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Description
Parametric Herringbone Gear
A customisable 3D-printable herringbone gear. The V-shaped teeth are two helical halves mirrored at the center. These are typically smoother and quieter than spur gears, and unlike single-helical gears there is no sideways force pushing on the shaft. Change the tooth count, size, shaft hole, and more using the configuration button near print profiles.
Parameters
Tooth size & shape
| Parameter | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| module_size | 1.5 mm | Controls how big the teeth are. Think of it as tooth size in millimetres. Bigger = chunkier teeth, bigger gear. Two gears can only mesh if they share the same module_size. Common values: 1.0 (fine), 1.5, 2.0 (medium), 2.5, 3.0 (coarse). |
| num_teeth | 24 | How many teeth on the gear. More teeth = larger gear at the same tooth size. Don't go below 12 or the tooth shape starts to deform. |
| pressure_angle | 20° | The angle of the tooth's working face. 20° is the world standard. Only change this if you're matching a specific existing gear. |
| backlash | 0.10 mm | A tiny intentional gap between meshing teeth so they don't jam. 0.10 mm works for most FDM printers. Increase to 0.15 - 0.20 if gears feel stiff after printing. |
| fillet_factor | 0.30 | Rounds the bottom corners of each tooth slot. Rounded corners are much stronger than sharp ones because sharp corners concentrate stress and crack under load. Leave this at 0.30 unless you have a specific reason to change it. |
Herringbone
| Parameter | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| helix_angle | 25° | How steeply the teeth spiral in each half. Higher = smoother and quieter, but the teeth get wider at the centre seam. 20 - 30° is a good range for FDM printing. |
Unlike a regular helical gear, there is no helix_hand to set. Herringbone teeth are symmetric so both mating gears are identical — just print two.
Gear body
| Parameter | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| gear_height | 12 mm | Total thickness of the gear, both halves combined. Each half is gear_height / 2. Thicker = stronger. A good rule of thumb is 12 - 20× the module_size. |
Shaft hole
| Parameter | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| add_bore | true | Whether to drill a hole through the centre for a shaft. Turn off for a solid gear (display model or if you're gluing it). |
| shaft_diameter | 3 mm | The diameter of your actual shaft or rod. The hole is printed slightly larger by bore_tolerance. Measure your shaft with calipers before printing. |
| bore_tolerance | 0.1 mm | How much extra space is added around the shaft. 0.1 mm = tight press fit. 0.2 mm = slides on freely. Increase if your printer tends to print holes small. |
| add_hub | true | Adds a thick ring of material around the shaft hole. This stops the hole from splitting the gear when torque is applied. Recommended for anything that will actually be driven. |
| hub_diameter | 10 mm | Outer diameter of that reinforcing ring. Should be at least 2x the shaft diameter. |
| hub_height | 4 mm | How far the hub sticks out above the top face of the gear. |
| add_keyway | false | Cuts a small rectangular slot into the shaft hole. A matching metal key fits into this slot to lock the gear to the shaft so it can't spin freely. Useful for high-torque applications. |
| keyway_width | 2 mm | Width of the keyway slot. Match to your key size. |
| keyway_depth | 1.5 mm | How deep the keyway cuts into the bore wall. |
Render quality (safe to leave as-is for printing)
| Parameter | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| TOOTH_STEPS | 24 | How many line segments are used to draw each curved tooth face. 24 is already finer than any FDM printer can reproduce. Only increase for high-res display renders. |
| FILLET_FN | 32 | How smoothly the rounded root corners are drawn. 32 is plenty for printing. |
Meshing two gears: both must share the same module_size, pressure_angle, and backlash. Match helix_angle too. Unlike helical gears, no opposite-hand rule — just print two identical gears.
Axle spacing = module_size x (teeth_A + teeth_B) / 2
Example: two 24-tooth gears at module 1.5 need axles 36 mm apart and spin at the same speed (1:1). Pair a 12T with the 24T for a 2:1 ratio at 27 mm centre distance.
Print settings
| Material | PETG or Nylon for load-bearing use. PLA for display or light loads. |
| Infill | 40–60% for functional gears. 20% for display models. |
| Orientation | Flat on the bed, teeth pointing up. No supports needed. |
| Layer height | 0.15–0.2 mm for clean tooth surfaces. |
Custom Herringbone Gear: Parametric
Published on May 25, 2026