This is such a beautifully low-cost and easy make that could be made from absolutely any material! We’re demonstrating laser cutting in this make, but you could use an acrylic, clay, or anything else you could affix a magnet to.

This blog was was written by Emma and is one of the 6 included projects in the Book of Projects Volume 5. Background Image by Drew Beamer on Unsplash.

This make covers:

What did we use?

Ferrite Magnets (20mm x 3mm disk) (2292)
3mm Black Painted MDF (600mm x 400mm) (32163)
A Laser Cutter
A Hot Glue Gun
This DXF design file.

Note:

*Price per student calculated based on each magnet using one Ferrite Magnet and for each sheet of 600mm x 400mm Black Painted MDF to fit 54 magnet designs.
The price may fluctuate slightly over time but was correct at the time of printing.

Step 1 – Check out the design files.

This DXF contains the design for this project. The diagram below shows you how to work with the file.

This design is supplied with multiple designs, not of regular size. If designing your own, we recommend sticking to a size limit of 65 x 65mm so that you can fit 54 of them on a single sheet of 600 x 400mm material.

The blue lines should be engraved, and then after that the green lines should be cut through all the way.

Step 2 – Laser cut the magnet designs.

This is how we’ve made ours – using our trusty laser cutter and some Black Painted MDF. You could use any number of other methods though – sculpting, vacuum forming, carving – the possibilities are endless!

Step 3 – Hot glue the ferrite magnets to the back of the designs.

Be careful when using hot glue not to burn yourself!

Alternative glues to hot glue can be used if you’re making something that needs to be more hard wearing. Superglue is stronger, but equally won’t be right for all applications. The miniature model making community often uses two-part epoxy glues to attach magnets to plastic, but again, this may be unsuitable for classrooms or some materials. Make sure to research thoroughly!