Hello Everyone, Welcome back to Motion Monday 👋 . This week we are going to see a Oldham coupling. Perfect alignment sounds great… until you actually try to build something. Not every rotating system gets the luxury of perfect alignment. And instead of forcing precision where it doesn’t exist, sometimes the better solution is to design around the imperfection. An Oldham coupling is designed for exactly that situation. It transmits torque between two parallel shafts that are slightly misaligned, using a floating center disc that slides between two hubs. Instead of forcing alignment, it allows controlled motion to compensate for it. |
This model explores an Oldham coupling handling a 15 mm parallel offset within a compact 70 mm diameter setup. Rather than relying on flexibility or deformation, the mechanism uses a purely geometric approach — a floating disc that continuously repositions itself between two hubs.
What makes this interesting is that the motion isn’t just rotation. The center disc is constantly sliding back and forth in two perpendicular directions, effectively “negotiating” between the misaligned shafts. At any instant, it’s translating while the system as a whole maintains a steady 1:1 rotational relationship.
What I like about this mechanism is that it doesn’t try to eliminate error. It accepts it, redirects it, and keeps the system running without adding unnecessary complexity. Just controlled sliding, constrained motion, and a neat reminder that sometimes the cleanest solutions aren’t rigid — they’re adaptable.
Thank you for reading, See you next week 👋
To Play with the motion yourself you can download SOLIDWORKS file from below.
| 3DPlay Model | Zip Model |
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