For many applications, mechanical cams are unrivaled by any competitors, electronic or otherwise.
In machine design, indexing is the movement from an initial position to a new position, starting and ending in rest. What applications require such motion? Machine tool changers, beverage cappers, and medical-product stampers are just a few examples.
Scroll down to read the fully illustrated article.
Mechanical cam-driven indexers are motion control devices that use physical parts to convert constant rotary motion into this intermittent, dynamically controlled indexing motion. It is true that electronic cams are used in some systems. However, electronic approaches are sometimes unnecessary. In fact, as we will discuss, mechanical cams frequently offer superior performance and accuracy in a simpler, more robust design.
