Dynamics of Cam Mechanical Systems
Example Cams in an enclosure with forced oil lubrication
The Cam Mechanical System includes the mechanical components from the Power Source (usually a servo-motor or AC Motor) to the Payload.
MechDesigner calculates the Application-Load or Torque that a motor must provide to move each mechanism with the motion you have designed.
MechDesigner calculates the active and reactive forces - called kinetostatic-forces - at each joint as they move. It is important to know that kinetostatic-forces do not consider the any parasitic effects of rigidity, vibration, backlash, friction, stiction, damping, or speed variation at the drive motor ... and more.
The parasitic effects will mean the motion of the payload cannot not be exactly the same as the original motion-design. A poor physical machine-design and/or motion-design lead to greater motion differences between your motion design and the actual motion.
This section reviews the parasitic effects on the performance of Cam Mechanical Systems.
There is an emphasis on the Traditional Motion-Laws that are applied to mechanisms with Dwell-Rise-Dwell type motions. This is because their effects on the mechanical system are easier to understand, and we can obtain valuable design insights. You should be able to apply these insights even when you need to design a complex motion for a complex mechanism.