About

A short history of Think3d:

In the year 2000, while restoring a Chevy Citation, I found I needed an X11 custom-made emblem to complete the restoration. As I looked into getting a custom-made emblem, I soon realized that those machine shops capable of doing the work were not interested in doing a small order, unless I was willing to pay thousands of dollars. The best price I found included $500.00 for the set- up plus $50.00 per emblem, with a minimum order of 50 emblems. I only needed two emblems . Well, I sure wasn't going to pay over five thousand dollars for 50 emblems when I only needed two emblems !!!

Not to be deterred, my next step was to see someone who had a CNC router. In less than an hour he produced a crude replica of what I wanted. I immediately recognized the potential of this machine to produce the emblems I needed.

With my design experience and encouraged by the possibility of producing my own emblem, I set about buying my own machine. Thankfully, with financial support and encouragement from my family, I was able to purchase a Precix 4 by 4 router table.

I have had many years of experience working with manual milling machines so I felt quite comfortable operating the CNC. However, I quickly learned that the program supplied with the machine was really only capable of doing crude 3D renderings. I wanted to produce more refined renderings and thus I had to learn how to draw in 3D.

	I now have a 3dMax program that takes my ideas to a whole new level. The process of learning to quickly and accurately draw in 3D and efficiently operate the CNC router took about 2 years. Now I feel comfortable taking on any kind of 3D work.
	Besides my expertise in design and ability to draw in 3D, another key to the success of my product lies in the fact that I have CV Vacuum Platers very close by. CV Vacuum Platers is one of only a handful of companies in North America that do vacuum plating for the general public. Over the last few years they have greatly improved their process to virtually eliminate flaws. This collaboration between Think3D and CV Vacuum Platers, is what allows me to produce the refined custom emblems and products that define Think3D's reputation.