Fit magnets inside shoelace closures

Press fit the magnets into each side of the printed closures. Make sure the tolerences are tight so the magents can't pull each other out of the closures.

These magnets can have small variations in size and thickness, so we’ll need to make sure the tolerances are pretty tight. You could also use glues to hold the magnets in place.

Align magnets


We want to make sure the magnets are all facing each other so they don’t repel. 

Check tolerances


Test the strength of the fittings by pulling the closures apart. We want to make sure the magnets can't pull each other out of the cavities. 

Adjust the design or use glue if the magnets can pull each other out of the closures.

Prep shoes

 

Untie your shoes but leave laces on the last row of holes like shown in picture. 

Loop laces

 

Thread laces through each lace hole and then loop the laces into each closure from the bottom of the shoe to the top. Leave a bit of slack so the laces aren’t too tight. Test by putting your shoes on to ensure the magnets can still reach each other.

 

Hide excess laces


Once you lace the closures to the top of the shoe we can either shorten the laces or hide the remaining laces by looping it back into the shoe.

Now you can adjust any twisted parts of the laces and try them on!

We tested the magnet holder extensively through a couple of the Disney parks and never encountered any problems with them detaching. They easily snap together when you put them on and easily come off after a long day of walking around.

And that’s pretty much it! We think this is a great project idea for anyone who’s looking to get into designing for 3D printing. There’s a lot to learn when designing to solve problem. Even if it’s a simple project, it proves really useful because it’s something you can use everyday.

This guide was first published on Dec 14, 2016. It was last updated on Dec 14, 2016.

This page (Assemble) was last updated on Dec 10, 2016.

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