfer functions deviations, is introduced. This procedure also leads to a significant reduction of the NC code size. An application of the developed CAD-CAM system is demonstrated. Cams, designed and manufactured with the aid of the presented procedure, are tested by measuring the follower acceleration and comparing it with the theoretical one.