The general shape of the cam is generated by the relative motion of the cam and follower-profile.

Planar:

•The cam is a disc, plate, track, groove, conjugate, ramp, slot

Spatial:

•The cam is cylindrical, barrel, globoidal

The modes of cam motion are:

Rotating:

•The cam swings back and forth - the cam oscillates

•The cam rotates continuously

•The cam moves progressively (rare)

Translating:

•The cam slides back and forth - the cam reciprocates

•The cam moves progressively (rare)

Stationary:

•The cam is a fixed to a frame, and multiple tooling with followers move around the cam. Most common on rotating machinery - such as a bottle labeling, capping, or filling machine.

•The cam is a fixed to a frame and a tool with a follower slides along the the cam - e.g. a Slot Cam.

The shape of the Follower-Profile influences the shape of the cam.

Roller shapes

•Cylindrical Follower-Roller - commonly used

•Barrel Follower-Roller (Crowned Followers) - commonly used

•Logarithmic Follower-Roller - the actual logarithmic function is the intellectual property of each manufacturer.

•Taper Follower-Rollers - occasionally used with barrel, globoidal cams

Other shapes

•Flat-faced Follower - not as common as cylindrical

•Knife-edged Follower - not a practical shape, but here for completeness

•Other general shapes.

See Typical Cam-Profile Shapes

The modes of Follower motion are:

Rotating Followers: a lever:

•Swing back and forth:  an oscillating follower

•Progressive motion, they index, in one direction

Translating Followers: a slider:

•Sliding back and forth: a reciprocating follower

Stationary Followers:

•A Stationary Follower moves the Cam. Not as common. Molding machines, wedge type cams.

The constraint between the Cam-Profile and the Follower-Profiles influences whether the Cam-Profile is:

Force Closed:

The constraint is an external force

•Gravity, Spring, Air-Cylinder, ...

Form Closed (also called Body Closed):

The constraint is another “body”:

•Groove (Track), Rib, Slot, within which you constrain the Follower-Profile.

•Conjugate Cams: these systems require manufacturing and production accuracy for two (or more) Follower-Profiles to be in contact with two or more Cam-Profiles.

Non-progressive:

The follower returns to the same position after each cycle by reversing its direction of motion at some point in the cycle.

Progressive: (also called indexing motion, Indexing Cams

The follower moves progressively to a new position at the end of each cycle.

In most cases the follower is replaced by another follower at the end of a motion cycle. Equally spaced followers return to their original positions after a number of motion-cycle. Most indexing systems use several roller followers equally spaced around a follower wheel or 'turret'.