Worn cam followers and backlash
We replace all yoke mounted followers as a matched set and reset preload so dwell play and station drift go away, not just the worst follower.
Houston, TX ยท CAMCO indexer and index drive rebuild
CAMCO Index Drive and Indexer Repair
CAMCO units are not ordinary speed reducers, and they do not fail like ordinary speed reducers either. The CAMCO name traces back to Commercial Cam Co., which merged with Ferguson Machine Co. to form Industrial Motion Control and now sits under the DESTACO umbrella. What they all have in common is a hardened, ground barrel cam driving yoke mounted, preloaded cam followers. That design gives you backlash free indexing, controlled acceleration, and repeatable dwell positions, but it also means a worn follower or a chewed cam profile shows up as station drift and lost accuracy long before the unit ever stops turning. We rebuild these drives at our Houston shop, and we treat them as the precision motion devices they are, not as throwaway boxes.
We repair and rebuild CAMCO index drives, rotary indexers, and conveyor drives at our Houston shop as an independent OEM alternative. We are not an authorized CAMCO or DESTACO dealer. All work is done in house with free shipping both ways, free inspection, and up to a 24 month workmanship warranty.
Solution Gear Co. is a family owned, all in house gear shop on West Belfort Avenue, established in 1998. We are an independent repair shop and an OEM alternative. We are not an authorized CAMCO or DESTACO dealer and we are not affiliated with them. We name the brand here only to describe the equipment we service. When your line goes down, you want the unit back faster and stronger than a long replacement lead time can offer, and that is exactly what our gearbox repair process is built around.
Because so many CAMCO failures come down to cam follower bearings and output bearings, our in house bearing work and gear cutting capability matter a great deal here. We can recut a damaged cam follower yoke interface, restore a gouged dial bore, and reset preload to factory spec on a single bench rather than shipping subcomponents around the country.
What CAMCO units we service
CAMCO and Ferguson built a wide family of cam actuated motion products, and over the years we have had most of them on the bench. We commonly repair and rebuild:
- Roller Gear and Roller Dial index drives such as the RD and RDM series, where an enlarged roller gear cam gives short camshaft motion periods for continuous duty and oscillating motions.
- Right Angle index drives with a fixed center distance and a hardened ground barrel cam, used on rotary dials and to actuate linkages or in line conveyors.
- Parallel index drives from the P Series, with hardened conjugate cams, preloaded yoke mounted followers, and preloaded tapered roller bearings for high speed, backlash free service.
- E Series heavy duty index drives that turn several tons of fixturing and body parts on automotive lines.
- Ring index drives and large diameter rotary tables where the load rides on a big bore output.
- CAMCO and Ferguson precision link conveyors and the index drives that power station to station indexing.
If you are unsure which series you have, the model and serial plate plus a few photos are usually enough for us to identify it. Browse the other equipment we handle on our brands page.
How CAMCO indexers actually fail
After enough of these come across our bench, the failure patterns are predictable. The first symptom is almost always lost positioning accuracy at one or more stations, and the root cause sits in the cam and follower assembly.
- Worn cam followers and backlash. Followers are sacrificial. As they wear, you get measurable play in dwell. A common rule of thumb is that looseness around .0015 inch at a 6 inch radius means the followers need replacing. By the time you feel slop by hand, the cam is usually taking damage too.
- Cam follower stud shear and brinelling. Shot pins and reversing index loads deflect the follower studs, brinell the cam track, and fatigue the studs. An emergency stop is the worst offender. Rapid deceleration produces compound torque several times the index rating, which shears follower studs or fractures the outer bearing race.
- Gouged and knurled cam surfaces. If the unit keeps running on broken followers, the fragments knurl and gouge the hardened cam profile, which can halt the indexer outright. Saving that cam is the difference between a rebuild and a scrap unit.
- Elongated follower mounting holes and keyway knurling. Repeated E stops elongate follower mounting holes, and elements held by keys and setscrews work back and forth until the keyways knurl and torque transmission is lost.
- Output bearing and preload loss. The preloaded tapered roller output bearings lose preload over time, which lets the dial drop and the cam mesh wander.
- Contamination and lubrication failures. Weld spatter, grinding dust, and caustic washdown attack detent and friction clutches and contaminate the oil. Missed oil changes, generally due every 2000 hours or six months, accelerate everything above.
