Effects of profile interpolation in cam mechanisms

Realization of cam profiles passes through a discretization, truncation and interpolation of ideal designed motion profiles. This process affects the kinematics and the dynamics of a cam mechanism. This work aims to study and quantify this process and suggest a correct choice of the number of points that describes the profile, the number of digits adopted to represent these points and the type of interpolation adopted in working machines to reconstruct the original motion profile. The case of a single dwell rotary cam with translating follower is presented through numerical and experimental tests. The obtained results demonstrate that the linear interpolation can be an effective solution, interpolating a number of points in an optimal range avoiding excesses. Furthermore, the study highlights that the number of adopted digits may show a non-negligible effect.