SphinxCAM

Computer-Aided Manufacturing of Spherical Mechanisms (Ketchel, Larochelle)

SphinxCAM is the world's first computer-aided manufacturing(CAM) software for spherical four-bar mechanisms. SphinxCAM was created to bridge the gap between designing and manufacturing of spherical four-bar mechanisms. There are currently tools available, Sphinx, SphinxPC and Isis, which aid the design and visualization of spherical mechanisms. After identifying a suitable mechanism, the problem was being able to prototype it. The mechanism's links must have precise arc lengths and accurate axes placement. SphinxCAM is capable of taking the data from Sphinx, SphinxPC, or Isis and combining it with other machine data to accurately draw the links for the mechanism. SphinxCAM outputs the drawing of the mechanism and the sizes of the spacers needed to assemble the mechanism. These drawings may then be imported into standard CAM packages to generate NC code and manufacture the mechanism links with a high degree of accuracy. SphinxCAM is written in AutoLISP computer language that runs in the AutoCAD environment. AutoCAD was selected because it is the industry standard and the drawings can be exported to several different formats that can be used in different CAM programs. SphinxCAM draws the mechanism links using circular arcs with feet at either end. The feet are designed to facilitate the accurate placement and orientation of the axes and the use of bearings. The circular arcs are designed to allow the links to be spaced closely together. The result is a compact mechanism that conserves material and has been layed out to facilitate precise arc lengths and accurate axes placement.