Online Gear Generator for 3d printing

[timwatson]

Hey all I wanted to post about a tool I have talked about over the last year or so. I only got it completed over the holidays and wanted the crew here to be the first to test things out. I enjoy creating tools to make hobbyist lives more simple. This year I am releasing a full-featured web tool that will allow hobbyists to create 3d models of gears for 3d printing. I have been creating mechanisms for 3d printed locomotives for years now and the single biggest unlock for others to do the same is the creation of the gearing systems. Using this web tool will hopefully enable that for others. It’s kind of alpha/almost beta right now but the gears are solid and I am working with them in my designs just like anyone else would so I feel good about the output. Please lend me hand in testing it out if you have a need and let me know how it goes.

https://serialhobby.ist/gear-generator

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The interface

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0.25 Modulus gears for a 9mm gauge locomotive 🚂

[timwatson]

Also post pics of your creations! I’d love to see how it’s being used.

I have a lot of polish to do but like I said it’s working and functional now.

[pmpexpress]

Tim,

Wow!

With your tool it might be possible to create replacement gears for Arnold S2s, Bachmann Doodlebugs, Steam Locomotives, and Trolleys,and AHM/Roco HOn30 diesel and steam locomotives (i.e., to name a few vintage products with problematic gearing).

Thanks for sharing it with us.

[CNR5529]

Tim this is great! I already see some applications I will use this for. Any plans to include bevel gears and/or worm gears?

[timwatson]

With your tool it might be possible to create replacement gears for Arnold S2s, Bachmann Doodlebugs, and Roco HOn30 locomotives (i.e., to name a few vintage few products with problematic gearing).

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Yes I have already done it with the Bachmann N scale 0-6-0, 2-6-0, AHM Hon30 Plymouth, On30 Shay and then my own personal mechanisms. This tool is how I have been designing the mechanisms.

Yeh I hope we see many home grown mechanisms released open source style. I am excited about it.

[C855B]

This is amazing, Tim. Thank you for the big lift on this!

First on my hit parade is a B'mann Doodlebug that's been a shelf queen for over a decade!

[timwatson]

Tim this is great! I already see some applications I will use this for. Any plans to include bevel gears and/or worm gears?

Use the pulldown there are like 9 different gear types including planetary gears! Worm and bevel are included. I need to rewrite the bevel code to have a reverse hub but you can create some now that are functional.

[JeffB]

Very Impressive Tim!! 

I'll have to give it a whirl...  I've been using a 3rd party add-on for Solid Works to generate gears for probably 24yrs now.  Works great, but it only works with a very old version of Solid Works that I have installed on a 25yr old laptop.

Something new and "free" might come in handy!

Jeff

[CNR5529]

Use the pulldown there are like 9 different gear types including planetary gears! Worm and bevel are included. I need to rewrite the bevel code to have a reverse hub but you can create some now that are functional.

Fantastic! I am going to have fun with this!!

[thomasjmdavis]

Very cool.  I can see some ancient locos in my collection getting new life with new gears.  And... I think I've learned more about whats-what in gears in the past 15 minutes than in the previous 50 years, just playing around with the settings.

[timwatson]

Very cool.  I can see some ancient locos in my collection getting new life with new gears.  And... I think I've learned more about whats-what in gears in the past 15 minutes than in the previous 50 years, just playing around with the settings.

That’s great, I love to teach so the fact that this tool is doing that is pretty cool!

[timwatson]

I just updated the website with some bug fixes and I have improved the rendering colors and added shadows.
I also added Google analytics to give me an idea on how people are using it.

If you've used the tool how has it been working for you?