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What is a radial plate cam with knife edge follower? check this out | radial plate cam with knife edge follower

Author

Sarah Martinez

Updated on July 23, 2026

The ‘radial cam’ is a rotating plate or disc with an outer circumference shaped to produce a required movement (usually linear) to a ‘follower’ which is held against it.

What is a knife edged follower?

[′nīf ‚ej ′kam ‚fäl·ə·wər] (design engineering) A cam follower having a sharp narrow edge or point like that of a knife; useful in developing cam profile relationships.

Where would you use a knife edge follower?

The Knife Edge Follower: This is the simplest type, is not often used due to the rapid rate of wear. When it is adopted, it is usually for reciprocating motion, running in slides and there is considerable side thrust, this being a component of the thrust from the cam.

How does a radial plate cam work?

The most commonly used cam is the cam plate (also known as disc cam or radial cam) which is cut out of a piece of flat metal or plate. Here, the follower moves in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the camshaft. Each tool movement or operation was controlled directly by one or more cams.

What are the limitations of knife edge follower?

Limitations of knife edge follower are:

Excessive wear due to small area of contact between cam & follower surfaces. 2. In this follower a considerable thrust exists between the follower and guide.

Why cam and follower is used?

Cam and follower are used to convert rotary motion into linear (reciprocating) motion. As the cam rotates, the followers rise and fall in a process known as reciprocating motion.

Why knife edge follower is obsolete now?

In case of knife edge follower there is sliding motion between the contacting surface of cam and follower. Whereas in roller follower there is rolling motion between contacting surfacing and more contact area, therefore rate of wear is greatly reduced.

What is radial follower?

The follower is known as a radial follower if the line of movement of the follower passes through the centre of rotation of cam.

What is a radial cam used for?

A radial cam converts a rotational motion into a translational motion of the follower. The displacement of the follower is determined by the cam’s profile. This Demonstration generates a cam profile starting from a displacement diagram defined by a set of locators.

Which motion of follower is best for high speed cams?

Hence for the high-speed engine, the cam follower should move with Cycloidal motion.

What are the advantage of roller follower than knife edge follower?

Advantages of roller follower over knife edge follower a) Roller follower has less wear and tear than knife edge follower. b) Power required for driving the cam is less due to less frictional force between cam and follower.

Which cam is also known as radial cam?

4. Which cam is also known as radial cam? Clarification: Disc cam is also known as radial cam. This cam is also generally referred as plate cams.

How many types of radial cam are there?

It has two types one is concave surface and other is convex surface type. A circumferential cut is made on the periphery of the cam for the rotation of the follower.

What are the different types of cam and follower?

Types of Follower:
Knife edge follower.Roller follower.Flat-faced follower.Spherical follower.Radial follower.Offset Follower.

In which follower the wear rate is less?

5) Mushroom follower:

In this, the motion occurs is sliding, In this, the wear rate is lower than the knife edge and low side thrust. This is used in an automobile engine where limited space is available.

What does a roller follower reduce?

Roller follower can also greatly reduce valvetrain frictional losses. Moreover, it enables the use of a negative radius of curvature to achieve a more aggressive cam acceleration profile for better engine breathing. Rolling contact causes an increase in contact stress between the cam and the follower.

What is tangent cam?

Explanation: When the flanks of the cam are straight and tangential to the base circle and nose circle, then the cam is known as a Tangent cam. Explanation: Cams are used to change or transfer one type of motion to another type, in internal combustion engines, Tangent cams are used to operate inlet and exhaust valves.