Honeycomb Pins

Honeycomb pins hold material down inside the Glowforge. They fit into the honeycomb shape of the bed. Why are they needed? Sometimes material is lightweight and moves around easily. Other times, the material may be wobbly because it is slightly warped. It’s crucial that material is lying flat in the Glowforge, otherwise you will have trouble getting a good print. Honeycomb pins can also be used to hold down material when you need to cut an item and then flip it over to print on the other side, such as engraving or scoring a design.

The honeycomb pin design came from the Glowforge community, in the Glowforge forum. It was shared by a user that goes by eljefe4. I obtained permission from eljefe4 to share the design here. The design can be downloaded from the Glowforge forum, under the free laser design section, here.

I customized the wording on the design for this post by editing the file in Adobe Illustrator.

REMINDER: TEST, MASK (if needed) & DON’T FORGET TO VENT & SET FOCUS HEIGHT

Let’s Make These Honeycomb Pins!

First Download the free design from the Glowforge forum. Or, download the adapted design file I’ve customized to say “Forging My Way,”

I recommend using Proofgrade Medium Draftboard for honeycomb pins for the best results.
Place your material into the machine and upload the design to the Glowforge dashboard. Then move the design to the location where you want to cut the board.
Set your material to the appropriate setting. If you are using Proofgrade Medium Draftboard, the machine will typically detect this, and automatically adjust the settings for the material and detect the correct focus height. If not, select the material manually.
In the left bar, make sure the words to “Score” or “Engrave.” I use “Score” typically (it’s so much faster!), but this is just personal preference.
Make sure the other lines are set to “Cut.”

Materials Needed:

Scrap pieces of Proofgrade Medium Draftwood

Double-check to make sure that your design is not grayed out, which would indicate it is out of print area and needs to be moved.
Now, press the “Print” button at the top right of the dashboard.
Once the Glowforge button begins to flash, press it!
Be sure to stay close and keep an eye on the Glowforge while in use.

How to use honeycomb pins: Just place the honeycomb pin into the bed of the Glowforge, with the edge of the pin holding down your material. These pins have a little “give” to them which makes them easier to use and more sturdy and longer-lasting.