TEMPERATURE & HUMIDITY? Many years a go I received a desperate call from a customer here in Melbourne. My customer said : “My 12 head machine was running perfectly all day yesterday on towels, right up until 5 o’clock when we finished. When we came in this morning it just breaks threads continuously across all of the heads”. Nothing at all had changed. Same machine / Same design / Same thread / Same speed. I wondered if anyone had perhaps oiled the sewing hooks with the wrong type of oil (too thick)? No I wondered if by some fluke chance the top and bottom shafts timing had slipped just as the machine was coming to a stop. No - everything was fine. I could not find a single thing wrong with the machine - so I left feeling a little guilty - my pride had taken a hit. I called my customer later that day to ask some additional question about the problem and he said “It’s all fine now. It gradually improved as the morning progressed and now it’s back to full productivity again” So, what’s going on? Workroom temperature was the problem. You see overnight the room temperature had dropped (it was winter). That temperature drop did two things. * It made oil slightly more viscous, which created a slight increase in drag on the sewing hook base * More important - it made the rayon embroidery thread more brittle (less flexible) and that caused many more thread breaks. At 8am the heating turned on but of course it took quite some time to bring the machine and the threads up to temperature - hence the gradual improvement. Another potential problem Although it is quite rare here in Australia, cold dry weather can result in low humidity and high levels of static electricity. Static can lead to problems with thread entanglement and the potential for damage to electronic boards in your machine. Very high levels of humidity can affect electronic circuitry and potentially create short circuits that can result in serious damage

THREAD TENSIONS ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED We spoke in a previous help page about how stitches are formed under tension and that the combined effect of hundreds or thousands of stitches can distort the fabric……so it is very important to start with correctly adjust upper and lower thread tensions. The quickest and easiest way to do that and to maintain accurate thread tension adjustment is with the help of a bobbin thread tension gauge. What is the correct method for adjusting tension First - adjust the bobbin case tension to the right tension for the type and thickness of embroidery thread that you choose to use. If you have a multi-head embroidery machine then the tension gauge is perfect for making sure that all of the bobbin thread tensions are set exactly the same. A good starting point for bobbin thread tension is 30 to 35 grams of tension Second - Run a design that has a series of Capital O’s of about 10 to 15mm high - One letter for each of the needles. We are looking for a column that is about 1.5 to 2mm wide. Why the letter O? Because it is made up of stitches that run at all angles from 0 to 360 degrees. Why 1,5 to 2mm wide stem? Because a well adjusted tension for a narrow column will be fine on wider column but not always the other way around. Tensions adjusted for a wide column might not be quite accurate enough fro a narrow column and you might for example see under thread showing on the top surface. OK - now check the back of each letter O and then adjust the individual needle thread tension accordingly. A well adjusted tension should show top thread / bottom thread / top thread in equal widths 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 Third - Once you are happy with the tension on narrow columns it is always a good idea to run a second test on small blocks of fill / tatami stitches. This is because fill stitches are more likely to show up the odd, loose stitch here and there. You might need to increase top thread tension just a little to achieve that nice, flat fill stitch. Pointers: Loose tensions - will result in loose and possibly loopy stitches on the either the top or the bottom surface. Tight tensions - might pull bobbin thread up to the top of the fabric and will also increase fabric puckering and thread breaks See a bobbin thread tension gauge

IS THE EMBROIDERY DESIGN WELL-MADE There was a time when the finished quality of an embroidered logo was purely the result of the skill of the machinist who manually moved the hoop and controlled the width of the stitch. Not any more! Now we use electronically controlled machines that simply reproduce the stitches that are programmed into the design. Of course the quality of the machine is important but without a high quality design that has been digitised    by    a    skilled embroidery   designer   you will never be able to produce high quality embroidery. There are many variables that must be taken into consideration when making every new embroidery design. DOESN’T MODERN EMBROIDERY SOFTWARE OVERCOME THOSE PROBLEMS? Wilcom embroidery software is without doubt a world leader Modern embroidery design software like Wilcom has a multitude of very advanced tools and features that have automated many of the labour intensive and time consuming tasks that used to take up so much time. There are tools that will convert images into embroidery automatically, and they are improving day-by-day ………BUT…….. There is nothing yet that can match the quality of an embroidery design that has been digitised by someone who truly understands the nature of threads, fabrics, backing and embroidery machine. In my opinion, the best embroidery design digitisers have used an embroidery machine over an extended period of time. You see there is no better way to really understand how embroidery stitches affect fabrics than to watch hundreds of different design being run on fabric. Can you imagine learning to drive a car from a text book or even from a video. Yes there are some things that you can learn but there are many more that you can learn only be experience, by sight, by touch and by feel. • How fast is too fast for this corner? • Is the road wet or dry? • Is the surface bitumen or dirt? My advice is to always start with an embroidery designer who has a reputation for quality - even if you have to pay more because when you start off with low quality then you might never know how poor your quality is and how many customers you might be losing because of it. Need some recommendations

