| Setting | Recommended Value | Why | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | 0.12mm – 0.2mm | Finer teeth need smaller layers. | | Wall loops | 4+ (or 1.2mm min) | Teeth must have solid infill – never use gyroid on small teeth. | | Material | PETG or Nylon (CF) | PLA creeps under sustained torque. | | Cooling | 50-80% fan | Preents “elephant foot” that jams mesh. | | Print orientation | Flat, teeth up | Sideways teeth have weak layer lines. |
These online tools or scripts automatically calculate the complex math of gear geometry and export a watertight STL file ready for your 3D printer. Here is everything you need to know to generate your first working gear in under 3 minutes. stl gear generator