Cam and Follower

cults3d

From "Making Mechanical Marvels in wood" A cam is defined as a machine component with a surface whose profile sets in motion another part called the follower in the desired speed and distance. Cams can be made that rotate, reciprocate, or do a combination of both. This model is a rotary cam which has a number of lobes of different heights and spacing , giving lively action to the follower. As part of my Keeping busy plan, i've transcribed this simple cam follower from the book listed above. Most of the tolorances are tight but if your printer isn't configured perfect it should still allow for a snug fit. If all else fails, theres always sanding or glue. I've added the image called Annotation for assembly instructions but if you have any questions please feel free to drop me a message. I've intentionally left the Follower Rod guide un-chamfered. My thinking is that, the little bit of elephants foot allows for a nice sung connection to the main back plate when pushed through from the back side. Be especailly careful with the follower rod. Given it's printing orientation it's susceptible to delamination if tweeked to hard. To get the white highlight you see in the photo I simply sanded the letters a bit with 60g sanding sponge and then used a Posca pen in white to paint the tops. The model in the pictures was printed in Hatchbox black and CC3D Silk Silver.