HOOPING THE RIGHT WAY FOR QUALITY In the previous help page we spoke about the importance of holding the fabric securely in place with a good quality non- stretch, non-tear backing. That works well, but only if both the backing fabric and the garment are hooped correctly. There should be no free movement in the hoop itself. Try to move the hoop gently from side-to-side and from back-to- front. If you detect any loose movement then this will have an effect upon the finished embroidery quality. SO HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE HOOPED A PRODUCT CORRECTLY It should be as tight as possible but without excessive stretching Woven fabrics tend to be quite stable in both V an H directions. They can be pulled tight in the hoop without stretching or distortion and that is really good for achieving high quality embroidery. Some thicker woven fabrics can even be embroidered with a backing fabric, or using a tear- away backing. Knitted fabrics have much more stretch and so more care must be taken when hooping. This is my guide for getting the fabric tension just right. • Make sure that the backing is cut to a size that is lager than the hoop and then make sure that the backing is caught in the hoop all around the edges. • Adjust the hoop tension so that it is tight enough to hold the fabric securely but not so tight that you can’t adjust the fabric tension where necessary. • Apply tension to the knitted fabric mostly from top-to- bottom as there is the least amount of stretchiness in this direction. Apply only a slight tension side-to-side. The test for fabric tension Take the hooped fabric or garment and lay it on a flat surface. Now press down gently   with your finger tip and slide from one side of the hoop to the other. If a bubble of loose fabric forms in front of your finger tip then the fabric is still too loose and you should carefully stretch the fabric at that area of the hoop. Now as I have already mentioned above - if the hoop tension screw is adjusted correctly then you will be able to pull the fabric to increase the tension where needed. If the hoop tension screw is too tight then : 1 . It will be harder to press the inner and outer hoops together 2 . The fabric will be more likely to be marked by the hoop 3 . You won’t be able to apply more tension to the fabric How can I tell if I am hooping with too little tension The most obvious sign is - the fabric will move during embroidery resulting in reduced design quality. • Borders won’t match up with fills • Thin columns will appear jagged and uneven • You might also get increased thread breaks because the fabric will flag (move up and down with the needle). How can I tell if I am not hooping the fabric too tightly • The most obvious sign is that when you release the fabric from the hoop, it will shrink back around the edges of the logo and the fabric will pucker. There are a number unique hooping solutions for problematic products and fabrics. Mighty Hoops are just one of the most popular solution that offer many advantages. To find out more about mighty hoops visit the Embroidery Source website .

CHOOSE THE RIGHT BACKING FABRIC FOR THE JOB Backing fabric is the foundation to your embroidery. Using the wrong backing will result in quality problems either during embroidery or in some cases after the garments have been worn or laundered. EMBROIDERY BACKING FABRIC PERFORMS TWO DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS Prevents the fabric from moving during embroidery It serves as a non-stretch foundation to which the fabric is attached at the start of a new embroidery design. Underlay stitches act like basting stitches……they fasten the fabric to the backing and because the backing is secured in the hoop (or should be) and does not stretch or tear then the fabric is also held securely in position during embroidery. When the fabric is held securely in place then the run stitch and sating stitch borders will match up more accurately and will require less, or even no editing before production can begin. Minimises puckering of fabric Embroidery stitches are formed under tension and the combined effect of hundreds or even thousand of stitches all pulling the sides of columns inwards and pushing outwards at the ends of columns can cause puckering of the fabric. This is most noticeable on wide satin stitch columns and large areas of fill / tatami stitch. Skilled selection of stitch type, stitch length and stitch density can help to minimize puckering but the use of a suitable backing fabric will help greatly. It’s a trade-off Thin, stretchy fabrics are more prone to movement and puckering and therefore require better quality, non-stretch, non-tear backing but the down-side is that the better quality backings also contribute to making the finished embroidery more stiff on the garment. There are many different types of backing available that are suited to different types of fabric. Speak to your local embroidery backings supplier for advice or visit the Embroidery Source website for backings.

