2008

Table Of Contents
Key Terms
DefinitionTerm
Rate of change in velocity.acceleration
Types of gears for obtaining unusual and irregular motions that would be difficult
to produce otherwise.
cam
Geometric shape of the cam.curve path
Diagram illustrating the lift or rotation of the follower for each degree of rotation
or translation of the cam plate.
motion diagram
Part of the motion diagram. Some sections are defined by design. For example,
the maximum lift of 15 mm is reached at an angle of 90 degrees.
motion section
Numerical Control. Used in manufacturing to represent the control on machine
tool motion through numeric data for 2 to 5 axis machining.
NC
Controls the precision of curves. A low value increases computing time. Use a
higher value for initial design.
resolution
Graph of the speed of the straight driven element, or the rotation angle of a
rocker and the cam plate angle of rotation.
step width
Designing and Calculating Cams
With the cam design and calculation functionality in AutoCAD Mechanical,
you can implement all motions required in the scope of process control with
a minimum number of gear elements. The basis for systematic design
procedures is offered using standardized laws of movement in the development
of new cam gears.
With the automated cam features, you can create cams (linear, circular, and
cylindrical cams) based on sections drawn in a motion diagram. You can also
calculate velocity and acceleration of an existing section of the motion
diagram. The cam curve path can be determined with the calculated cam
388 | Chapter 20 Designing and Calculating Cams