The electronic cam is a periodic function which defines the motion of a slave axis (Y), as a function of the position of the master axis (X).
The position of the following axis is uniquely defined for each master axis position.
The name cam comes from the mechanical system that is traditionally used to create coordination between two movements.
What can the electronic cam do?
The cam divides the revolution time of the movement shaft into 360 parts (or degrees), in these fractions it is possible to activate or deactivate phases that control the cycle of the machine and cause the requested operations to be carried out.
All the phases of each single cam are saved in a memory called “format”, in order to be used for subsequent productions of the same article.
What are the benefits?
The advantages of using the electronic cam are mainly found in a higher production yield:
– several operations can be performed in the cycle time without these interfering with each other
– greater cycle set up speed, thanks to the programs stored in the memory
– elimination of human error, since all movements are synchronized according to a precise time sequence
– elimination of extraordinary maintenance costs, as it eliminates production stops due to the format change of the mechanical cams
