Cams and Cam Followers

What are Cams?

Cams are mechanical devices that convert rotary
oscillating or linear motion into a linear or
reciprocating motion to carry out useful work.

There are two links namely the cam itself which

acts as an input member. The other link that acts
as an output member is called the follower.
Cam and Follower

http://www.technologystudent.com/cams/cam1.htm
 Applications of Cams
Cams are widely used in internal combustion
engines, machine tools, printing control mechanisms,
textile weaving industries, automated machines.

We are now going to look at different types of cam,

follower and examples of the applications that these
are all used within.
 Types of Cams
• Plate cam

• Cylindrical cam

• Face cam

• End cam
 Plate cam
• Sometimes called a disc, radial or edge cam

• Made up of a flat plate or disc with an edge profile to transmit motion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7waCcLCMQd8 - animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENYd1M_9lCE - application
Radial / Plate Cam Application
 Cylindrical Cam
• Sometimes called a barrel cam.
• It’s curved surface has a groove machined, within which a follower is
contained.
• This movement is parallel to cam axis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmBnpM7K6To - animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jncYUwvO7g - application
 Face cam
• In its flat surface, this rotary cam has a groove cut within which a
constrained follower moves.
• This groove ensures no need for a spring return.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twDgMda7wBM - application
 End Cam
• In this case the end of the cylindrical cam has the profile machined on
the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edyNK-c9IjU - animation
 Types of cam follower
The types of cam follower that are mostly found are:
 Wedge or Knife Type Follower
• This has the advantage that it can follow complicated profiles.
However it is not often used as it wears rapidly, due to the high
frictional forces. It can track profiles in both directions.
 Roller Follower
• This has the advantage that wear is minimised, due to the roller
action.
• However the profile of the cam and roller radius must not conflict.
• If the profile is smaller than the radius of the roller then the roller will
follow the incorrect path.
 Flat Ended Cam Follower
• This cannot be us used for concave profiles. It wears slower than a
knife edge follower, since the parts of contact move across the surface
of the follower. These are often offset and allowed to spin.
 The Spherical-Faced Follower
When contacting end of the follower is of spherical shape, it is called a
spherical faced follower. In flat faced follower’s high surface stress are
produced. To minimize these stresses the follower is machined to
spherical shape
 Cam Applications
Cams are used in many applications, both everyday and industrially.
Some of which are:
• In a car engine
• On a workshop machine
• Application 3
• An unnamed cam
• Application 4
This is the cam and follower
as seen and used within
a car engine:

What type of cam is it?

What type of follower is it?

This is a type of cam used in an
Industrial situation:

What is the type of cam?

What is the type of follower?

This is a type of cam used in an
everyday situation:

What is the application?

What is the type of cam?

What is the type of follower?

What Type of Cam is This?
This is a type of cam used in an
everyday situation:

What is the application?

What is the type of cam?

What is the type of follower?

This is a type of cam used in an
everyday situation:

What is the application?

:window lever
What is the type of cam?
:face cam
What is the type of follower?
:spherical