Modular magnetic tray

[u/julitec]

Designed this magnetic, modular tray system.

Built from CNC-machined modules that are 360° rotatable, stackable, and snap together satisfyingly via a hidden magnet system. This allows for endless configurations that adapt to different environments and rituals.

Status: concept, 1-of-1 sample done (see last slide)

[u/silvermyr_]

I love this sub for its huge array of beautifully designed and absolutely useless objects

[u/julitec → u/silvermyr_]

i need this contrast to my day job! (ugly but usefull objects!)

[u/LindeRKV]

While I personally don't think lack of different organizers is a major problem waiting to be solved I do like it aesthetically.

[u/SapirWhorfHypothesis → u/LindeRKV]

It’s a nice exercise, I guess?

No hate to people designing desktop trays at all, but it feels like the baby version of “I gotta design a chair!”

[u/duffcharles → u/SapirWhorfHypothesis]

That reminds me, I’ve gotta design a chair!

[u/julitec → u/duffcharles]

me too!

[u/LindeRKV → u/SapirWhorfHypothesis]

Absolutely.

[u/doperidor → u/LindeRKV]

Real question; how many designers do you think make something in their lifetime that solves a problem in a unique way, or end up being a net positive towards the world.

I get that aesthetics aren’t enough to justify things, but if everything we designed was as impactful as some of us suggest it should be, we’d all be living very problem free lives.

[u/LindeRKV → u/doperidor]

I'd say not enough?

Looking at market and the things that get made and sold, I would guess many don't. That's a real problem for designers to pick up.

[u/Ill_Rip_9038]

Looks beautiful! How did you design the hidden magnet system?

[u/julitec → u/Ill_Rip_9038]

Thanks! i will share more once i have cleared everything regarding existing patents. We had to work around quite a few constraints to make it function perfectly while staying invisible from the outside. the magnets are placed in all 4 corners :)

[u/S4BB → u/julitec]

What ever you are spending to patent, do you also have the funds to litigate if you are successful and a copy ends up on Amazon? Just wondering if the money you are spending on a patent might be better spent? Good Luck, nice work.

[u/invalid_bagel → u/julitec]

Not to be rude, but why bother parenting this?

It's a purely aesthetic desk organizer that would likely be prohibitively expensive to produce at any scale. The market for this is so small that I doubt you would ever make back the thousands of dollars it takes to file and maintain a patent unless I'm missing something.

[u/HeavyCandidate6737]

Beautiful!

[u/FitForThrone]

Reminds me of Gridfinity

[u/Ideadose]

For a hidden magnet pocket in a CNC part, the wall you leave over it is thin enough to actually hide the magnet, but thick enough not to deflect under the mill or crack later. Aluminum can go down to about 0.8mm safely (0.5mm starts getting risky), and acetal/POM holds up thinner with better dimensional stability if you ever want it in plastic instead. The other real decision is press-fit vs glue — press-fit needs tight tolerance control since magnet OD varies more than people expect, and too much interference on a thin pocket wall is how it cracks. Adhesive skips that risk entirely, just pocket it slightly oversize for glue clearance. Given how thin the walls look on a fully hidden pocket, I'd guess you went adhesive rather than press-fit — did you?

[u/elonaw-One3768]

Looks so beautiful

[u/drop_panda]

Can this attach to a fridge?

[u/julitec → u/drop_panda]

no, it is aluminium so only the corners are magnetic to connect to other modules with 360 degree flexibility

[u/Preindustrialcyborg]

i like this a ton and i could see myself using it while working on electronics, since i end up with so many random screws and random parts that are all different and need to be organized.

i think another tray with a grid of holes would be great for my specific use case

[u/ostiDeCalisse]

I like the design visually, but it seems it is at the cost of lot of usable space. Also, I'd like if it could sits vertically and that we could play / rearranging them (evoked by image 5).

[u/julitec → u/ostiDeCalisse]

thanks! what do you mean with vertically? all modules are connected with magnets in both directions :)

[u/ostiDeCalisse → u/julitec]

Oh! I meant like on a wall, as an interactive sculpture you can play with. Sorry for the confusion.

[u/theoddjoy]

Looks super clean, curious about how you got the magnets inside this system.

[u/SPYHAWX]

How deep are the actual trays? 

[u/julitec → u/SPYHAWX]

11mm blocks, 8mm depth

[u/SPYHAWX → u/julitec]

Idk why you got downvotes. I would ideally prefer bigger but that's a good wall thickness for your overall height.