GearGenius Studio
A browser-based parametric CAD generator that turns a few inputs — gear ratio, motor NEMA size, material, budget — into a printable STL or STEP file for cycloidal, planetary, harmonic, and worm gearboxes, with a parts list and cost estimate.
Teen and student makers, robotics clubs, and first-year mechanical engineering students building their own drivetrains
- Parametric CAD generation for cycloidal, planetary, harmonic, and worm gearboxes
- STL and STEP export ready for Bambu, Prusa, or Fusion360
- Built-in assembly tutorial with torque, efficiency, and back-of-envelope checks
- BOM with print time, material cost, and source links for bearings and fasteners
A 15-year-old's hand-built cycloidal gearbox just got 78 points on Hacker News, showing a real hunger among young makers for accessible mechanical-engineering tooling that goes beyond code.
HN post did resonate (~57-90 pts, 15-19 comments across mirrors), and multiple free gear-generator sites exist with active use, but signal is one viral post rather than sustained, measurable demand.Show HN: I'm a 15 Year Old Wannabe Engineer, This Is a Cycloidal Gearbox I Built ↗Free Online Gear Generator — Design Spur, Helical & Bevel Gears for 3D Printing ↗
Crowded field: meta-matic already offers 41 free parametric STEP generators (spur/helical/bevel/worm/GT2/sprocket), plus geargenerator.pro, gears.dmtrkovalenko.dev, geardxf.com, geargen.xyz, ME Virtuoso cycloidal sim, and Hessmer's cycloidal builder — none bundle cycloidal+planetary+harmonic+worm into a single gearbox assembly with NEMA match and parts/cost.Auto-generate STEP Files | meta-matic ↗Cycloidal Drive Simulator - ME Virtuoso ↗
Target users (teens, students, hobbyists) have very low willingness to pay; meta-matic and geargenerator.pro are free, Fusion 360 is free for personal use, and SolidWorks for Makers undercuts paid gear tools — affiliate parts sourcing is a possible angle but unproven.Auto-generate STEP Files | meta-matic ↗3D CAD Design Software for Hobbyists | SOLIDWORKS for Makers ↗
Mechanical drivetrain fundamentals are timeless and educational demand is steady, but the niche is narrow and easily subsumed by incumbents (Fusion 360, Onshape, FreeCAD) or other free parametric sites.
Gear math (involute, cycloid epitrochoids) is well-documented and browser STL/STEP export is proven (e.g., meta-matic), but bundling four distinct gearbox topologies — especially harmonic — into one parametric flow is meaningful engineering work.Auto-generate STEP Files | meta-matic ↗Cycloid Function Generator - Verso Robotics ↗