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Creating a 3D Printed Spur Gear Using FreeCAD

Have you ever wondered how to design and create a spur gear using FreeCAD for a DIY project? In this guide, we will walk you through the process step by step, from sketching the gear tooth to exporting the final 3D model for printing. Let's dive in!

Understanding Spur Gears

Spur gears are simple but essential mechanical components with teeth that are radially projected outward from a cylindrical base. In a spur gear, the teeth faces are parallel to the axis of rotation, making them suitable for various applications.

Design Specifications

Before we start creating the gear, let's define the key dimensions for our spur gear:

• Outer Radius: 45 millimeters
• Inner Radius: 27 millimeters
• Gear Height (Width): 27 millimeters

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Sketching the Gear Tooth

• Start by plotting two points inclined at a 6-degree angle from the x-axis and 5 millimeters from the origin.
• Create two B-splines to give a curved effect to the tooth.
• Apply symmetry constraints to ensure the tooth is symmetric to the x-axis.
• Include an arc of a circle with a radius of 5 millimeters between the two points.

2. Creating the Gear Tooth

• Use the pad option to extrude the sketch and create the tooth with a height of 3 millimeters.
• Proceed to create a tube with an inner radius of 3 millimeters, outer radius of 5 millimeters, and a height of 3 millimeters for the gear base.

3. Generating the Gear Array

• Utilize the draft menu to create an array of gear teeth with 30 elements, each subtending 12 degrees at the center to cover the entire circumference.

4. Finalizing the Gear Design

• Perform a boolean operation to unite the tube and gear array, resulting in a fusion object.
• Scale up the fusion object by a factor of nine using the scale up option in the draft menu.

5. Exporting the Mesh

• Access the mesh design option to mesh the fusion object.
• Export the meshed object as an STL file for further processing.

Printing the Spur Gear

1. Preparing for Printing

• Import the STL file of the gear into your preferred slicing software (e.g., Cura).
• Set the layer height to 0.15 mm and the print speed to 58 mm per second.

2. Slicing and Printing

• Slice the model to estimate the print time (in this case, 5 hours and 51 minutes).
• Preview the printing process layer by layer to ensure accuracy.
• Save the sliced model as a G-code file for the 3D printer.

Conclusion

Creating a 3D printed spur gear using FreeCAD is a rewarding DIY project that showcases the intersection of CAD design and additive manufacturing. By following the detailed steps outlined in this guide, you can design, visualize, and print your custom spur gear. Unleash your creativity and engineering skills with this fascinating project!

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For further reading and resources:

• FreeCAD Official Website
• Cura Slicing Software

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