Horizontal displacement mechanism for cleanroom material transfer systems

A loadport, comprising:

• an articulating arm;
• a rotatable shaft disposed to extend through and away from the articulating arm, the rotatable shaft defined to rotate about a first rotational axis;
• a linear slide assembly rigidly connected to the rotatable shaft such that a length of the linear slide assembly extends along the first rotational axis away from the articulating arm;
• a spiral cam having a tubular shaped portion defined by an interior cavity and an exterior surface, the spiral cam defined to receive the linear slide assembly within the interior cavity, the linear slide assembly defined to allow movement of the spiral cam along the first rotational axis and prevent rotation of the spiral cam relative to the linear slide assembly, such that both the spiral cam and the linear slide assembly are configured to rotate in unison with rotation of the rotatable shaft, and wherein the exterior surface of the spiral cam includes a cam contour;
• and
• a cam roller disposed at a fixed position relative to the articulating arm and proximate to the exterior surface of the spiral cam, the cam roller disposed separate from the linear slide assembly and rotatable shaft, wherein the cam roller is positioned within the cam contour of the spiral cam, the cam roller defined to engage with the cam contour to cause movement of the spiral cam along the first rotational axis when the spiral cam is rotated relative to the cam roller through rotation of the linear slide assembly by way of the rotatable shaft.

A method for operating a loadport to provide horizontal displacement of an object, comprising:

• rigidly connecting a linear slide assembly to a rotatable shaft extending outward from an articulating arm of a loadport, the rotatable shaft having a rotational axis oriented in a horizontal direction;
• placing a spiral cam having a tubular shaped portion defined by an interior cavity and an exterior surface over the linear slide assembly such that the linear slide assembly is received within the interior cavity of the spiral cam, wherein the interior cavity of the spiral cam interfaces with the linear slide assembly such that the spiral cam is freely movable along a length of the linear slide assembly and such that the spiral cam is prevented from rotating relative to the linear slide assembly, and wherein the exterior surface of the spiral cam includes a cam contour;
• and
• placing a cam roller at a fixed position relative to the articulating arm and proximate to the exterior surface of the spiral cam such that the cam roller engages with the cam contour of the exterior surface of the spiral cam.