Recognizing a 3ds for engraving

I know that some laptops will be recognized and the Glowforge will assist in engraving them but I was wondering if anyone had considered adding the various Nintendo 3ds models to that list.

Most of the laptops they’ve shown are Macs made with anodized aluminum, which won’t cause much of a problem etch, and the Glowforge can’t accidentally cut through it. I haven’t seen a 3ds made from any kind of metal. So the issues you will have etching it will be what is the material, and what potential for damage is there.
You definitely want to make sure that whatever plastic is used in it will not release anything nasty, such as chlorine gas. And if you do try it, you probably want to start with very low power, high speed. You don’t want a cut straight through your 3ds.

It looks like the outer shell may be ABS and the inner surface (on the XL) is a Glass-Fiber blend.
Looks like you can get a spare shell to do some tests on for around $12-15.

ABS does not handle lasers well at all.

If it is ABS then this idea is a no go but I read that it is made of a glass filled nylon, GF55 to be specific. I’m not finding good information on that either way.

Why not etch a case? There are many cases with different materials available for the 3ds.

You could do a very cool lasermade case! These are a cool starting point…

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That will be a reasonable replacement. I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with vinyl from the Silhouette. :wink: