I’ve made challenge coins before, but for this version I wanted to make them a little smarter. Instead of just printing my MADE by AP logo on a coin, I decided to embed an NFC tag inside the print where you can tap the finished coin with a phone and it can instantly open my Linktree—or whatever URL I decide to program into it.
The trick was figuring out how to make a two-piece, multi-color challenge coin that could hide the NFC tag inside while still looking like a single finished print.
So, into Fusion 360 we go.
What We’re Making
The finished challenge coin is 45mm in diameter and approximately 3mm thick, made from two separate halves that fit together. One side features the MADE by AP logo and my usual reminder:
STOP PLANNING AND START MAKING.
The other says TAP ME, along with a few icons to give people a clue that there’s something more going on inside.
Hidden between the two halves is an NFC tag that can be programmed to open a website, social profile, Linktree, contact card, or just about anything else you can trigger with NFC.
Step 1: Create the Basic Coin in Fusion 360
To get started, we’re going to make a new sketch in Fusion 360 and select the top plane.
Create a 45mm diameter circle. This becomes the outside edge of the challenge coin.
Because we’re eventually joining two halves together, create an offset approximately 1.5mm inside the outside edge. This gives us the geometry needed to create the lip that will hold the two halves together. AP-Challenge Coin 2026 – Screen…
Each half of my coin is roughly 1.5mm thick, giving me a finished coin around 3mm thick. AP-Challenge Coin 2026 – Screen…
Step 2: Add the “Tap Me” Design
Since the whole point of this coin is the NFC tag, I wanted it to be obvious that you’re supposed to do something with it.
So one side gets:
TAP ME
I also imported some SVG icons that I created in Adobe Illustrator. Fusion 360 lets you insert an SVG directly into a sketch, scale it, and position it along with your text.
For my text, I used Railway Black and adjusted the size and positioning until everything looked balanced. \
One important Fusion 360 tip: once you’re happy with the text, explode it. That converts the type into editable sketch geometry that can be extruded. Just remember that once you’ve exploded the text, you can’t go back and edit it like normal text—so make sure everything is spelled correctly and positioned exactly where you want it first.
Ask me how many times I’ve learned that lesson.
Step 3: Create Separate Bodies for Multi-Color Printing
Rather than making the lettering part of the same body as the coin, I created it as a new body.
That’s important if you’re planning to print this on a multi-material machine.
By keeping the coin, lettering, and other design elements as separate bodies, it’s much easier to assign different filament colors when you bring everything into your slicer.
For my design, I extruded the main coin body 1.5mm, then extruded the text and icons as separate bodies.
You can even play with the Appearance tool in Fusion 360 at this point to get a rough preview of your color combinations before exporting anything.
Step 4: Create the Interlocking Lip
Here’s where the two-piece design starts getting interesting.
On the back of the first half, I created a 0.5mm lip that will insert into a corresponding recess on the other half of the coin.
The second half needs to be slightly larger than the first or the two pieces aren’t going to fit together.
Initially, I worked with a 1.5mm offset but eventually adjusted the mating side to around 1.48mm, giving the pieces a small amount of tolerance.
This is one of those areas where you’ll probably want to experiment with your particular printer and filament. Too tight and you’ll never get the halves together. Too loose and your challenge coin becomes a maraca. Neither is ideal.
Step 5: Design the Front of the Challenge Coin
For the other side, I wanted to bring back a phrase I’ve used on previous MADE by AP coins:
STOP PLANNING AND START MAKING
I used Fusion 360’s Text on Path feature to wrap the words around the outside of the coin and placed MADE BY AP prominently in the center.
This took some fiddling with font size, character spacing, rotation, and placement. And by “some fiddling,” I mean Fusion 360 and I had a lengthy disagreement about who was actually in charge.
One thing to keep in mind when you’re designing tiny lettering like this is the physical limitation of your printer. Your font size, line thickness, character spacing, and nozzle size all determine whether those beautiful little details in Fusion 360 actually exist once they’re printed. AP-Challenge Coin 2026 – Screen…
Step 6: Create the Recess for the NFC Tag
Now for the part that makes this coin different.
My NFC tag is approximately 27mm in diameter, so I created a circular pocket inside the coin slightly larger than the tag itself.
I ultimately created a 28mm diameter circle and cut it approximately 0.4mm into the interior surface of the coin.
That gives the NFC tag a dedicated pocket rather than simply sandwiching it randomly between the two pieces.
Once the tag is installed, the two halves can be assembled around it, completely hiding the electronics inside. No visible QR code or exposed NFC sticker. Just a challenge coin.
Step 7: Check Everything With Section Analysis
Before exporting, use Fusion 360’s Section Analysis tool. This lets you slice through the model virtually and see exactly how your two halves, mating surfaces, and NFC pocket fit together.
It’s a great way to catch a problem before turning it into several grams of plastic and 45 minutes of regret.
With the section analysis complete, I could see the front, back, interlocking connection, and internal NFC cavity all working together.
Step 8: Export and Print
Once everything looks good, export each side as an STL and bring the files into your slicer.
Because we created the lettering and design elements as separate bodies, we can now assign the different filament colors and prepare everything for multi-color printing.
And that’s it.
What Can You Do With an NFC Challenge Coin?
This is the part I think is really cool.
The NFC tag doesn’t have to open a Linktree like mine does. You could program yours to launch:
- Your website or portfolio
- Instagram, YouTube, or another social profile
- A digital business card
- Contact information
- A cosplay or character profile
- Instructions for a prop or project
- A hidden message or Easter egg
- Event or convention information
And because the NFC tag is hidden inside the print, you can design the outside however you want.
That’s what I love about projects like this. It’s not particularly complicated technology, but combining 3D printing, CAD, multi-color printing, and NFC turns a simple challenge coin into something much more interesting.
And now I’ve got something I can hand someone and simply say:
Tap it.
Then watch them try to figure out what the hell I just gave them.
Did you give this project a try? Well leave a comment below or tag me on the socials and let me know how it turned out!