Discovering Spur Gears in Fusion 360: Jayden's Gear 2/28/25

Ever since my engineering class launched our race car project, I knew I’d need precise power transmission to optimize acceleration and top speed. When I set out to model the gearing system in Fusion 360, I started by Googling “how to make a gear in Fusion 360” and stumbled upon the built-in Spur Gear script/add-in. This tool instantly transformed what used to be a tedious sketch-and-extrude chore into a parameter-driven workflow where I could define teeth count, pitch diameter, pressure angle, and more with a few clicks.

Diving into the Spur Gear add-in, I experimented with two gears: a 32-tooth drive gear and a 16-tooth driven gear. Fusion 360 generated perfect involute profiles and matched root fillets without any manual drafting. More importantly, this hands-off approach freed me to focus on understanding gear ratios. By setting my ratio at 2:1, I learned how each rotation of the larger gear translates into half a revolution of the smaller gear doubling torque while halving output speed. That insight is exactly what I need for my car’s starting line launches.

Armed with these custom gears, I assembled a simple drivetrain in Fusion 360. Watching the motion simulation, I could tweak clearances, refine tooth engagement, and instantly see how changing tooth counts alters my ratio. A higher ratio meant more pulling power off the line, while a lower ratio could boost top-end speed on the straightaway. This experiment cemented how critical gear selection is for performance tuning no more guessing from spreadsheets alone.

As I integrate these gears into my real-world prototype, I’m excited by the prospect of swapping out gear pairs for different tracks: a 3:1 ratio for tight circuits or a 1.5:1 for high-speed layouts. Fusion 360’s Spur Gear add-in has made that process painless, supporting rapid iteration and deeper learning of mechanical advantage in practice.

Have you used Fusion 360’s Spur Gear script in your projects? What ratios have you found ideal for balancing torque and speed in small drivetrains? Share your experiences or tips on fine-tuning gear mesh and tooth clearances I’m eager to learn from fellow gearheads and push my race car design even further!