Rotary table apparatus

A rotary table apparatus comprising:

• a support rest for rotatably supporting a rotary table;
• and
• a base for turnably supporting, in a cantilever fashion, said support rest by a shaft element that is protrudingly formed on said support rest being inserted into a hole provided in said base, said shaft element having formed therein a hollow section for accommodating at least a portion of a drive mechanism for rotating said rotary table,
• wherein said shaft element is formed protruding sideward from said support rest, wherein said rotary table has a rotation shaft protrudingly formed concentric with a center of rotation of said rotary table;
• wherein said rotation shaft is accommodated in an inner space provided in said support rest;
• wherein said inner space is in communication with said hollow section;
• wherein a motor that rotates a drive-rotation shaft thereof according to a power that has been supplied, and a cam mechanism for rotating said rotation shaft according to the rotation of said drive-rotation shaft are accommodated, as said drive mechanism, in said inner space and said hollow section, wherein said motor accommodated in said hollow section is supported by said support rest;
• wherein said cam mechanism accommodated in said inner space has cam followers that are provided on an outer circumferential surface of said rotation shaft along its circumferential direction at even intervals, and a cam that is rotatably supported on said support rest with its axis aligned with a direction orthogonal to said rotation shaft;
• and
• wherein said rotary table is rotated due to said motor rotating said cam, and said cam followers successively engaging with a cam surface formed in an outer circumferential surface of said cam.