|
Single Needle versus Multi Needle—Make an informed decision!
To read more, please download the complete 8 page mult-needles explained article here.
Many home embroiderers have purchased several embroidery machines over the years but still struggle with the basic physics of embroidering certain articles. Don’t worry, it’s probably not your fault. Hooped machine embroidery can be demanding and the tools you use can certainly make a difference.
Did you know that the basic principle of a home embroidery machine has changed little since the first fully automated machine was launched back in the late 1980s? They featured a single needle design, a hooping system that by commercial standards was left wanting and a thread tension system that is not ideally suited to embroidery. Sadly, even the latest home embroidery machines selling at almost $10,000 have not adopted these commercial standards.
We have focused primarily on the Brother PR Series, our reference machines and firmly believe these to be the outstanding, class leaders in embroidery technology today. You will be amazed at how simple the latest technology really is to use and how this translates into better quality embroidery.
Advantages of Multi-Needle Technology
Multiple Needles Multi-needle means the machine incorporates more than one needle in the sewing head. Typically, machines can vary from 4 to 16 needles, and more needles will generally mean a larger heavier machine. This is an important consideration and your choice of machine can be influenced by the size and location of your sewing or embroidery room.
If, for example, you have a dedicated embroidery room on a ground floor with easy access, a larger factory style machine may be suitable. They can be very heavy and often will not fit through a standard doorway. So prior research is important to ensure easy hassle free installation.
On the other hand, if portability and or space is a concern then the compact Brother PR650 with 6 needles or the PR1000 with 10 needles is a logical option. The weight is only about 40kg. Another advantage with a PR series is that you can take the machine to a service technician when due for service. This can save you money by avoiding technician call out or traveling time fees.
Multi-needle embroidery machines have been available for decades but it is the recent change in pricing, affordability and the new compact design of the PR series machines that has stirred all the interest. The obvious benefit of a multi-needle machine is that you will spend less time changing threads but in reality the benefits go much further than convenience. So let’s take a look at just what they are.
Speed of Embroidery
But machines don’t always stitch at full speed. Perhaps you have noticed this; your existing machine sometimes slows right down for certain areas of a design. Most notably during the stitching of satin stitches and the longer the satin stitch, the slower the machine speed.
This same principle applies to multi-needle machines but not at the extreme levels found on home or single needle machines. There are actually a number of other reasons for this “Slow Down” which we will explain in due course, but suffice to say, multi-needle machines are designed to cope with the greater speeds.
As a final note on machine speed, a 40,000 stitch design with 10 colour changes may take up to three times as long to embroider on some home embroidery machines and require constant attention to change colours when required. Basically you have to keep a watchful eye on your machine for hours on end in order to complete larger designs. Multi-needle machines free up an incredible amount of your time.
The difference in hoop design between a single and multi-needle machine is staggering. Sure they look alike and obviously serve a similar purpose but that is where it ends. Let’s take a closer look.
How does the hoop attach?
By contrast, the multi-needle hoop clips onto a “U” shaped frame driver, attaching in two locations. This provides far superior hoop stability which, in turn, results in more precise embroidery.
What about the strength of the hoop?
You may have already experienced the common problem of heavier articles falling out of the hoop during embroidery, which of course makes for a disastrous result. The more robust hoop of a multi-needle machine handles these heavier fabrics such as towels and robes with ease and of course, is a great advantage when hooping multiple layers of stabilizer.
Obviously, home or single-needle machines are limited simply because of the design of the machine. The drive mechanism that moves the hoop is not as robust and powerful as a multi-needle machine and is limited by the size and technical design of the home style single-needle machine. Lightweight hoops help to limit the wear and tear on the machine but do nothing to improve the hooping ability, especially on heavier fabrics.
What do they mean by Tubular Embroidery?
On a home style machine you will have noticed that the part of the embroidery hoop that actually attaches to the machine is always on the underside of the fabric or article to be embroidered. Whereas on a multi-needle machine hoop, it is exactly the opposite. Combine this with the two points of attachment and you can easily embroider almost any tubular article by simply slipping the tube over the cylinder (or free arm) of the machine. There is almost never any need to undo side seams as you would with the leg of pants or a small sleeve. Plus, embroidering on articles like a sports bag is a breeze. In essence this feature opens up a whole new world of embroidery opportunities.
Simply place the outer hoop ring into the inner part of the bag with an appropriate stabilizer and press the inner hoop ring into position making sure not to catch any internal pockets or fixtures as shown in Fig 2 & 3. Note how the attaching points for the hoop are on the outside of the hooped bag. This allows us to then attach the frame to the machine by slipping the tube of the bag over the cylinder or free arm of the machine as shown in Fig 4 & 5.
Examples of Tubular Embroidery: Sleeve
The benefits of tubular embroidery can never be overstated. It truly does expand your embroidery options enormously and improves the overall quality of your finished work.
The Size of the Hoop:
Generally a multi-needle machine will have a larger sewing field, which will NOT require the hoop to be moved or rotated. The Brother PR650 features a full size 300 mm x 200 mm sewing field.
Additional Frame Systems Cap Frame:
cylinder frame set (available as an optional extra), allows you to stitch fashion and logo embroidery on long narrow jeans or pant legs, sleeves and other locations with ease. Again this is almost impossible on conventional machines without unpicking seams.
Hoop and Frame Summary
For many, hooping is arguably the most frustrating aspect of machine embroidery and multi-needle machines go a long way to easing this frustration. The quality and efficiency of the tubular hooping system over the conventional home machine system cannot be questioned. With the price gap closing between the two styles of machines these benefits can be had by all.
Thread Tension System
At first glance, a multi-needle machine, with its corresponding number of tension dials looks quite daunting, but as you soon realize, it is, in fact, quite the opposite.
Again there is a substantial difference between the technology used on home embroidery
Excessively Tight Thread tension can result in:
By contrast, a tension that is too light will cause:
There are basically two ways to apply tension to thread, the first and most common approach for home-style embroidery machines is what is called a compression tension. In other words, the thread will pass between two metal disks that are pressed together by an adjustable compression spring. This applies tension directly to the thread itself and is a system that dates back to the 1800s. Almost all sewing machines use this type of tension device, which is fine, as a reasonably tight tension is needed for traditional sewing.
Computerized embroidery however does not require the tight stitching of traditional sewing and for this reason almost all multi-needle machines incorporate a system often referred to as spinning or rotary tension. This system does not apply tension directly to the thread. The thread is in fact guided by a spinning wheel that has tension applied to it. This allows for a lighter but more consistent tension.
The result is more control and less tension related problems, with far less thread breakage even at the higher speeds that are achievable on a multi-needle machine.
To read more, please download the complete 8 page mult-needles explained article here. |
Quick Links
Do you remember being told that “this will be the last embroidery machine you will ever need to buy”. We all know that statement was probably not quite accurate. Technology stands still for no one and there is perhaps no better example of that than an Embroidery Machine.
In this article, I will explain the real differences between the latest multi-needle embroidery machines and their household cousins. You will then have a better understanding as to why sometimes certain designs simply don’t stitch well.
Cylinder Frame:
achines and most multi-needle machines. Before we explore this difference, it is important to understand that thread tension can affect so many aspects of embroidery. For example: