Tappet assembly for use in a high-pressure fuel system of an internal combustion engine

A tappet assembly for use in translating force between a camshaft lobe and a fuel pump assembly via reciprocal movement within a tappet cylinder having a guide slot, said tappet assembly comprising:

• a tappet body extending between a first end and a second end, said first end oriented toward the fuel pump assembly and said second end oriented toward the camshaft lobe, wherein said tappet body includes a shelf adjacent to said second end and further defines a pair of apertures;
• a follower assembly including a shaft disposed in said pair of apertures of said tappet body and a first bearing and a second bearing each disposed on said shaft for engaging the camshaft lobe;
• and
• a beam disposed on said shaft between said first bearing and said second bearing and having a platform for engaging the fuel pump assembly, wherein said beam engages said shelf of said tappet body for transferring force from the fuel pump assembly to the camshaft lobe.