A
right industrial sewing machine can create competitive advantage for your sewn
products, it is very important to make sure it's what you are looking for,
before confirming order. Here list the basic points you need to consider when
you choosing industrial sewing machine:
I. Arm type of machines
Different machine arm
is designed for different application. The shape of your sewn product will
determine the arm type of sewing machine you need. There three basic types of arm/bed:
Flat-bed
industrial sewing machine: flat bed sewing machine is the most common sewing
equipment can be found in all sewn product manufacturer.
 |
| Flat bed sewing machine |
Cylinder
bed (cylinder arm or free arm) industrial sewing machine: mostly used to
reach into smaller places where a flat bed sewing machine is just not practical,
for example sofa covers, car seat covers, saddle & harness, shoes
& footwear, luggage & suitcase, hand bags, purses, golf bags and orthopedic
products.
 |
| Cylinder bed sewing machine |
Post
bed industrial sewing machine: post bed machine is particularly suited for
shoe work, upholstery and other work which is difficult to handle on a flat bed
or a cylinder bed machine. It has a very small top surface, which permits an
operator to handle a shoe upper and leather piece conveniently while fitting
the lining, without twisting the upper out of shape. In today's world many are
using post bed sewing machines for decorative stitching on sofa covers, Seat
Covers & Cushions, boot tops and luggage.
 |
| Post bed sewing machine |
Long
arm industrial sewing machine: both flat bed, cylinder arm and post bed sewing
machines, the length of arm can be extended for larger working space (clearance
room) under the arm. Long arm industrial sewing machines are particularly
suited for large or thick materials, such as sails, tents, tarpaulin, boat
covers, parachutes, upholstered furniture and marine upholstery etc.
 |
| Long arm sewing machine |
II. Presser foot lifting
height
Compare
the presser foot lifting height of sewing machines, according to the thickness
of your material. For easy loading and unloading (especial bulky material), the
clearance under presser foot at least 5mm-10 more than the thickness of
material.
IV. Needle penetration
force
Some
industrial sewing machines have very high presser foot lift (over 20mm), but
the needle penetration force is not very strong. When stitch extremely hard
material (such as saddle leather, kevlar, plywood, plastic sheets and sailcloth), you
have to check the needle penetration power with the professional who takes
charge of your order. Obviously, the needle penetration force is dependent on a
number of factors including: needle bar stroke, size of flywheel, needle bar
movement (especial zigzag sewing machine). These factors cannot be improved, if
you need an extra strong needle penetrating power for your stiff/hard material,
you can contact HIGHTEX team for speed reducer, which can increase needle
penetration power to 3-6 times!!
IV. Needle size &
thread size
Each
machine equipped with certain needle system and needle size range, you need to
select right needle system/size according to the thread sizes you are using.
V. Sewing foot stroke (Amount
of lift of walking foot)
Sewing
foot stroke is the major factor of climbing capacity of sewing machine. If you
are to sew thick point or cross seam (for example topstitching overlapped
corners of sofas covers and car seat covers), you have to check the sewing foot
stroke of machine. Also you can consider the special Upholster Climbing Presser
Foot designed by HIGHTEX team.
VI. Feeding
system of machine
There
three basic feeding mechanisms in today industrial sewing machine trade:
Drop
feed: drop feed (feed
material by feed dog), this type machine is mainly used in apparel industry. All
garment manufacturers have drop feed lockstitch sewing machine.
Walking foot (top & bottom
feed or upper & lower feed): the drop feed (feed dog)
and alternating (walking) presser foot feed synchronously, keeping all layers
of webbing even and smooth while sewing them together. It is the basic machine
for heavy duty sewing applications.
Triple feed (compound feed or
union feed): triple transportation is the most
expensive sewing technology in today market. Triple feed sewing machines have
two alternating presser feet which move the material by synchronizing the
motion of the needle bar, the inside presser foot and the bottom feed dog.
While the material is being moved (forward or reverse), the outside foot is
lifted off the top of the work. This allows the needle, inner foot and feed dog
to easily transport all of the layers together, until the preset stitch length
is reached.
Additionally,
puller feed (a feeding device behind on the presser foot) is almost necessary
when sewing large surface products, such as boat sails, spinnakers, parachutes,
field covers, marquees and tents etc.
VII. Your experience with industrial sewing
machine
If
you already have industrial sewing machines, it is better to purchase similar machines
or their upgraded versions. In this case, the basic mechanics (such as threading,
timing and sparing parts) is same, it will be much easier to manage the new
machine with your experience.
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