When you need to convert rotary motion to linear motion, cam followers offer precision, easy mounting, reliability and maintenance advantages.
Cam followers are among the most simple yet versatile motion control components available, with applications across a broad range of industries. Despite being an essential mechanism, cam followers are often a forgotten product. However, it would be a mistake to gloss over cam followers when specifying motion components for your equipment.
Basic stud cam followers have a straightforward design and come in many versions to suit specific application requirements and environments. That means your overall system's performance and reliability can depend on your understanding of cam follower fundamentals and the various configurations that are available. If you select the wrong cam follower or mount one incorrectly, it can suffer from improper loading, misalignment, contamination and premature failure.
Nodes supplies Cam followers of famous brands, including INA, IKO, NTN, SKF, DEBOT.
What Is a Cam Follower?
A cam is a device that converts rotary motion to linear motion in various machines. A cam follower is a guide mechanism that makes rolling contact to the cam lobe profile and transfers a prescribed motion to the component that needs to move on a linear axis. Cam followers are relatively inexpensive, with some machines containing as many as 20 or 30 cam followers. An entire plant may use hundreds or thousands of them.
Typical applications include machine tools, industrial robots, conveyors, pallet changers, packaging machinery, electronic parts production, office automation equipment and sewing machines. They are also often used as valve opening mechanisms in internal combustion (IC) engines. While other mechanisms can perform the same functions as a cam follower, they are generally not well-suited for the application.
Cam Follower Characteristics
An appropriate cam follower, when properly installed, will distribute loads evenly without deflections and misalignment. Many cam followers incorporate a stud and a rotating outer ring, while others mount to the mating part via a through hole. Units with a thick outer ring typically have a small radial gap, giving them excellent load capacity and a greater ability to alleviate impact loads and dampen shocks and vibrations.
Standard cam followers typically offer a broad range of stud diameters to suit a wide variety of applications. They traditionally include a hex fitting on the outside of the bearing for tightening into place. Newer cam followers also include a hex fitting on one or both ends of the stud. This allows installers to hold and tighten the bearing, wherever it is positioned on the machine, with greater accuracy and consistency.