Simple 3D Gear design software recommendation

[MartinS]

m_c:

I'll have a look at the Gearotic software. What I can do with it might be limited as I do not yet have a CNC machine. I have planned to build one since retiring and have decided that I AM going to start one in the new year (I guess I'll be posting many questions so please be prepared to be patient with me!). In my professional career, besides bespoke s/w, I used one from Kisssoft AG http://www.kisssoft.ch/english/home/index.php. It is totally trustworthy. I was using it for calculating gear tooth stress analysis, bending, deflections, optimising shape for low noise/wear etc. As we had many machines designed for hobbing/shaping and tooth grinding, we did not need CAD/CAM for producing tooth surfaces. Have just looked at Kisssoft and it is now owned by Gleason and looks to have gone up-market somewhat. There is a test/demo that will allow generation of reliable data.

Leadhead:

You have challenged me to a project for when I have built a CNC machine!. I will be following this thread with interest. I guess that by 32 tpi you mean "32 teeth per inch of PCD"? That would be 32 DP which is quite small (tooth depth of 1.78mm). Heck that is small. If you need any help with gear geometry, just shout.

Good luck

Martin

[Leadhead]

Martin - Yes an error of scale on the TP.
Thank you for your offer of help. I certainly am in the needy category.

Just selling a medium sized 700x 500 footprint, table top CNC router. Fully complete with Mach 3. Including prepped laptop and smoothstepper.
A much bigger one flew under my radar before I got chance to use it. So as new, plug and play. Not actively on sale till I get round to advertising it. Let me know if it might be of interest. Can do a teach in and demo.

[MartinS]

Thanks for the early offer but I am hoping to get a lot of pleasure out of the design and manufacture of "my own" machine. So will my wife, she will have the Sky remote all to herself!

[Leadhead]

Martin - Your wife will still be disturbed by you continually flopping in the armchair expecting consolation for frustrations she could not possibly understand or appreciate. This has to factored into your relationship. I am qualified to make this observation!!!

[Neale]

Only one way to handle that, and it's to keep the brownie point account in credit. Might I suggest that your machine is capable of turning out, at a moment's notice, wooden templates to use for cutting fabric with a soldering iron (and a couple of these were gear wheels), a range of stacking wooden trays to hold more reels of cotton than you could believe exist, and a small wooden pot to hold a wad of steel wool (don't even ask). Regrettably, none of these projects has needed bevel gears but I live in hope...

[MartinS]

Leadhead.....dont worry, the wife's disturbed already

but


Hmmm...now you've got me thinking.

In all the months that I have been studying previous bid logs I have seen weld movement, spindle fail disappointments. Dreams turned into success with a bandsaw and hand router (Joe Harris).

So for each one read I should have been creating a Pain vs Pleasure index for the design and build stage.

In fact, we could add the final performance into the formula...

PPP index = Pleasure x Performance / Pain

In fact, I think that Lee should make the PPP index calculation part of each build log

Then noobs like me can quickly weigh up the effect of each design on the pocket, mental health, likelihood of divorce, cat leaving home.....


Oops, sorry Leadhead, the thread is cogs 'n stuff....good luck

[Leadhead]

Tell the cat what you are doing, so that it can avoid getting kicked!