With rack and pinion mates, linear translation of one component (the rack) causes circular rotation in another component (the pinion), and vice versa. You can mate any two components to have this type of movement relative to each other. The components do not need to have gear teeth.
Similar to other mate types, rack and pinion mates do not prevent interference or collisions between components. To prevent interference, use Collision Detection or Interference Detection.
To add a rack and pinion mate:
- Click Mate
(Assembly toolbar) or .
- In the PropertyManager, under Mechanical Mates, click Rack Pinion
.
- Under Mate Selections:
| Option |
Description |
|---|
| Rack |
Select a linear edge, sketch line, centerline, axis, or cylinder. |
| Pinion/Gear |
Select a cylindrical face, circular or arc edge, sketch circle or arc, axis, or revolved surface.
|
- Under Mechanical Mates:
For each full rotation of the pinion, the rack translates a distance equal to 
multiplied by the pinion diameter. You can specify either the diameter or the distance by selecting one of the following:
| Option |
Description |
|---|
| Pinion pitch diameter |
The diameter of the selected pinion appears in the box.
|
| Rack travel/revolution |
The diameter of the selected pinion, multiplied by , appears in the box.
You can override the value in the box. To revert to the default value, delete the override value. The background color of the box is white for the default value, and yellow for the override value.
|
| Reverse |
Select to change the direction of movement of the rack and pinion relative to each other.
|
- Click
.