rack and pinion generator
Rack and pinion generator
Make a 3D printable rack and pinion: set the pinion teeth, rack length, module, face width and bore, then download the STL free.
Need more than sizes?
Mounting holes along the rack, a dovetail slide for it, end stops, a crank on the pinion. Describe it, and Voloom builds it from your sizes.
Good to know
A rack is a gear unrolled flat: each turn of the pinion moves it π × module × teeth, so an 18-tooth pinion of module 1.5 travels about 85 mm a turn. The pinion's centre sits its pitch radius (module × teeth ÷ 2) above the rack's pitch line. Teeth are 20° involutes thinned by 0.15 mm so printed gears do not bind; the pair is placed at its exact centre distance, meshed.
How it works
- 1Set the sizes. The rack and pinion rebuilds when you let go of a slider.
- 2Turn it in the preview and check the overall size.
- 3Download the STL or 3MF, one file per part, and slice it.
What you can change
Pinion teeth: 8 to 60.
Rack length: 30 to 250 mm.
Rack backing: 3 to 25 mm.
Module: 0.5 to 4 mm.
Face width: 3 to 25 mm.
Bore: 2 to 12 mm.
When sizes are not enough
This is a real parametric model, built on a CAD kernel, not a mesh stretched to fit. Walls stay the thickness you set when the rack and pinion grows.
For anything the sliders do not cover, such as ports in the right places, mounting holes, text or a logo, describe it to Voloom. It starts from these sizes and builds the part from scratch.
About STL
STL (Stereolithography). The default 3D printing format since 1987: a bare list of triangles. Every slicer reads it, but it has no units, no color, and no parts.
Units: None in the file. Slicers read the numbers as millimeters. Up axis: Z. Opens in Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, Cura, OrcaSlicer, and Blender.
Questions
- Is the rack and pinion generator free?
- Yes. You get 3 runs a month without an account. Sign in with your email, free, and there is no limit.
- Do I need an account?
- No. Change the sizes and preview as much as you like. Downloads count toward the free runs; signing in, free, removes the limit.
- Can I add cutouts, holes or a logo to the rack and pinion?
- Yes. Use “Describe the rest” under the preview. Voloom takes your sizes into a prompt, you add what you need in plain words, and it builds a new parametric model you can keep editing.
- Can I get a STEP file?
- Yes, from the editor. Open your rack and pinion in Voloom and download STEP on the Maker plan, for Fusion, SolidWorks or FreeCAD.
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