WELCOME!


It is hard to believe that it was only seven years ago I witnessed a CNC router in action for the very first time. I was fascinated and simply had to have one! Although I had been in the creative end of the three dimensional sign business for most of my life I didn't really know what I would do with one - but I just knew it could do fantastic stuff.

Through extensive research I quickly found out that with the relative simplicity of EnRoute, CNC routers were capable of just about anything imaginable. This journal will chronicle that journey to date and continue each week with two or three entries as we continue to explore just what is possible with this wonderful software... -dan

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Unlimited possibilities

I think of signs differently than most sign makers. Signs to me are far more than just a flat board with letters stuck on them. I define signs as anything that brings attention to my customer's business, product or service. 'Signs' can extend to the decor of a building, the landscaping and or anything else we can think of. Its a market we happily indulge in.
The office/showroom we are currently working on for MultiCam Western Canada is a great example. I've posted a few teaser pictures of the concept art previously. I'm working with the contractor to include a three dimensional 'M' which stands for MultiCam of course throughout the office. We'll use the various sizes sprinkled liberally through the office - slightly tweaked of course for the room it goes into. For 'the submarine boardroom' we'll use this round version of the medallion - complete with rivets. This is a screen shot of the file I created in EnRoute. The final version will be painted to suit the room into which it is going. These will be placed in the wainscot trim in between the ribs. Overhead a larger version will be the centerpiece of each arch.
But this will only be the beginning. Every door and window trim will use small corner blocks routed from 1" thick 30 lb Precision Board. The larger square version will be routed in diamond format and be included in the wainscot trim of the entrance/waiting area.
Upstairs in the main office, 'the fossil room' I'll create a fossilized version to use in a similar fashion. The end result will be a subtle marketing campaign that will reinforce the MultiCam brand and add wonderful detail throughout the office/showroom areas.
The beauty of it all is that it is a great opportunity to up sell the things we do. These little pieces are easy and quick to create and use up our scrap material. Details like this sets us apart from our fellow sign makers and it also raises the quality of our customer's projects. The possibilities are endless if we think about all the places we can put our software, products and machines to their highest possible use.
-dan