Inventor^® Training

Parallel Wall Cylindrical Cam with Autodesk Inventor - Page 2

By David Melvin, PE, TEDCF Publishing

Create a 2D Sketch on the end of the cylinder, and then draw a rectangle that’s coincident with the node on the end of the path and the node on the axis of the cylinder. The middle of the lines on the rectangle should be coincident with the nodes.

Create a 2D Sketch on one of the Default Work Planes, and then project the Default Axis that’s collinear with the axis of the cylinder onto the sketch.

Use the Sweep command using the Sweep Path and Guide Rail method to cut the slot. The projected line on the axis of the cylinder is the Guide Rail.

How is this Beneficial?
There are several different ways you can create cam slots on cylinders, and the method you use will depend on the assembly design. The method used in this tip assumes that the pin riding in the slot is always perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder and the axis of the pin always passes through the axis of the cylinder.

I’ve written a couple of tips on cylindrical cams, so that you can use the methods from the tips to create cam slots that meet your requirements. You may need to use parts of the methods to create your own hybrid method, or you may add new methods to get the results you need. For example, if the axis of the pin does not rotate about the axis of the cylinder you could sweep the profile along the path in the 2D Sketch mentioned above instead of the path projected onto the cylinder. The possibilities are endless.