MACHINING THREADS USING STANDARD TURNING TOOLS.

© 2014-2026 Cato Hagen
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Download and try ThreadTracer in GibbsCAM today!

Program, simulate and verify all material removal with accurate workpiece, tools and holders with GibbsCAM Toolpath rendering.

UI

ThreadTracerLITE is the free plugin for GibbsCAM and enables programming and machining of ACME and STUB ACME threads with standard turning inserts.




( ThreadTracerLITE for GibbsCAM • 6.9 MB • 2247 downloads so far ) - Requires GibbsCAM v14.0.6 or later.

For more possibilities, custom threads and advanced thread setups, consider purchasing a full license for ThreadTracer.

The full licensed version includes the additional several variants of Buttress - Trapezoidal - Knuckle/Rope threads and full flexibility for Freeform custom threads.

Display scaling issues in Windows 10 & Windows 11


If the userinterface looks garbled and out of place, its likely a display scaling issue in recent Windows updates.

Read here how to fix display scaling issues : Fix display scaling


How to Install ThreadTracer in GibbsCAM :

Install the ThreadTracer plugin by running the ThreadTracerLITE_v459.exe Installer. This is an executable ZIP file that just unpacks all the files to your harddrive.

After the files are unpacked you need to manually install ThreadTracer in GibbsCAM as shown below.

Install notes :
ThreadTracer reads and writes small temporary files under operation, for this to work best it should be installed on a local drive.

  • Please do not install inside "C:\Program Files\..." as this is a system folder and cause issues with read/write access.
  • Installing on a network drive or shared drive can also cause issues as all read/writes depends on network speed.

    • Recommended install places are local folders like the 'This PC \ Documents' folder for best performance.

    Install by drag and drop the ThreadTracer.mac file into the Macro configure window :

    how_to_install

    Or manual install :

    1. In GibbsCAM, click > Macros > Configure to open the Macros configuration dialog
    2. Select an empty unused slot to add a new macro to the list or a currently in use slot to modify or remove a previously setup macro.
    3. Click on the Browse button to open the Select Macro File dialog and navigate to the location on your computer where you installed ThreadTracer. Select the 'ThreadTracer.mac' and click Open.
    4. Verify the information is correct for the Name and path boxes located at the bottom of the dialog and press the Update button to load the macro into the slot you previously selected. When you are finished loading macros into the list, press OK to close the dialog.
    5. Click File > Macros again, but this time you should see ThreadTracer in the list.
    6. To run, simply click on its name in the list.

    You can right-click in the GibbsCAM toolbar and select 'Customize Toolbars and Menus' and then drag the ThreadTracer icon anywhere on your toolbar.

    header_logo

    If the ThreadTracer window is displayed distorted and out of place, try changing the DPI scaling for the GibbsCAM executable:

    1. Right click GibbsCAM icon
    2. Select Show more options (on Windows 11)
    3. Select Properties
    4. Click Compatibility tab
    5. Click "Change high DPI settings"
    6. Select "Override high DPI scaling behavior and set Scaling performed by: System
    7. If using Windows 11, set "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows 8"
    Close and restart GibbsCAM for the changes to take effect.