Cam Followers

Components

Outer Raceway

Cam followers feature an outer raceway that is loaded at a single point which requires a more robust cross-section in order to prevent deformation. This represents a major difference to traditional ball and roller bearings where their resistance to deformation comes from the way they are press-fit into a sturdy housing.

Endplates

Stud-style cam followers feature one integrated end plate into the inner raceway and another that is pressed onto the stud up to to a shoulder. This allows flexibility for stud hardness.

Traditional and Crowned OD

The working face of every cam follower assembly is the outer diameter and is commonly composed of traditional bearing steels, like 52100 or 100Cr6 . This working face contacts another surface rotating the cam follower and transmitting or guiding power. While a flat and cylindrical shape for the outer diameter of a cam follower is simple, a crowned design offers unique advantages, especially for applications utilizing linear motion.

With a crowned cam follower, loads are more evenly distributed during deflection and operate with minor misalignment preventing corner loading (stress concentrations) and reducing thrust loads for applications utilizing rotary or circular motion. Of course, this ability to operate misaligned comes at the cost of a reduced load capacity.

Rollers

Needle rollers are commonly used in cam followers for the ability to operate under high radial loads, but not thrust loads. Where needed cam followers can be produced with a double row roller configuration. For applications experiencing radial and axial loads, ball or tapered roller bearings may be recommended.

Lubricants

Cam followers benefit from using oil for high speed applications as opposed to grease. Oil allows for bearings to stay cooler and lasts longer than traditional bearing grease. In slower moving and track applications, bearing grease is the preferred choice over oil.

Lubrication maintenance depends on the application. Those applications operating for longer periods of time or under heavy loads require regular re-lubrication. Generally speaking, most greases have a temperature limit of around 250° F (120° C). For applications requiring higher temperature limits, consider solid lube bearings .

Stud type cam followers typically are manufactured to include grease. Maintenance is performed by accessing the axial and radial lubrication holes on the stud. The mounting pin is used for lubrication with yoke type cam followers.

Common Industries and Applications

WD designs and manufactures both catalog and customized cam followers to meet the needs of niche OEMs as well as those for larger operations like:

• Forklifts
• Material handling systems
• Gearboxes
• Construction machinery
• Compressor applications
• Automobile plants
• Industrial robotics
• Electric motors and parts production
• Machine tools
• Office automation equipment
• Food and beverage
• Forestry equipment
• Steel mills
• Textiles
• Packaging equipment

Contact Us Now

We believe in quick and efficient communication. For more information, feel free to:

1. Use our Live Chat feature to chat with us right now . No robots – just us! Simply click the chat icon on the bottom right of your screen.
2. Call or email our knowledgeable, non-commission sales team.
3. Send us a message using our quick and easy contact form.

WD Bearing Group produces the whole range of cam followers, both standard and non-standard designs. Customized cam followers are available to fit your application as well as a risk-free application review where we provide our engineering recommendations to improve your application or reduce your operating costs.