Different Industrial Machine Types

There are many different types and makes of sewing machines. You will either be using an industrial sewing machine which is designed for heavy duty sewing and used in industry or a domestic sewing machine which is used for smaller sewing projects and that are portable.

Used to stitch fabric, leather and other materials together with thread the sewing machine was invented during the industrial revolution. Designed to decrease the amount of manual work.

Since the invention of the sewing machine it has vastly improved the efficiency and productivity of fabric and clothing industries. Designed for one person to manually sew individual items. It automates the process of stitching and sewing time.

Sewing machines have developed hugely over the years from a wide up machine to today’s electronically peddle controlled machine. Industrial sewing machines are larger, faster and more complex compared to a domestic sewing machine.

The fabric shifting mechanism maybe a working guide or may be pattern controlled. This is a jacquard type of machine. Some machines can do a variety of stitches such as embroidery stitches. Although these are normally domestic or specialised machines. Some machines have a work feeder that can move along a curved path, while others have a work feeder with a work clamp. Modern sewing machines have many safety features such as needle guard.

Sewing machines can make a variety of plain or patterned stitches. Ignoring the strictly decorative aspects, there are over three dozen distinct stitch formations recognised by the ISO:4915:1991 standards. Plain stitches fall into four general categories, lock stitch, chain stitch, over lock and cover stitch.

Lockstitch

Lockstitch is the familiar stitch performed by most household sewing machines and most industrial “single needle” sewing machines from two threads, one passed through a needle and one coming from a bobbin or shuttle. Each thread stays on the same side of the material being sewn, interlacing with the other thread at each needle hole by means of a bobbin driver. As a result, a lockstitch can be formed anywhere on the material being sewn; it does not need to be near an edge.

Chain stitch

Chain stitch was used by early sewing machines and has a major drawback: the stitch can easily be ripped out, and can rip out by itself if the thread breaks at any point. People soon realized a better stitch was needed, and it was found in the lockstitch. The chain stitch is still used today in clothing manufacture, though due to its major drawback it is generally paired with an over lock stitch along the same seam.

Over lock

Over lock, also known as “serging” or “serger stitch” can be formed with one to four threads, one or two needles, and one or two loopers. Over lock sewing machines are usually equipped with knives that trim or create the edge immediately in front of the stitch formation. Household and industrial overlock machines are commonly used for garment seams in knit or stretchy fabrics, for garment seams where the fabric is light enough that the seam does not need to be pressed open, and for protecting edges against raveling. Machines using two to four threads are most common, and frequently one machine can be configured for several varieties of overlock stitch. Overlock machines with five or more threads usually make both a chainstitch with one needle and one looper, and an overlock stitch with the remaining needles and loopers. This combination is known as a “safety stitch”. Household overlock machines are widely used.

Coverstitch

Coverstitch is formed by two or more needles and one or two loopers. Like lockstitch and chainstitch, coverstitch can be formed anywhere on the material being sewn. One looper manipulates a thread below the material being sewn, forming a bottom cover stitch against the needle threads. An additional looper above the material can form a top cover stitch simultaneously. The needle threads form parallel rows, while the looper threads cross back and forth all the needle rows. Coverstitch is so-called because the grid of crossing needle and looper threads covers raw seam edges, much as the overlock stitch does. It is widely used in garment construction, particularly for attaching trims and flat seaming where the raw edges can be finished in the same operation as mucky duck.

Feed mechanisms

Besides the basic motion of needles, loopers and bobbins, the material being sewn must be move so that each cycle of the needle motion involves a different part of the material. This notion is known as the feed.

There are multiple types of feeds used, such as:

Drop feed, the mechanism used by almost all household machines, involves a mechanism below the sewing surface of the machine. When the needle is withdrawn from the material being sewn, a set of “feed dogs” is pushed up through slots in the machine surface, and then dragged horizontally past the needle. The dogs are serrated to grip the material, and a “presser foot” is used to keep the material in contact with the dogs. At the end of their horizontal motion, the dogs are lowered again and returned to their original position while the needle makes its next pass through the material. While the needle is in the material, there is no feed action. Almost all household machines and the majority of industrial machines use drop feed. Differential feed is a variation of drop feed with two independent sets of dogs, one before and one after the needle. By changing their relative motions, these sets of dogs can be used to stretch or compress the material in the vicinity of the needle. This is extremely useful when sewing stretchy material, and overlock machines (heavily used for such materials) frequently have differential feed.

Needle feed, used only in industrial machines, moves the material while the needle is in the material. In fact, the needle may be the primary feeding force. Some implementations of needle feed rock the axis of needle motion back and forth, while other implementations keep the axis vertical while moving it forward and back. In both cases, there is no feed action while the needle is out of the material. Needle feed is often used in conjunction with a modified drop feed, and is very common on industrial two needle machines. The advantage of needle feed over drop feed is that multiple layers of material, especially slippery material, can not slide with respect to one another, since the needle holds all layers together while the feed action takes place. Household machines do not use needle feed as a general rule.

A walking foot replaces the stationary presser foot with one that moves along with whatever other feed mechanisms the machine already has. As the walking foot moves, it shifts the work piece along with it.

Some factory machines and a few household machines are set up with an auxiliary puller feed, which grips the material being sewn (usually from behind the needles) and pulls it with a force and reliability usually not possible with other types of feed. Puller feeds are seldom built directly into the basic sewing machine. Their action must be synchronized with the needle and feed action built into the machine to avoid damaging the machine. Pullers are also limited to straight seams, or very nearly so. Despite their additional cost and limitations, pulling feeds are very useful when making large heavy items like tents and vehicle covers.

Manual feed is used primarily in freehand embroidery, quilting, and shoe repair. With manual feed, the stitch length and direction is controlled entirely by the motion of the material being sewn. Frequently some form of hoop or stabilizing material is used with fabric to keep the material under proper tension and aid in moving it around. Most household machines can be set for manual feed by disengaging the drop feed dogs. Most industrial machines can not be used for manual feed without actually removing the feed dogs.

Flat bed sewing machine

A flat bed sewing machine is the most commonly used of the machines. Used for the basic techniques of sewing, this is used for sewing on most types of materials. It is stronger than its domestic version but can do less stitch types. It has one thread from the top and one thread from the bottom (bobbin) and sews simple stitches. This machine is not portable. It can sew through most materials but it is especially good for heavy weight materials. It is a lot quicker than a domestic sewing machine.

Domestic flat bed sewing machine

Very similar to the industrial machine, although it can not sew materials such as leathers of very heavy weight fabrics. It can also do more stitch varieties and is usually portable. Not as quick as an industrial sewing machine it is a good machine to use to practise from at first.

Buttonhole machine

This machine is generally used in industry and is a machine that does a secure buttonhole for buttons of all sizes. This is a step by step process and is generally only used in industry.