cam

cam, mechanical device

cam, mechanical device for converting a rotating motion into a reciprocating, or back-and-forth, motion, or for changing a simple motion into a complex one. A simple form of cam is a circular disk set eccentrically on a shaft in order to induce (when the shaft rotates) a rising and falling motion in a rod or some other moving part held against its edge. There are cams of many diverse shapes, e.g., oval, elliptical, and scalloped-edged, each shape being designed to induce the particular kind of motion required in a moving part. Cams are widely used in many different kinds of machines.

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CAM, in computing

CAM: see computer-aided manufacturing.

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cam

Machine component that either rotates or reciprocates (moves back and forth) to create a prescribed motion in a contacting element (the follower). Since the shape of the contacting surface of the cam is determined by the prescribed motion and the profile of the follower, cams take various forms. Cam-follower mechanisms are particularly useful when a simple motion of one part of a machine is to be converted to a more complicated prescribed motion of another part, one that must be accurately timed with respect to the simple motion and may include periods of rest (dwells). Cams are essential elements in automatic machine tools, printing machines, sewing machines, and textile machinery.

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CAM

(1) (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) The automation of manufacturing systems and techniques, including numerical control, process control, robotics and materials requirements planning (MRP). See CAD/CAM.

(2) (CAMera) See Webcam and network camera.

(3) (Content Addressable Memory) Also known as "associative storage," it is a memory chip in which each bit position can be compared. In regular dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM) chips, the contents are addressed by bit location and then transferred to the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) in the CPU for comparison. In CAM chips, the content is compared in each bit cell, allowing for very fast table lookups. Since the entire chip is compared, the data content can often be randomly stored without regard to an addressing scheme which would otherwise be required. However, CAM chips are considerably smaller in storage capacity than regular memory chips.

(4) (Common Access Method) An ANSI standard interface that provides a common language between drivers and SCSI host adapters. See SCSI and ASPI.

(5) (Customer Asset Management) In the 1990s, a term that was first coined for and later replaced with "customer relationship management (CRM). See CRM.

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cam

a slider or roller attached to a rotating shaft to give a particular type of reciprocating motion to a part in contact with its profile

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Cam

a river in E England, in Cambridgeshire, flowing through Cambridge to the River Ouse. Length: about 64 km (40 miles)

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1.	(storage, architecture)	CAM - content addressable memory.
2.	(application)	CAM - computer aided manufacturing.