Main Pad Travel with Aerial Cams

Posted by stephens on Jul 16, 2009 in Cam Dies, Engineering Decisions, Equations | 0 comments

The main pad in a die with aerial cams must hold the stamping in place on the lower tool during the press downstroke before the cam steels make initial contact. On the press upstroke, the main pad must hold the stamping on the lower tool until the cam steels clear the stamping. The simplest way to ensure the proper timing of the main pad when aerial cams are...

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Aerial Cam Slide Return Force

Posted by stephens on Jul 1, 2009 in Cam Dies, Engineering Decisions, Equations, Events, Tips & Techniques | 0 comments

In the spring of 1998, we witnessed an epidemic of commercial aerial cam unit failures in the field. These off-the-shelf cams were relatively new to the automotive industry, replacing the time-honored practice of engineering and constructing home-made aerial cams. We discovered that the cams were failing because the dies were engineered with no cam pad for...

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