Library › Mechanisms › Linkages ·
Pantograph linkage (2:1 copier)
How does a pantograph scale a drawing? · Hardware · basis: Xem Studio drawing; classic mechanism (Brown No. 246)
Also called: pantograph, pantograph mechanism, pantograph linkage 3d print, pantógrafo mecanismo, Storchschnabel Pantograph, pantographe mécanisme
Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.
- sizes
- 3 in table
Notes
- Four bars pinned as a parallelogram with the fixed pivot, tracer and pen on one straight line: pen travel = tracer travel × k (k = 2 here).
- Moving the pivots along the arms changes k; swapping tracer and pen reduces instead of enlarges. The line pivot–tracer–pen must stay straight for the copy to be true.
- Also used in scissor lifts, sewing-machine and engraving copiers.
- Parts (each has its own page): pantograph-arms-200-100, pins-3mm. Brown's movement No. 246 shows it (1868).
Pantograph linkage size chart
| parameter | value |
|---|---|
| scale k | 2 : 1 |
| arms | 200 / 100 mm |
| pins | Ø3 |
Where the files are
Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.
| Henry T. Brown (1868, public domain) | Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements — scan on archive.org | web | Publisher's page; dimensions are facts |
Free files
★ Free files 1 parts. Generated by Xem Studio from the standard; threads are plain cylinders at major diameter. CC BY 4.0. index.json
| pantograph-linkage-assembly | Assembled mechanism, all parts placed (STEP keeps each part separate) | STEP · STL |
https://xemstudio.com/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client (free, no account, one minute) and it can look up exact sizes, mating fits and free STEP/STL from every chat.Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=pantograph-linkage

Fits with
Questions
How does a pantograph scale a drawing?
Four bars pinned as a parallelogram with the fixed pivot, tracer and pen on one straight line: pen travel = tracer travel × k (k = 2 here).

