Fundamentals of Embroidery Machines Types

What is the essential part of machine embroidery? The first thing that springs to mind is the embroidery machine if you get rid of the human factor. It’s only after having bought the equipment that we immerse ourselves into the interesting world of modern-day technology and machine embroidery.

How do I choose an embroidery machine?

Some people choose their first embroidery equipment on the spot, whilst others approach it competently, having first figured out what all the terms mean. In any case, a mechanical computing device, carefully wrapped in a factory package, lands on your table.

Let’s first try and get familiar not with certain models, but with their category on the whole. Maybe, after having actually made the head or tail of the main machine embroidery products on the marketplace, it will be simpler for us to choose in favour of one or other manufacturer.

What are the different types of Embroidery Machines?

The main types of embroidery machines are:

1. Home Embroidery Machines
2. Semi-Industrial Embroidery Machines
3. Industrial Embroidery Machines

Let’s go through one by one to know more about their specialty in machine embroidery.

Home embroidery machines

Home embroidery machines may make your pastime better and are helpful in decorating garments. The presence of hoops and a possibility of embroidering designs without using manual labour make them attractive for a wide circle of users.

Hoops are an important feature of home embroidery machines. Not so long ago 130×180 mm hoop was something to be envied; nowadays 180×300 embroidery area barely satisfies the needs of an embroiderer.

Home embroidery machine types

Home embroidery machines may be divided into two types:

1. Sewing & Embroidery Machines
2. Embroidery Machines

What can you do with this?

As you can judge from the name, the main difference is that sewing and embroidery machines have sewing functions as an additional advantage. And if you want to kill two birds with one stone, this type is exactly what you need. A wonderful hybrid of the sewing machine and the embroidery machine will be at your service for machine embroidery.

What can’t you do with this?

Time of non-stop run in-home machine is limited, and if you are going to embroider from morning till night, attending to large orders from your clients, you should set your eyes on the next class of embroidery equipment.

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Semi-Industrial embroidery machines

The balance between price and quality!

The queen of small business!

A semi-industrial single-head embroidery machine! Ateliers and small enterprises which need the embroiderer’s services from time to time are the main users of this class of machines. Higher automation in comparison with home embroidery equipment will spare you the need for constant control over the embroidery process.

What can you do?

Besides the mentioned pros of this class of machines, their attractiveness is justified by the embroidery speed and the possibility of adding supplementary devices, which will take the machine a step higher toward the commercial equipment: the cording device, sequin device, boring device, etc. Purchasing a tubular hoop will allow you to embroider on caps, socks and sleeves.

What are the limitations?

I want to point out that the manufacturers of embroidery equipment tend to furnish semi-industrial machines with as many possibilities as possible, so the boundary between the industrial and the semi-industrial is blurred more and more, making the time of non-stop run and the size of embroidery area, which in the semi-industrial machines is much smaller two major differences.

Other Limitations:

1. Sewing possibility is limited to one garment at one time.
2. Embroidery sewing area

Industrial embroidery machines

Industrial embroidery machines may be of a single-head or multi-head variety.

They also may be divided into two types:

1. Single-purpose machines
2. All-purpose machines

Single-purpose machines

Single-purpose machines usually perform only one operation. Eg. Chain stitch machines are used for performing chain stitches and Schiffli machines are used mainly for mass-production of lace.

All-purpose machines

Machines that perform a whole variety of operations are part of the all-purpose equipment. As with semi-industrial machines, you can buy additional devices that allow cording, sequencing etc.

What are the advantages of Industrial embroidery machines?

The main advantages of these machines are

1. Reliability
2. The possibility of working in two shifts with a short stop for technical maintenance
3. The large size of the embroidery area
4. Can sew on multiple garments at one time depending upon no. of heads
5. Can be used for all-over patterns on large fabrics

Choosing this type of machine embroidery equipment, make absolutely sure that this “workhorse” will not be idling in your workshop.

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Conclusion

As you see, the classification of machine embroidery equipment is easy to understand. And, as any classification, is artificial.

Today’s machine embroidery market offers a wide variety of machines of different brands. We will return to the subject of making a decision about embroidery equipment and attempt to give a detailed review of the pros and cons of particular brands.

Happy Embroidering!

PRO DIGITISE has a good reputation in Embroidery Digitising Services across Australia and New Zealand. We have a local representative to talk in person for client queries. Our quality of work, great service and prompt responses make us unique.

Contact us for a free trial.