Using the Karakuri book, I have constructed the Ready to Fly model (Figure 1) which is a paper penguin that flaps its wings as the user rotates a cam shaft. Chapter 8 of the Design of Machinery textbook by Robert L. Norton discusses the design of cams and choosing an appropriate motion profile for a particular application. However, in this case, the Karakuri book gives me a cam and the motion profile is already determined by the shape of the cam. Therefore, I decided to verify the cam geometry and penguin’s motion profile using design equations from the textbook. First, I will provide a brief background on cams and their design. I will then discuss the construction of the model, and lastly, I will discuss how I used the design equations to verify the cam shape and penguin’s motion profile.
Figure 1. Ready to Fly Model (Saka, 2007).