3d printed magnetic fields!

March 29, 2016 10:59 AM

3d printed magnetic fields! "Think of Polymagnets as programmable magnets. By combining many magnetic fields, CMR’s technology transforms ordinary magnets into precision-tailored magnetic systems we call Polymagnets."
posted by dhruva (19 comments total)

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posted by dhruva at 10:59 AM on March 29, 2016

Well whataya know. Very cool, and I'd also like to know how that thingy they used to image the fields works.
posted by benito.strauss at 11:15 AM on March 29, 2016

You mean the film? It's conceptually the same thing as a Wooly Willy
posted by mattamatic at 11:20 AM on March 29, 2016 [3 favorites]

If I understand this correctly, these are 2d printed magnetic patterns, although the resulting fields extend into 3D space.
posted by w0mbat at 11:25 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

That is pretty dang cool.
posted by jferngler at 11:26 AM on March 29, 2016

So cool.
I wan't those latchy knobs on everything in my house.
posted by chococat at 11:39 AM on March 29, 2016

They need to hire a creative artist to make some really compelling polymagnet demos.
posted by Nelson at 11:46 AM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]

I too possess a software-controlled machine capable of imprinting intricate permanent magnetic patterns on round blanks. Several such machines, in fact.
posted by tss at 11:52 AM on March 29, 2016 [14 favorites]

Yeah, Magnetic viewing film basically has a bunch of little ferromagnetic particles in it that are light from one orientation but darker from the side. So when the magnetic field (those lines they were drawing on the whiteboard) is passing through the sheet, you get light or dark areas depending on the angle.

I remember using film like that when messing around with refrigerator magnets when I was younger—those actually have a pattern of thin alternating polarity stripes like they talked about in this video to make a field that's strong when very close but doesn't extend very far. Bizarrely, they're also engineered so that they only have an appreciable magnetic field on the fridge-ward side and almost none on the anti-fridge-ward (printed) side. Go grab some off of your refrigerator and try it for yourself!
posted by JiBB at 11:53 AM on March 29, 2016 [5 favorites]

I love the videos on the Smarter Every Day channel. They're great, bite-sized snippets of HEY LOOK, SCIENCE!! for the layperson.
posted by xedrik at 12:09 PM on March 29, 2016

THIS is cool.
posted by JHarris at 12:10 PM on March 29, 2016

From the creator of the Chicken Powered Steadicam (previously).
posted by christopherious at 12:42 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

I too possess a software-controlled machine capable of imprinting intricate permanent magnetic patterns on round blanks.

Yeah, but can it make cabinet latches?

I have one that works as a doorstop.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:16 PM on March 29, 2016

Those magnetic latches were cool. I can sort of see how they're using large / weak fields for the initial attraction, and then opposed tight fields for the close repulsion, unless you rotate it to the correct orientation for the repulsive fields to have minimal intersection when it latches shut.
posted by YAMWAK at 1:54 PM on March 29, 2016

Looks like the Spring-Latch Demo is $12, but backordered until April 19
posted by fings at 2:23 PM on March 29, 2016

This is fascinating. I'd love a sample pack of their various products. I wonder if the twist-release 'torque' product might be the most immediately useful. They should make a sample pack though, so people can experiment with the entire family of ideas. Who knows what else might be possible too!

A friend built up a quick and dirty version of these electropermanent magnets a couple of years ago. It was fun to play around with. You 'charge' the latch in place, and it is super strong. Once broken apart though, no strength at all until you 'charge' it again.
posted by Chuckles at 3:03 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

This is so freaking cool! I hope we get to see real world applications very soon. I can't wait.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 5:16 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Seems like those "springs" have a lot of potential applications as neat little solutions to weird-o manufacturing engineering problems... but I have no idea what problems those would be...

...To be honest, for me, the most exciting application might be encoding secret obscene messages onto an otherwise innocent looking metal disc.
posted by midmarch snowman at 9:21 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Isn't this what the villain from Big Hero Six was working on?
posted by OnceUponATime at 4:29 AM on March 30, 2016