Valve gear components/camshafts
Vehicle manufacturers are increasingly moving away from hydraulic bucket tappets towards rocker arms with integrated plug-in elements or cam followers with supporting elements. The advantage of these solutions is that they minimise the moved masses and wear, resulting in filigree valve trains that permit high-rev concepts. Rocker arms and cam followers are also frequently designed with rollers for optimised wear resistance. This reduces friction between camshaft and valve actuation element. Here it is particularly important for the hardness process to be customised to the particular use. However, in spite of state-of-the-art materials and high-precision manufacturing, the friction partners are still subject to wear, usually caused by inadequate lubrication or contaminated oil.