Free No account needed

Rack and Pinion Generator (OwlCAD)

A straight gear rack with a meshing pinion, placed on the rack and ready to print

Rack and Pinion Generator (OwlCAD) is a free browser tool for turning a motor or knob into straight-line movement. The customizers and the editor are free; only OwlCAD's AI features need the Pro subscription. Exports STL and 3MF; no account needed. Last checked 16 October 2026.

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Opens owlcad.com

At a glance

Price: The customizers and the editor are free; only OwlCAD's AI features need the Pro subscription
Runs on: Browser
Exports: STL, 3MF
Multicolor: No, single color
Account: Not needed
Open source: No
Skill level: Easy: a few settings to tune
Best for: Turning a motor or knob into straight-line movement
Selling prints: Allowed OwlCAD's terms include commercial use on every plan, the free tier included: you may sell prints, sell or license the files and use them in a product, with no royalty and no attribution required.
How we checked: Opened the generator Customizer opened in a browser with no account: the default rack and pinion rendered in 3D with all settings; pricing and terms read
Checked by: Mike Janssen
Last checked: 16 October 2026

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Sources: Rack and pinion customizer, OwlCAD pricing, OwlCAD terms (checked 16 October 2026)

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About this generator

The Rack and Pinion Generator is one of the free customizers in OwlCAD, a browser-based parametric CAD tool. It makes a straight toothed rack and a round pinion that rolls along it, the drive behind sliding doors, steering and linear axes, turning rotation into straight-line motion or back.

The two share a module so they mesh, and the pinion is placed on the rack's pitch line with a tooth sitting in a rack gap. You can change the module, the pressure angle (10 to 30 degrees), the pinion and rack tooth counts, the thickness, the rack back, the bore and the backlash (0 to 1 mm), and keep the teeth apart for printing. Both come out as separate bodies.

It runs in the browser with no account and costs nothing; only OwlCAD's AI features are paid. It is one of 35 free OwlCAD customizers, and you can open the result in the full editor if you want to change more. Its terms give you full commercial rights to what you make, the free plan included.