15-Year-Old Engineer Builds 3D Printed Cycloidal Gearbox
Original: Show HN: I'm a 15 Year Old Wannabe Engineer, This Is a Cycloidal Gearbox I Built
Why This Matters
Demonstrates accessible entry points for young engineers into precision mechanical design using open-source tools and 3D printing.
A 15-year-old hobbyist engineer named Tom Ilan published a 3D-printed cycloidal gearbox project on GitHub, including a custom Python script to generate cycloidal gear geometry. The project went through three design iterations, with the final version achieving a 1:9 gear ratio running on a NEMA 17 stepper motor.
Tom Ilan, a self-described 15-year-old wannabe engineer, released an open-source cycloidal gearbox project on GitHub, complete with CAD models and a Python-based cycloidal profile generator. The project evolved through three versions. Version 1 was a hand-cranked prototype with a 1:9 ratio, built primarily to validate the Python generator script. Version 2 attempted a miniaturized design matching the footprint of a NEMA 17 motor, but failed due to the tight tolerances required at small scales being incompatible with consumer-grade FDM 3D printing precision. Version 3 succeeded by increasing the overall footprint to allow looser tolerances, resulting in a fully functional gearbox driven by a NEMA 17 stepper motor. The Python script was developed based on a SolidWorks technical article on cycloidal drive geometry. The repository includes CAD models, the generator script, and media files documenting the build. The project received 34 stars on GitHub and was shared on Hacker News under the 'Show HN' tag, attracting attention from the engineering and maker communities.