Category:Cams

Description

The Cams and Followers are devices which can convert rotary motion into linear motion (movement in a straight line) or activate a linkage. A cam is a specially shaped piece of material, usually metal or hard wearing plastic, which is fixed to rotating shaft.

Features and Applications

The cam can be made in various recognisable shapes (e.g. circular, elliptical, heart-shaped) or can have a shape, or ‘profile’, specifically designed and shaped to produce a particular output motion. The profile design takes the form of a graph of movement against time and is known as a Displacement Diagram.

Followers are mechanisms which are in contact with the shape of the cam and, as a result, produce a pattern of motion, usually Reciprocating or Oscillating, interspersed with periods of rest (or Dwell), sudden drops and changes of velocity as required.

Many machines which have moving parts use cams. A good example is the car engine which has cams to open and close valves and contact breaker points and operate fuel pumps.

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Types of Cam