Dials, knobs, mode switches, and drawers feel right when they click into positions. The traditional way to get that tactile detent is a ball riding a spring into notches — parts that wear, get noisy, and drift in feel over their life.
Program the clicks into the magnet
A Detent (Torque) Polymagnet creates the positions with a coded pattern instead of geometry. Rotate the part and the maxel fields fall into and out of correlation, producing crisp, repeatable detents — commonly 4-position (90°) or 12-position (30°) — or a linear detent for a drawer. The "click" is magnetic, so there's no contact and nothing to wear.
- Consistent feel for the life of the product — the field doesn't wear like a ball and spring.
- Silent and sealed — no moving detent parts; works through a wall.
- Tunable torque — set how firm each click feels by choosing the pattern.
The haptics are in the magnet, not in a mechanism that ages.
What to specify
| Function family | Detent / Torque (rotational or drawer) |
| Positions | 4 (90°), 12 (30°), or custom |
| Pairing | Matched pair, rotor + stator |
| Material | NdFeB (N50), Ni-Cu-Ni; to 60°C |
Multipole magnets like these show up in premium knobs, medical dials, and appliance controls — anywhere the feel is part of the product.
See the behavior for yourself
It's hard to believe until it's in your hand. Order a demo kit, design your pattern, or talk to an application engineer about a custom force curve.
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