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Gear Designer Tools for Laser Cutting
Updated November 2025Estimated reading time: 7 min
From involute spur gears to racks and complex profiles, these gear generators deliver accurate math and ready-to-cut vectors. Compare open-source favourites with streamlined SaaS tools, sort by export formats, and discover which workflow fits your next drivetrain or clock project.
1. Top 3 gear designer tools
These tools blend approachable controls with accurate meshing geometry. We highlight projects that export reliable DXF or SVG files, support backlash tweaks, and receive regular maintenance.
2. Why these gear designer tools matter
Laser-cut gears live or die on tooth geometry. Purpose-built gear designers automate involute curves, addendum and dedendum tweaks, and compensation for laser kerf so your prints mesh smoothly on the first try.
We spotlight tools that output clean vectors, support internal and external profiles, and let you adjust backlash, profile shift or root fillets. Clear documentation and active communities save hours of trial-and-error when tuning custom gearboxes.
Whether you are prototyping kinetic sculptures, robotics transmissions or clockwork, the tools below can accelerate iteration. Filter by launch freshness, open-source availability or operating system to match your workshop constraints.
3. Gear designer tools in detail
Dive into the full set of gear generators, compare export formats, scan pros and cons, and jump to GitHub or official docs with one click.
Downloads & file types
.svg.dxf
Involute Spur Gear Builder v2.0 is a browser-based, open-source utility by Dr. Rainer Hessmer for calculating and drawing involute spur gears (external, internal, and rack & pinion). It fully accounts for undercuts (important for low-tooth-count gears) and allows you to configure parameters like circular pitch, pressure angle, clearance, backlash, profile shift, tooth-count, centre-hole diameter and more. You enter your values, hit “Update”, and the tool renders a vector drawing (SVG) in the browser — you can download it or import it into CAD/laser workflows. The application is licensed under the MIT license.
Pros
- Handles external, internal gears and rack & pinion configurations
- Accounts for undercut on low tooth-count gears (important for machining/laser-cutting)
- Browser-based and open-source under MIT license – easy access and modify
Cons
- User interface looks somewhat dated and focuses on gear math rather than visual polish
- The parameter setup is quite technical (circular pitch, profile shift, etc.) – a steeper learning curve for beginners
- Some users reported DXF import issues or large file sizes when using high resolution settings
Downloads & file types
.dxf
Gear Designer is a simple, browser-based gear generator aimed at laser-cut and CNC workflows. You set parameters like module and number of teeth, and the tool produces a DXF file of the resulting gear. The interface keeps things light and focused — ideal if you just need a functional gear template rather than a full gear system designer.
Pros
- Very simple and quick to generate a spur-gear for laser/CNC use
- Browser-based, no installation required – just set module and tooth count
- Exports DXF format, ready for cutting
Cons
- Very basic: limited parameters (mainly module + tooth count) compared to full gear tools
- No clear open-source licence or advanced export options beyond DXF
- Not suited for complex gear assemblies like compound or internal gear sets
4. Frequently asked questions
How do you evaluate gear designer tools?
We compare ease of use, parameter flexibility, export fidelity and project activity. Tools that balance precise involute calculations with approachable interfaces tend to rank higher.
Can these gear generators export files ready for laser cutting?
Yes. Most tools in our directory export DXF or SVG vectors that slot into typical laser workflows. Check each listing for supported formats and whether kerf or backlash adjustments are built in.
What gear parameters should I verify before cutting?
Confirm module or pitch units, pressure angle, backlash, and clearance. Run a quick material test after exporting to ensure kerf, hole diameters and meshing tolerances match your cutter and material.
Written by Max from Best-Lasercutter.com
Max studies Information Systems Engineering and contributes to Best-Lasercutter.com with his background in automation and digital technologies. He focuses on improving the website’s tools and data systems to make laser comparisons more accurate and user-friendly.