Rotary Table Drive Coupling Redesign
Redesign of the drive system used in an automated production cell. The original assembly transferred torque from a stationary motor to a rotating fixture through direct gear coupling. After each table index, the gears were expected to re-engage automatically, but in practice frequent jamming and misalignment caused wear, tooth damage, and unpredictable stoppages. Inspection also revealed several millimetres of axial misalignment between the drive and driven shafts compared to the CAD design.
A new pneumatically actuated coupling system was developed and fully integrated with the six-axis robot control logic. The rigid gear mesh was replaced by an adaptive mechanism allowing automatic alignment and controlled engagement.
System sequence:
– After table indexing, the pneumatic cylinder extended to engage the drive,
– Sensors confirmed engagement and triggered motor rotation,
– If misaligned, the cylinder retracted, the motor repositioned, and engagement was retried,
– After the robot cycle, the motor stopped and the cylinder retracted automatically before the next table index.
Responsibilities:
– Concept and detailed CAD design of the coupling mechanism (SolidWorks),
– Force, torque, and timing calculations; transmission and cycle optimisation,
– Pneumatic circuit design and robot logic integration,
– On-site testing, tuning, and documentation.
The redesign eliminated jamming and downtime, improved system reliability, and enabled fast jig changeover without manual alignment.