How to Use Cam Mate in SOLIDWORKS

A Cam mate lets one component follow the profile of another component, similar to a follower riding on a cam surface. It is useful for mechanisms where motion is driven by contact with a slot, groove, or cam-shaped edge.

Prepare the cam and follower

The cam needs a continuous profile that the follower can track. The follower usually needs a circular or cylindrical face that can remain tangent to the cam path. Before adding the mate, confirm that both parts are positioned close to the expected contact area.

It also helps to simplify the cam shape before mating. A profile with unnecessary tiny edges, broken arcs, or decorative details can make the mate harder to solve and slower to drag.

Add the Cam mate

1. Open the assembly.
2. Go to Mate and open the mechanical mates area.
3. Select Cam.
4. Select the cam profile faces or edges.
5. Select the follower face.
6. Confirm the mate and test the motion.

Check the cam path

If the follower jumps or loses contact, inspect the cam profile. Gaps, sharp transitions, or disconnected faces can make the mate unstable. A smooth, continuous path gives the mate a better chance of solving reliably.

For a slot-style cam, make sure the follower is the correct size for the slot. If the follower is too large or exactly tangent to multiple faces at once, the assembly may become over-defined or difficult to move.

Control the rest of the mechanism

The Cam mate controls contact, but it does not replace the other mates needed to locate the mechanism. Add concentric, coincident, distance, or limit mates so the cam and follower can only move in realistic ways.

After adding the mate, drag the mechanism slowly through its travel. If it locks, check for over-defined mates or real interference between parts.

Use interference detection or section views when the mechanism is hard to inspect visually. A cam mate can appear to solve while nearby components are still colliding.

Troubleshooting

If SOLIDWORKS will not accept the selections, simplify the cam profile or choose the correct set of faces. If the follower flips, add orientation mates to control how the follower is allowed to move. For performance, use simplified cam geometry when the assembly is large.

If motion is still unreliable, try suppressing other mechanism mates temporarily. Reintroduce them one by one so you can identify which mate is fighting the cam motion.