Frequently asked questions

A single piece of ordinary magnet material (usually sintered NdFeB) re-magnetized with a printed pattern of many small N and S regions called maxels (~1–4 mm each) on the same face. Because the pattern is designed like a signal-processing code, the magnet's whole force-vs-distance/offset/rotation behavior becomes a design variable: it can align, latch, spring, click, transmit torque, or release with a twist. "Polymagnet®" is Correlated Magnetics Research's trademark for these.

At contact, on the right target (especially thin steel or a coded mate), yes — an independent K&J Magnetics test measured an alternating-pole array out-pulling plain and Halbach arrays 88 lb vs 72–77 lb. But "up to 4–5× stronger" is a vendor claim about specific comparisons, and the energy in the material is unchanged: coding redistributes field toward the surface. At any real distance a conventional magnet of the same size pulls harder.

Short field reach. The same local flux-closing that concentrates force at the surface makes the field die exponentially with distance — recommended working gaps are under 2 mm for fine patterns. Coded magnets are contact devices: superb fasteners, latches, couplings and connectors; the wrong tool for attracting anything across a gap.

No. Earnshaw's theorem forbids stable free levitation with static permanent magnets, coded or not. Magnetic "spring" pairs float at a designed gap only while constrained on a pin or shaft — every demo has one. CMR's own FAQ says the same.

On a MagPrinter: a computer-controlled head fires ~0.8 ms magnetizing pulses through a ~1 mm aperture, writing one maxel at a time into ordinary magnet stock — a dot-matrix printer for magnetism. A pattern takes seconds to minutes; the design comes from software (Polyvision), so changing the magnet means changing a file.

The catalog names eight: Attach, Align, Latch, Spring, Twist-Release, Shear, Torque and Detent — plus combinations in a single part. Real datasheet examples: twist-release pair 1002300 holds with 49 N and ejects with 57 N at ±20°; spring pair 1002288 pushes back with ~25 N near contact, fading to zero by 15 mm; the licensed Max-Attach line holds 8–96 lb.

A magnetic pixel: one small magnetized region (~1 mm) of chosen polarity, written by a single magnetizing pulse. Patterns of maxels form the code; the code's spatial correlation with its mate determines the force.

The one deployment verified by primary sources is NASA's Prandtl-M glider release — a Polymagnet twist-release with five successful flight releases (2021–2022). Industrial Magnetics licenses the Max-Attach product line. Beyond that, polymagnet.com displays logos (Tesla, Home Depot, US Navy, Missile Defense) that no primary source confirms as customers — this guide doesn't state them, and broader adoption today is measured in design wins.

Far less than conventional magnets — field containment is one of the eight behaviors. Flux closes into neighboring maxels within millimeters; the vendor states stray field is "near zero beyond about 0.25 inch" (a vendor figure, but the direction is straight physics).

Relative to commodity magnets, yes: function pairs retail $10–40 (twist-release 1002300 is about $35/pair) versus under $2 for plain discs. The Demo Kit is $149, design software $4,999/yr, and desktop printers have been reported around $45,000. You're buying engineered behavior, not raw material.

Both are engineered-magnetization multipoles with exponential near-field decay. A Halbach array uses a periodic rotating pattern to throw uniform flux out one side (motors, MRI, maglev); a coded magnet uses an aperiodic, correlation-designed pattern printed into one piece to create arbitrary force functions — alignment wells, twist-release, springs, keys — that a Halbach cannot express.

Not practically at home: writing maxels takes a pulse-magnetizing printer. You can experience every behavior for $149 via the Demo Kit at polymagnet.com, and view any pattern with $16 magnetic viewing film.

The substrate rules: standard NdFeB demo parts are rated to about 60 °C / 140 °F; SmCo versions trade some strength for much higher temperature and corrosion tolerance. Coding doesn't change the material's thermal limits.

No credible market-size figure exists for programmable magnets, and the "Smart Magnets Market" reports online are auto-generated junk. Honest description: an early, niche category — one primary IP holder, a few licensees, under $12M lifetime funding — riding a ~$59B (2025) permanent-magnet market. The core 2008 patents expire ~2028–2030, which could open the field.