THREAD BREAKS - WHY DO THE HAPPEN? There are many reasons why you might experience thread breakage on your embroidery machine. Here are the most common reasons and what you can do: First - you need to think about exactly what is happening : • Has it been happening for some time or has it just started happening? If it has just started happening - what has changed? design, threads, garments,machine problem like broken needle/s, bird nest, lubrication (or lack of) • Is it one head only, some heads or all heads? If it is only one head then it can’t be the design or the fabric - it must be something that is specific to just that head like a damaged needle, faulty cone of thread, hook timing, damaged needle plate Etc. If it is all heads then it is more likely to be the design, a change of thread make or colour, lubrication or something else that would affect the whole machine and not just one head. • Is it just one needle, some needles or all needles? Just one needle - Check threading, thread cone, needle, thread tension All needles - check hook timing, roughness on the hook, lubrication of the hook, Needle bar height The thread * Weak thread * Knots in the thread * Old thread which has dried and become brittle * Thread that has poor lubrication - a waxy finish that makes it stick in the tensions. Try: A new cone of thread is a good starting point. A high quality polyester such as Fujix King Star, provides excellent sheen, bright colours, improved strength and excellent dye-fastness than as compared to Rayon. If you are in the work-wear embroidery business then dye fastness is ultra-important for your customers Believe it or not - some manufacturers of low priced Rayon threads will openly admit to having 4 to 5 knots in each 5,000 mtr cone of thread! Imagine what that will do to your thread breakage rates. Try: Aerosol Silicone thread lubricant. Spray the outside of the cone and allow the silicone to soak in then try the machine again allowing for the dry thread between the cone and the needle to be used up first. The thread tension * Too tight or even too loose Where to start: You should always start by adjusting the bobbin thread tensions with a tension gauge. Once all the bobbin tensions have been adjusted to the same value, you then adjust each of the needle thread tensions to suit the bobbin tension. Check on the back of each embroidery for 1/3 needle thread, 1/3 bobbin thread, 1/3 needle thread. Excessively tight tensions will increase thread breaks and puckering. Loose thread tensions can cause looping

THE THREAD TENSION KEEPS CHANGING? When you use a good quality needle thread and bobbin thread, you should expect to see a smooth and regular balance of thread tension on the reverse side of each embroidery. It’s the 1/3 - 1/3 - 1/3 rule. 1/3 needle thread on the left, 1/3 bobbin thread in the middle and 1/3 needle thread on the right. The lines should be reasonably straight but in some circumstances you might see irregularities that can either result in bobbin thread appearing on the top surface or needle thread loops appearing on the bottom surface. Here are some common problems : The lines are very jagged This normally indicates a quality problem with either the bobbin thread or the needle thread, which can be because of poor lubrication of the thread or poor winding (irregularities in thickness) that cause the tension to go tight and then loose in an erratic way. Check The only solution is to change the offending thread The lines have a regular, wavy appearance This is most often because either the bobbin or the bobbin case has been damaged (bent) and then once that happens, the edges of the bobbin touch the bobbin case once or twice every revolution of the bobbin, causing the tension to become tight. Check You can try to straighten the offending part but beware that bobbin cases are quite brittle and can easily break when you try to bend them. The quickest fix is to replace the damaged part. Other problems The bobbin thread keeps pulling up to the top. No matter how much I tighten the bobbin case tension spring it doesn’t help! 1. The bobbin thread is not threaded correctly under the tension spring. 2. The bobbin case tension spring is bent 3. The bobbin case tension spring is being held open by a build up of wax or lint under the spring. Check: Remove the spring and clean under it or replace it if it is bent. Better still just replace the bobbin case or bobbin and then fix the old one later on. You don’t lose production that way. Bobbin thread suddenly pulls right up to the top and the needle thread also loops on top and most likely breaks. This usually happens if the needle thread gets caught or tangled somewhere Check Make sure that the threading is correct all the way from the cone to the needle. Large needle thread loops are forming on the underside of the fabric