What is a coded magnet?

A coded magnet (also called a programmable, correlated or multipole magnet) is a single piece of neodymium whose face is printed with a fine pattern of north and south regions instead of one plain north and one plain south pole. That printed pattern — the code — lets one flat disc align itself, spring, latch, twist free, or refuse the wrong partner: jobs that used to need springs, catches and keys.

What can coded magnets actually do?

This guide documents six purchasable behaviors from one flat disc: self-alignment, a contactless magnetic spring, twist-release (hold when aligned, eject at about a 20-degree twist), coded lock-and-key identity, a contained near-surface field that will not wipe cards or tug a compass, and true shear and torque across an air gap. Each is a property of the printed code, chosen at design time.

Are coded magnets stronger than regular magnets?

They trade far-field reach for near-field intensity — ferocious at contact but nearly dead an inch away, so the maker recommends working gaps under about 2 mm. Vendor figures like “4 to 5 times stronger” are company claims and we tag them as such; one independent K&J Magnetics test did measure an alternating-pole array out-pulling both plain and Halbach arrays on steel, but no third-party lab has yet published a full test suite. In short: stronger where it counts (at contact), weaker at range, and by design.

Where can I buy coded magnets?

Correlation-coded magnets are made by Correlated Magnetics Research and sold under the Polymagnet brand at polymagnet.com, including a demo kit and the 1-inch twist-release demo pair made famous in the SmarterEveryDay video. This site is an independent review and does not sell magnets — see our spec reference for datasheet figures and how to get parts in hand.

The applications, industry and future showcase for programmable, coded and multipole magnets — mechanisms without moving parts. Behavior explorer, seven industry deep-dives, honest market analysis, spec reference.

Applications · Industry · Future

Mechanisms without moving parts.

Q: How is a coded magnet different from an ordinary magnet?

An ordinary magnet has a fixed force-versus-distance curve set by its single north and south pole. Print a code into the same material and that curve becomes a design variable — it can peak, collapse, cross zero and even change sign. Same material and same stored energy; the pattern decides where the field lives and how the part behaves.

A coded magnet is one flat piece of NdFeB whose printed pole pattern makes it align, spring, latch, twist free, or refuse the wrong partner — jobs that used to take springs, catches, keys and shields. This is the field guide to what they can do and who is using them.

Explore the six behaviors → Browse applications

EVERY CLAIM TAGGED: shippingdemonstratedillustrativevendor claim

ONE MAGNET · MANY POLES · PATTERN = FUNCTION
maxels ≈1–4 mm · printed ~0.8 ms pulses · illustrative pattern

The showcase

Six behaviors one flat disc can have

A conventional magnet’s force-versus-distance curve has one fixed shape. Print a code into the same material and the curve becomes a design variable — it can peak, collapse, cross zero and change sign. Each behavior below is a real, purchasable function.

B·ALIGN

Self-alignment

Snaps to registration within fractions of a millimetre; misalign it and a restoring force pushes it back. The mechanism behind self-seeking connectors.

Mechanism + curve → B·SPRING

Magnetic spring

Attracts at range, repels up close, floats at a designed gap — a contactless spring and vibration isolator (always on a constraining pin).

Mechanism + curve → B·TWIST

Twist-release

~49 N of hold that turns into ~57 N of push-off at a 20° twist. A latch and an ejector in one part — the famous SmarterEveryDay demo.

Mechanism + curve → B·KEY

Coded identity

Matched codes grip; mismatched codes shrug. A mechanical lock-and-key with no pins — the basis of keyed connectors and safety interlocks.

Mechanism + curve → B·CONTAIN

Contained field

Flux closes millimetres away instead of looping through space — strong grip that doesn’t wipe cards, tug compasses or upset sensors.

Mechanism + curve → B·SHEAR

Shear & torque

True magnetic stiffness sideways and in rotation — torque across an air gap, couplings with built-in overload slip, zero wear.

Mechanism + curve →

Who uses this

From a phone’s charging ring to a NASA glider release

Engineered multipole magnetization already ships by the billion — ABS encoder rings, MagSafe’s alignment ring, cochlear-implant magnets. Correlation-coded magnets are the young end of the same family, with one verified flight customer and a growing catalog of design wins.

5/5successful releases of NASA Armstrong’s Prandtl-M glider on a Polymagnet twist-release (2021–22)VERIFIED

≈1.55 mmalignment the Qi2/MagSafe magnet ring achieves for wireless charging coilsSHIPPING

1,000+surgeries using Levita Magnetics’ FDA-cleared magnetic surgical systemSHIPPING

~10×force collapse between matched-aligned and mismatched coded pairs (patent US 7,800,471)PATENT

Industry

Consumer electronics

MagSafe & Qi2, breakaway cords, Pencil docks — alignment and contained fields at phone scale.

Read → Industry

Medical

MRI-compatible implant magnets, magnetic surgery, coded sterile tooling concepts.

Read → Industry

Aerospace & defense

The Prandtl-M release, orbital capture demos, magnetic cleanliness.

Read →

All seven industries →

See it move

The two-minute proof

Destin Sandlin’s SmarterEveryDay visit to Correlated Magnetics Research is still the best introduction ever filmed: viewing film reveals the printed pole patterns, and the twist-release “magic magnets” do the rest.

What you’re seeing at 4:12 — the pair that grips at 0° and ejects at 20° — is the same function sold today as the 1″ twist-release demo pair (datasheet 1002300): 49 N attract aligned, 57 N repel at ±20°.

How the printing works →

The honest ledger

What we tell you that a brochure won’t

The tradeoff

Ferocious at contact, gone an inch away

Coded magnets trade far-field reach for near-field intensity — a fine pattern’s force decays exponentially with gap (CMR recommends working gaps under 2 mm). It is the category’s defining constraint, and for field containment it is also the feature.

The market

Early, niche, one primary IP holder

No credible market-size figure exists for programmable magnets — we refuse to cite the auto-generated “smart magnets market” reports. What is real: one category creator (CMR), a few licensees, under $12M total funding, and adoption measured in design wins.

The customers

One verified: NASA

The only customer we can independently verify is NASA Armstrong’s Prandtl-M glider release. Other logos displayed on polymagnet.com remain unverified here, and we say so on every page they would matter.

The numbers

Vendor claims stay labeled

“Up to 4–5× stronger,” “2–8× shear” and similar figures are company claims and carry a vendor claim tag wherever they appear. Directional support exists — an independent K&J Magnetics test measured an alternating-pole array out-pulling both plain and Halbach arrays on steel — but no third-party force lab has published a full test suite.

Want the physics? Our companion encyclopedia covers maxels, correlation math, Halbach comparisons and the MagPrinter in depth.

multipolemag.com →

Start here

Three ways in

01 · Decide