Cam (or Cam-Part) :

The Part that supports the Cam-Profile shape. Its motion is the input to the Cam system.

Cam-Shaft :

The most common Cam-Part. It is rotating-Part (a shaft), to which you add the 2D-Cam (or 3D-Cam) as a Cam-Profile. A Cam-Shaft usually rotates with a constant angular-velocity.

Cam-Profile :

The curved surface of a 2D-Cam (or 3D-Cam) that imparts a motion to a Follower by point or line contact with the surface of a Follower-Profile.

Cam-Track :

A groove that is cut into a Cam-Blank with an Outer and an Inner Cam-Profile.

Follower (or Follower-Part) :

The Part that supports the Follower-Profile. Its motion is the output from the cam system.

Follower-Profile :

The surface of a machine component that is rigidly connected to the Follower-Part. The surface that is in continuous contact with the Cam-Profile.

Follower-Roller :

A common Follower-Profile that is cylindrical or barrel-shaped, and rigidly connected to the Follower-Part.

Flat-faced Follower : 

A Follower-Profile that is a flat surface that is rigidly connected to the Follower-Part.

Translating Follower :

A Follower-Part that moves along a straight axis.

Reciprocating :

A sliding-Part that has a motion that is non-progressive.

Rotating Follower :

A Follower-Part that rotates about a fixed axis with a progressive or non-progressive motion.

Oscillating :

A rotating-Part that has a motion that is non-progressive.

Progressive Motion :

A motion that moves the Follower-Part generally in one direction.

Non-Progressive Motion :

A motion that returns the Follower-Part to its original position after each machine cycle.

Indexing :

A progressive, usually rotating motion.

Indexer :

A device whose input is a constant-speed Cam-Shaft and output is a rotating shaft with a progressive motion. After the cam-shaft rotates fully a number of times, the output shaft rotates by 360º.

Cam-Blank :

The material that you need before you cut the shape of the Cam-Profile.

The Cam Mechanical System has a:

Simple Input-Motion

Usually, the Cam-Part has a simple motion. It is said to be the input-motion.

Complex Output-Motion

Usually, the Follower-Part has a more complex motion.  It is said to be the output-motion.

Input-Transmission

The mechanical components from the motor (power source) to the Cam-Part are said to be the input-transmission.

Output-Transmission

The mechanical components from the Follower-Part to the payload are said to be the output-transmission.

Follower-Profile

The element, connected to the Follower, that is in direct and continuous contact with the Cam-Profile. It is usually a Follower-Roller, and occasionally a Flat-faced Follower. Other more general shapes are possible.

Payload : Other names for Payload are Load, Tooling, and End-Effector.

The design and selection of the mechanical components for the input-transmission and the output-transmission significantly affect the overall performance of the cam-system. The mechanical components are usually conventional machine-elements, such as shafts, gears, couplings, sliders, and linkages. They are usually connected together in series.

You cannot design a cam in isolation of the other components in the mechanical system.

The characteristics of the mechanical components that most significantly affect the performance of the Cam-System are the mass moment of inertia (or mass for linear systems), rigidity (or stiffness for linear systems), and backlash in the input-transmission and output-transmission.

The motion you design for the payload is equally important. A poor motion will needlessly incite vibrations in any mechanical system. A good motion will give you a machine that lasts longer, jams less frequently, and has the same capital cost as a machine with poor motion-design.

Motion-Design for a single axis is fairly straightforward. Motion-Design for multi-axis machines, with many interacting mechanisms and complex material-to-machine interactions, requires experience, skill and a good understanding of the motion-design requirements as a whole.

Cam Mechanism : from the 'Power-Source' to the 'Payload'