- What is a Yoke Roller Type Cam Follower?
A Yoke Roller Type Cam Follower, sometimes called a track follower, is a rigid, compact bearing system.
If the end of the follower that contacts the cam is a roller, it is called a "Yoke Roller Type Cam Follower".
Its purpose is to help reduce friction losses in the valvetrain and prevent the stresses that sometimes develop in the camshaft when the camshaft exceeds its own load capacity.
- Features
The Yoke Roller Type Cam Follower consists of outer ring, seal, needle roller, inner ring, side plate and cage. There are two types of roller followers: separable type (the inner ring can be separated) and non-separable type (the inner ring cannot be separated). The outer ring is thick-walled to withstand impacts. Needle rollers and cages prevent tilt and improve rotational performance.
- Common applications
Track followers are suitable for a variety of industrial applications, especially where space is available in stationary gas and oil engines and aircraft engines. Other applications include carrier systems, binding machines, pallet changers, sliding forks in automated warehouses, conveyor belts, automatic coating machines and tool changers.
- What is a Stud Type Cam Follower?
Cam followers are rigid, compact bearings that feature a shaft. Like roller followers, they convert rotational motion into linear motion and help maintain accuracy by reducing wear and sliding friction on the cam and track.
- Features
The main components of the Stud Type Cam Follower are the outer ring, sealing plate, cage, needle rollers and studs. The outer ring is thick-walled and can be spherical or cylindrical. The cylindrical outer ring absorbs deformation and helps reduce balancing loads. The main design difference between cam followers and roller followers is that cam followers have built-in mounting shafts.
- Common applications
Stud Type Cam Followers are often used in industrial applications using conveyors or process transfer lines. They are widely used in power generation, metal processing, transportation, food processing and packaging. They are also used in some of the same types of machines as roller followers, including pallet changers, automatic coaters, conveyors, automatic warehouse sliding forks, and tool changers.
- How to choose Yoke Roller Type Cam Follower or Stud Type Cam Follower?
Cams and roller followers are similar in load ratings and other performance factors. They are both strong and compact and designed to handle high-speed rotation. Neither is inherently better or worse than the other.
The choice depends on the specific constraints of the design. The most significant difference is that the Stud Type Cam Follower includes a shaft, whereas the track follower must be connected to a shaft that is already in place. Existing cam follower studs are useful if there is a flat surface to mount the bearing on in the design. Yoke Roller Type Cam Followers with separable or non-separable inner rings can be matched to existing shafts to avoid additional weight and product costs.