The definitive guide · programmable / coded / multipole magnets
One magnet. A printed pattern. A designed force.
A conventional magnet can do two things: attract and repel. A programmable magnet is the same piece of NdFeB re-magnetized with a printed pattern of tiny N and S regions — maxels, magnetic pixels about a millimeter across — so that the entire force-versus-distance, offset and rotation curve becomes a design variable. One flat disc can align itself, hold like a clamp, spring, click into detents, transmit torque, ignore a wrong partner — and let go with a twist.
The guide
Everything documented about coded magnets, in reading order — the physics, the eight behaviors with real datasheet numbers, how they are printed, where they are used (tagged honestly), and the company that owns the idea.
How they work
Near vs far field, exponential decay, the correlation trick — with interactive visualizers.
CH·02The eight behaviors
Align, attach, twist-release, spring, keyed pairs, attenuated field, latch, shear — with force curves.
CH·03Manufacturing
The MagPrinter: a dot-matrix printer for magnetism. Design-to-part in minutes.
CH·04Applications
Seven industries, every example tagged shipping / demonstrated / illustrative.
CH·05vs Conventional
What coding buys, what it costs, and the one independent test on record.
CH·06Company & history
Larry Fullerton, UWB radar, a toy for his grandchildren — and the patent fortress.
CH·07The catalog
Everything Polymagnet sells — demo kits, software, magnetizers — as a knowledge map.
CH·08Industry & market
An early, niche category riding a $59B magnet market. No hype numbers here.
REFFAQ, Glossary & Sources
Plain answers, every term defined, every claim traceable.
See it work
The canonical demonstration: SmarterEveryDay’s visit to Correlated Magnetics Research — the twist-release pair that snaps together like any magnet, then pushes itself apart at twenty degrees. This single video introduced coded magnets to most of the world.
How this guide keeps itself honest
Magnet marketing runs hot. This guide runs on evidence: force figures come from manufacturer datasheets and are labeled; company performance claims are flagged as claims; application stories carry one of three tags. The only customer deployment verified by primary sources is NASA’s Prandtl-M glider release — a Polymagnet twist-release that flew five successful release tests in 2021–2022. Everything else on vendor logo walls stays unverified here.
Start with the physics: how a printed pattern becomes a designed force →
Reference · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Five plain answers about programmable, coded and multipole magnets — the physics, the parts, and where to get them.
What is a programmable magnet?
A programmable magnet is an ordinary piece of NdFeB that has been re-magnetized with a printed pattern of tiny north and south regions called maxels. Because the pattern — not just the material — determines the field, the whole force-versus-distance, offset and rotation curve becomes something an engineer can design. One flat disc can then align, clamp, spring, click into detents, transmit torque, ignore a wrong partner, and release with a twist.
What is a maxel?
A maxel is a magnetic pixel: a single small region, roughly a millimetre across, magnetized north or south and printed in a pulse of about 0.8 milliseconds. Hundreds of maxels arranged in a code make up the face of a coded magnet, the same way pixels make up an image.
How are coded magnets manufactured?
They are printed on a machine called the MagPrinter — effectively a dot-matrix printer for magnetism — which writes each maxel into a blank neodymium disc one pulse at a time. Because the pattern is software, a new design can go from drawing to a finished part in minutes rather than requiring new tooling.
What can a coded magnet do that a normal one cannot?
A conventional magnet only attracts or repels; a coded one can be programmed for eight documented behaviors — align, attach, twist-release, spring, keyed pairs, an attenuated (contained) field, latch, and shear. Each behavior is a property of the printed code, backed by real datasheet force numbers, rather than a different material or a moving part.
Who invented coded magnets, and where can I get them?
Correlated magnetics was invented by Larry Fullerton around 2008 — an outgrowth of his ultra-wideband radar work — and is commercialized under the Polymagnet brand by Correlated Magnetics Research. You can design and order coded magnets, demo kits and magnetizers at polymagnet.com. This guide is an independent, unaffiliated reference.