Coded magnets start as ordinary magnets. Correlated Magnetics Research says its Polymagnets begin as rare-earth magnets, usually sintered neodymium. The difference is the magnetizing step.
A conventional magnet is magnetized in one pulse, all in one direction. A multipole part made the traditional way needs a magnetizing fixture, a tooled coil shaped for that one pattern. A Popular Mechanics article reposted on CMR's blog put the traditional cost of made-to-order magnet patterns at $1,000 to $100,000 per pattern; treat that as a historical figure from the article, not a current quote.
CMR's approach replaces the fixture with a programmable magnetizer. Its About page says patterns are designed in software and programmed into a magnet in minutes rather than weeks. The magnetizer writes the pattern region by region (each region is a maxel), so a design change is a file change, not new tooling.
CMR sells this equipment as well as parts. Its site lists magnetizers named Polydesk, Polylab and Polymag 6.2, its FAQ describes units for lab use and full production, and Polyvision software is used to design the patterns. Production can also be sourced through CMR's custom services.
WholeMagnetics, 2026-10-04. Polymagnet facts are taken from Correlated Magnetics Research’s public pages, listed below; vendor performance figures are CMR’s own.