How to choose an industrial sewing machine

Industrial sewing machines are designed to operate continuously for 12 hours or more every day. To optimize mass production, they are equipped with additional devices, such as automatic thread cutting and electronic presser foot lift.

How does industrial equipment differ from household equipment?

The differences between factory equipment and home equipment are as follows:

• functionality, household sewing machines usually perform several types of stitches, while industrial sewing machines are narrowly focused and designed to perform one operation;
• durability, the declared service life of home appliances is approximately 7 years with light load, the service life of industrial equipment is about 10 years with constant operation;
• speed, an industrial machine performs an average of 5,000 thousand stitches per minute, a household machine - 800 thousand;
• materials, household machines are suitable for working with light and medium-dense fabrics, while industrial machines differ in this.

Production facilities are divided according to work with materials into:

1. Light and medium.
2. Medium-heavy.
3. Heavy.
4. Particularly heavy.

REFERENCE. An industrial straight stitch machine can be changed from one type of fabric to another by replacing a couple of parts.

Hardware Specification

Industrial sewing machines are capable of performing only one operation.Nowadays, to facilitate tailoring in mass production, many options with different functions have been invented, the most common of which are:

• Single-needle straight-stitch lockstitch machine - it is impossible to do without it in any studio;
• Overcasting or overlocking is the most common 51 class, it is easy to operate and set up;
• Cover stitch (flat stitch) - used for stitching knitted fabrics;
• Special machine 26 class - makes a zigzag stitch of shuttle weave;
• Automatic or semi-automatic buttonhole machine.

There are quite a few manufacturers of industrial equipment, but the pros choose for quality and durability: Typical, Juki, Pfaff, Maxdo, Janome, Jaguar, Brothers.

IMPORTANT. You will find the best quality from European and Japanese manufacturers.

Tips for choosing

When choosing an industrial sewing machine, it is worth considering that the motor of such equipment for home use can be too noisy and the entire assembly structure is cumbersome. Before choosing a sewing machine, you should understand that there are two types of motors:

• Friction operates at a constant frequency. It is not expensive, noisy, less powerful, starts abruptly;
• Servo motor with electronic speed control. Expensive, silent, energy saving, smooth start, powerful.

There are several types of fabric feeding. You should choose depending on the direction of your activity.

1. When working with knitted fabrics, differential feed using two sets of teeth is better suited.
2. Needle feed is a good option for sewing multiple layers.
3. The rack and pinion mechanism is the most common mechanism and often causes excessive seating of the bottom layer.
4. When working in patchwork style, a walking foot will be indispensable, which will prevent the layers from shifting and stretching.

REFERENCE. If your budget is limited, feel free to buy used industrial machines; due to their high wear resistance and infrequent use, they will not exhaust their potential even in 10–15 years.