How we rebuild a CAMCO drive
We tear every unit down completely and inspect before we quote. The cam profile gets measured for brinelling, gouging, and wear. Followers, studs, and bearings come out for individual evaluation, and the output bore and dial interface are checked for runout and elongation.
From there we replace all cam followers and bearings as a set, never piecemeal, so preload is uniform. Where the cam track has wear that can be saved, we restore the surface; where a yoke, shaft, or bore is damaged, we use our in house gear cutting and machining to bring it back to true rather than hunting for an obsolete part. We address the things the field cannot, including elongated mounting holes, knurled keyways, and worn dowel fits, because mounting drift is a real source of station error. We reset tapered roller bearing preload to spec, install fresh seals, and refill with the correct lubricant.
Then we run it. We verify dwell accuracy and check for backlash through the index before it ships. We rebuild stronger than OEM where we can, and we back the work with up to a 24 month workmanship warranty. For lines that also run conveyor and material handling drives, our general gearbox repair covers the reducers feeding those systems too.
Industries we serve and how shipping works
CAMCO and Ferguson index drives run the precision automation that keeps Houston and the Gulf Coast moving. We see them in automotive and weld cell assembly, packaging and filling lines, pharmaceutical and medical device handling, electronics assembly, and general material handling on rotary dial and link conveyor systems. Many of these machines run a single indexer at the heart of the line, so when it drifts, the whole cell loses yield.
Distance is not a problem. We offer free shipping both ways, free inspection, and free pickup and delivery that includes crating and rigging for the heavy E Series and ring drives. For Houston and the surrounding area, we will come get the unit ourselves. Whether you run a plant in town or anywhere across the country, you ship us the unit, we inspect it free, and we ship the rebuild back on us. See the full list of sectors we support on our industries page, or reach out through contact.
What we repair and rebuild
What we fix.
Sheared follower studs
We replace studs damaged by E stop overload or reversing loads and correct the conditions that fatigued them in the first place.
Gouged or brinelled cam surfaces
We measure the hardened barrel and conjugate cam tracks and restore surfaces damaged by broken follower fragments before they scrap the unit.
Output bearing and preload loss
We rebuild the preloaded tapered roller output bearing stack and reset preload to spec so the dial holds position under load.
Elongated mounting holes and knurled keyways
We machine out elongated follower mounting holes and knurled keyways, and restore dowel fits to stop mounting drift and accuracy loss.
Seal and lubrication failures
We replace worn input and output seals, flush contaminated oil, and refill with the correct lubricant to protect the rebuilt internals.
Detent and friction clutch damage
We service input clutches fouled by weld spatter, grinding dust, and washdown chemicals that cause disengagement and free wheeling.
Damaged dial bores and output shafts
We recut and restore worn dial bores and output shafts with in house gear cutting and machining rather than chasing obsolete parts.
Common questions
What plants ask us.
Are you an authorized CAMCO or DESTACO dealer?
No. Solution Gear Co. is an independent repair shop and an OEM alternative. We are not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by CAMCO or DESTACO. We repair and rebuild these index drives on their own merits and name the brand only to describe the equipment we service.
Can you save a CAMCO indexer that runs but has lost accuracy at one station?
Usually yes, and that is the ideal time to send it in. Station drift almost always means worn cam followers and the start of cam track damage. Caught early, we replace the followers, restore the cam, and reset preload. Wait until it grinds or stalls and the cam surface may be gouged beyond saving.
What does it cost to send my unit to Houston from out of state?
Shipping costs you nothing. We offer free shipping both ways plus free inspection. Heavy E Series and ring drives include free crating and rigging. You only pay for the rebuild itself once you approve our quote.
How long does a CAMCO index drive rebuild take?
It depends on the series, the extent of cam and follower damage, and parts. After a free teardown and inspection we give you a firm quote and timeline. We run a 24 hour line at 832 270 2009 for line down emergencies and turn rush work as fast as the rebuild allows.
Do you warranty the rebuild?
Yes. We rebuild stronger than OEM where we can and back the work with up to a 24 month workmanship warranty. Every unit is tested for dwell accuracy and backlash before it ships back to you.
Get your CAMCO indexer rebuilt and back on the line
Free shipping both ways, free inspection, and an up to a 24 month warranty on every rebuild. Tell us about your unit and we reply fast, often the same day.
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