Magnets are small components—please keep them out of reach of children to prevent accidental ingestion!!!

Magnetic building blocks help children better understand three-dimensional space, fostering creativity and hands‑on skills.

Introduction

My little one absolutely loves the magnetic building blocks from my niece’s house. I decided to surprise her with a set of my own—and after a quick search on Taobao, I thought to myself: “It’s just magnets embedded in various geometric shapes, right? Since I already have a 3D printer, why not put it to good use?” So I designed and printed the pieces myself (and let’s be honest—this wasn’t about saving money 😏). The results? My child couldn’t put them down!

Preparation

All you need to do is prepare square magnets measuring 5mm × 5mm × 5mm. I recommend purchasing them from 1688 (new customers get a 5‑yuan discount): 100 magnets cost around 10 yuan, and you can snag an even better deal with coupons. (I suggest buying 200 magnets—enough to build 25–35 different structures, giving kids plenty of room to explore and create all kinds of designs.)

Design

• I don’t have transparent, colored filaments, so I can’t replicate the glossy, translucent effect seen on Taobao. However, I designed the walls to be relatively thin—just slightly thicker than usual—which still allows for a subtle, glass-like transparency when exposed to strong light.
• To make magnet installation and removal easier, I didn’t rely on the standard print‑pause method to embed the magnets. Instead, I left open slots that could be manually filled with magnets after printing.
• To avoid repulsion between like poles, I made the magnet‑holding cavities large enough to allow the magnets to automatically rotate when they encounter opposing magnetic forces, ensuring they align correctly and increasing the overall magnetic attraction.

Installation

We recommend using PLAfor printing. If possible, start by printing a single component to test the appearance and verify the magnet tolerances.

Magnetic Demonstrations

Renderings

Real‑World Photos

Magnetic building blocks aren’t just for kids—they’re perfect for adults too, and they make fantastic stress‑relief toys. The satisfying “click” as the magnets snap into place is incredibly soothing. If you’re curious, give them a try—you or your kids are sure to discover the joy of 3D printing!