A computing procedure that can be used to generate follower motions with a higher degree of accuracy by using their digitized 2-D cam surfaces is presented. Based on the geometric relationships at the contact point between a planar cam and its follower, the reverse functions that can be solved to find the follower motion of the cam-follower mechanism are established. To approximate the digitized cam surfaces and to create their derivatives required in determining the follower motions, a least squares periodic B-spline approximation is also introduced. In comparison with analytical results obtained from a theoretical design, the procedure is verified for its accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, by using the cam surface data points taken from a CMM, a practical example is given to show the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed techniques.

A universal form of profile equation for a plate cam whose follower has an oscillating motion and a convex arbitrary shape is derived in this study. The applied concept is the theory of envelopes in a parametric form. The derived results can be used to determine the profile of the cam with any kind of convex shape of the followers. It is also shown that the traditional followers, such asflat-faced and roller followers, are special cases of the universal form.