CAM Production

CAM Production

CAM Production - In order to facilitate the making of cams, the machine makers supply standard cam blanks turned to the correct size and provided with holes for the shaft and driving pin. One face of the blank is graduated into 100 divisions to facilitate laying out the cam outline. This outline is transferred from the drawing to the blank and its shape must then be machined or cut by one of the methods available.

To obtain the best results on the rises of the lobes they should be milled on a universal milling machine set up with a geared dividing head. The cam profile should be finished off by smooth draw filing and cam should be case hardened before running under full production.

An example showing the cam design layout (Fig.), the tool layout (Fig.) and the cams (Fig.) is given below. Particular aspects of working in this case include the following:

Tool Layout for Job

Cam Layout For Job

1. threading with a self opening die head;

2. taper turning by a swing tool held in the turret but controlled by a guide plate mounted on the front tool slide;

3. a double feed out of the bar stock, due to the length required exceeding the capacity of a single feed out;

4. the method of supporting the work after the second feed out while forming the end and parting off.

The cam diameters for this particular machine are turret cam 178 mm dia., front and rear slide cams 152 mm dia., and as an exercise the student might lay these out for himself from the information in the layout (Fig.).