A cam follower, also known as a track follower, is a specialized type of roller or needle bearing designed to follow cam lobe profiles. Today’s cam followers are easier to use because the stud is included and they can also handle higher loads.

While roller cam followers are similar to roller bearings, there are quite a few differences. Standard ball and roller bearings are designed to be pressed into a rigid housing, which provides circumferential support. This keeps the outer race from deforming, so the race cross-section is relatively thin. For cam followers, the outer race is loaded at a single point, so the outer race needs a thicker cross-section to reduce deformation. However, in order to facilitate this, the roller diameter must be decreased, which also reduces the dynamic bearing capacity.

The outer diameter (OD) of the cam follower (stud or yoke) can be the standard cylindrical shape or be crowned. Crowned cam followers are used to keep the load evenly distributed if it deflects or if there is any misalignment between the follower and the followed surface. They are also used in turntable type applications to reduce skidding. A crowned follower can compensate for up to 0.5° of misalignment, while a cylindrical OD can only tolerate 0.06°. The only disadvantage is that they cannot bear as much load because of higher stresses.

Stud style cam followers usually have a standard sized stud, but a heavy stud is available for increased static load capacity.

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