Note:Spiral cams are used where something must be self-locking clamped or secured. The cam is operated mechanically, pneumatically or hydraulically using a shaft through the centre or a lever fastened to the side.

Knitting cams are the one which commands the various needles movement. Needle butt moves between the grooves of cams. The shape of the needle cam grooves depends on the required knitting pattern. The basic shapes of needle cam are shown in the figure below.

The jerk is rate of change of acceleration and it is given by: Elliptical Cam: Elliptical cam is a special type of cam which is used for sudden increment in position, velocity, acceleration, or jerk is the elliptical cam. These parameters are dependent on the major and minor axis of the cam.