Design linear cams

What's New: 2020.1

By default, parts are created at the root level of the assembly . To create parts in a sub-assembly, click the toggle.

Insert linear cams

  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Linear Cam .
  2. On the Design tab:
    • On the Cam group box, select the Component option from the pull-down list, and enter values of the cam width and cam length.
    • On the Follower group box, enter the values.
    • On the Actual Segment group box, select the actual segment, or select one by clicking in the graph area and entering graph values.
      Note: Click Add After, Delete, or Add Before to add or remove segments.
    • Select the type of motion using the pull-down list. You can add your own motion when you click Plus (Add) and specify name and values of motion in the Add Motion dialog box. The motion is added to the list of motions. To remove any motion from the list, click Minus (Delete).
  3. (Optional) Click the More in the right lower corner of the Design tab to set additional options for cam design.
  4. (Optional) Click Save to file above the graph area to save graph data to the text file.
  5. (Optional) Click Results in the upper-right corner of the Design or Calculation tab to open HTML report.
  6. Click OK.
Note: You can switch to the Calculation tab to perform a calculation and strength check.

Insert a calculation

  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Linear Cam .
  2. On the Design tab:
    • On the Cam area, select the No Model option from the pull-down list, and enter values of the cam width and cam length.
    • On the Follower area, enter the values of the follower.
    • On the Actual Segment area add or remove segments and enter segment values.
    • Select the type of motion using the pull-down list. You can add your own motion when you click Plus (Add) and specify name and values of you motion in the Add Motion dialog box. Your motion is then added to the list of motions. To remove/delete any motion from the list, click Minus (Delete).
  3. (Optional) Click More in the right lower corner of the Design tab to open the More Options area, where you can set additional options for cam design.
  4. Click OK.
Note: You can switch to the Calculation tab to perform a calculation and strength check. Calculation is performed when you click Calculate.

Calculate linear cams

  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Linear Cam .
  2. On the Design tab:
    • On the Cam group box, select which type of cam you want to insert (Component, No Model).
    • Insert values for cam and follower.
  3. Switch to the Calculation tab:
    • Enter the calculation values. You can change the values and units directly in the edit fields.
  4. Click Calculate to perform the calculation.
  5. Calculation results are displayed in the Results area. The inputs that fail the calculation are displayed in red (their value does not correspond with other inserted values or calculation criteria). Reports of the calculation are displayed in the Summary of Messages area which is displayed after clicking on the chevron in the right lower part of the Calculation tab.
  6. (Optional) Click Save to file above the graph area to save graph data to the text file.
  7. (Optional) Click Results in the upper-right corner of the Design or Calculation tab to open HTML report.
  8. If calculation indicates design compliance, click OK.

Edit linear cams

  1. Open the Autodesk Inventor assembly with the already inserted Design Accelerator linear cam.
  2. Select the linear cam, right-click and select the Edit Using Design Accelerator command.
  3. Edit the cam. You can change the type of cam (Component, No Model) or recalculate values. If you changed calculation values, click Calculate to see strength check and geometric calculation. Calculation results are displayed in the Results area. The inputs that fail the calculation are displayed in red (their value does not correspond with other inserted values or calculation criteria). Reports of the calculation are displayed in the Summary of Messages area which is displayed after clicking on the chevron in the right lower part of the Calculation tab.
  4. Click OK.

Cam Tutorial