Think Simple Manufacturing
Custom components for any need
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Do you need something really special for your home, hotel or conference center?
Think Simple manufactures custom components for the audio, video and automation systems we build.
From custom switchplates that exactly match your décor, to cabinets, electronic components, even custom speaker mounts that can withstand hurricane winds.
Since 2010, we have had our own computer-aided milling machine, on which we produce a line of solid metal faceplaces sold through a major manufacturer of lighting and room controls.
We also build a variety of custom components for our more discerning clients, including custom camera mounts, monitor mounts, and backplates for table-mounted control systems. Their luxurious look and feel is unique in the electronics industry.
We manufacture our own Bluetooth audio player, which makes it simple for a homeowner or guest to connect to a whole-house or hotel room audio system, without the need to log into a Wi-Fi network. We designed and originally built, in-house, the circuit board, firmware and housings, although today we contract the components out and do only the final assembly.
We will soon introduce a product that will allow our smaller hotel clients to use a well-known line of home lighting controls for guestroom control.
In 2014, we designed and built two custom mirrored medicine cabinets for a luxury home in Naples, Florida. Knowing we planned to install Seura mirror TVs into the master bedroom, the architect came to us asking for help in finding cabinets of the right size that would match the Seura glass. Finding none, we offered to build them ourselves.
In 2018, we designed and manufactured custom mounts for the QSC line arrays we installed at the Privilege Pool at the SLS Baha Mar in Nassau. The speakers would be too heavy to remove should a hurricane approach, so we created mounts that could withstand 155 mile-per-hour winds.
We also work regularly with artists and craftspeople who build custom wood cabinetry, custom acoustical panels, and custom motors and lifts for monitors, screens and more.
The CNC machine at work
At the heart of our manufacturing operation is a Haas VF2 vertical milling machine, on which we manufacture the branded faceplates and other metal and glass components.
The Haas is a CNC machine, a milling machine that is computer automated. To use it, we’ll design a new component in SolidWorks 3D design software. Next we’ll send our drawings to a local shop for 3D printing, to create a perfect prototype in plastic.
Once the drawings are complete and tested, we’ll export them to a Computer Aided Manufacturing program, SolidCAM or Fusion 360. These programs allow us to precisely plan and model the action of the Haas milling machine, making sure the manufacturing operation will be accurate and safe. Once finished, we export the CAM files to the machine.
For the faceplates, we created separate design files corresponding to each of their button layouts, one, two and three-gang back boxes, and the seven luxury finishes we produce.
Chris Yee (pictured) operates the Haas machine. In the photos you can see him cutting polished nickel, single-window faceplates, which will fit over a three-button dimmer. In the photos taken near the machine, Chris is holding a plate that’s he’s just starting to cut from behind. We also see him holding a more nearly finished faceplate and its back plate, then a finished plate.
The Haas will mill a variety of materials, from aluminum to glass to steel, but we mainly use it for smaller components in softer metals.
For the speaker mounts at the Privilege Pool, we created all of the designs in SolidWorks, then sent them to a shop specializing in steel to be laser cut, bent, drilled and slotted. For projects like this, where the product must hold up to large loads and enormous stresses, we work with a local engineering firm to certify our designs.
For the mirrored cabinets, on the other hand, we did all of the manufacturing in-house, cutting, slotting and drilling each of the 65 glass and metal pieces that made up each cabinet on our Haas CNC machine. Once the pieces were cut, we sent them to an electroplating firm to apply the mirror finish.
Our manufacturing initiative is an important source of revenue for Think Simple, but more than that, it’s a source of client satisfaction.
No matter what your needs, you can be sure we will find a practical way to satisfy them.