TABLE OF CONTENTS Cam-follower systems are everywhere. They are used in a wide variety of devices and machines. It is actually difficult to get through a normal day in an industrialized society without using one or even many of these systems, or using products that were made by cam-driven machines. If you shave, the razor you use was probably made with a cam-driven machine. When you turn the timer knob on the dishwasher or washing machine, you are setting cams that will slowly rotate to activate the wash cycle's events. When you drive to work, cams get you there. Perhaps the most common application for cams is valve actuation in internal combustion (IC) engines the typical IC engine has two or more cams per cylinder. Many sewing machines use cams to obtain patterned stitching. If you go to a health club, you use cams to actuate many of the weight training machines. Figure 1-1 shows some examples of common cams.
This book will present practical information as well as the mathematical foundation needed to properly design and manufacture cams for a variety of applications, principally those that involve high speed operation and the need for accuracy, precision, and repeatability. Cams of this variety are used extensively in vehicles and in machinery of all types. Automated production machinery, such as screw machines, spring winders, and assembly machines, all rely heavily on cam-follower systems for their operation.
