Colin Hargreaves / William Hargreaves
p: 021 394 357
New Zealand
NSW & ACT
Rob Stras
p: 0432 555 845
Jayden Cormick
p: 0432 521 154
QLD
Richard Turner
p: 0439 788 066
Sales & Technical Support
p: 1800 137 670 or 03 9499 9492
Opening hours
Mon to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm
Melbourne Showroom & Warehouse
VIC, TAS, NT
Gary Busst
p: 0417 118 758
Steven McGarry
p: 0417 391 576
Steve Walsh
p: 0401 429 389
SA
Steven McGarry
p: 0417 391 576
205 Fulham Rd, Fairfield 3078, Victoria
Common Support Topics Are Listed Below
Barudan Embroidery Machines
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.
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
.
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
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
NEEDLES - ONE SIZE DOES NOT SUIT ALL
There
are
some
golden
rules
which
apply
to
the
correct
selection
of
needles.
These
rules
are
not
always followed in the embroidery industry.
The
simple
reason
is
that
embroidery
machines
have
lots
of
needles
and
for
many,
it's
just
too
much
trouble
to
change
them.
A
12
head
machine
with
15
needles
has
180
needles
so
that’s
quite a big job to change them all and re-thread.
If
you
want
to
produce
the
best
quality
embroidery,
you
had
better
pay
attention
to
the type and size of needle you use.
1. Choose the needle size & type that suits the fabric you are stitching.
•
Woven fabrics - use sharp point needles
•
Knitted fabrics - use ball point needles
•
Fine fabrics - use a size 9 or 10 needle
•
Caps and heavy fabrics with seams - use a size 10 or 11 needle
In
the
sewing
industry
and
as
a
general
rule
of
thumb,
you
select
the
needle
to
suit
the
fabric
and
then the thread to suit the needle…….but of course it doesn’t always work out like that.
If
you
use
needles
that
are
just
right
for
regular
120/2
embroidery
thread
and
then
you
decide
to
change
top
a
much
thicker
thread…….you
should
expect
to
have
all
sorts
of
problems
including
very
poor
tension,
lots
of
thread
breaks
and
probably
thread
that
bird-nests
in
the
needle
hole
and
jams up your machine.
Tip:
For
best
quality
on
fine
knits
like
T-shirts,
polos
and
fine
woven
fabric
-
try
a
size
9
needle.
It
really
makes
a
big
difference
to
the
quality
and
greatly
reduces
the
chances
of
damaging
the
fabric.
For
even
better
quality
-
use
a
size
9
needle
and
thin
embroidery
thread
like
King
Star
fine
thread.
Tip:
For
caps
you
may
be
better
to
use
a
thicker
needle
like
a
size
11
because.
This
is
because
cap
fabric
can
be
quite
tough
and
because
of
the
very
thick
centre
seams
which
some
cap
styles
have.
The thicker needle will help to minimise needle flexing & breakage.
Tip:
Consider
using
fine
needles
and
thread
on
just
one
or
two
needles
on
each
head.
Keep
them
threaded
with
commonly
used
colours
like
Black,
White,
Navy.
This
way
you
won't
have
to
keep
changing
needles
all
the
time
and
you
will
always
be
ready
for
that
demanding
customer
who
expects the impossible.
It's your choice . . . . . . Do you want to produce the best possible quality?
OR
Do
you
want
to
make
life
as
easy
as
possible
and
take
the
'one
size
fits
all'
approach,
regardless
of
potential quality issues?
Tight
tensions
-
might
pull
bobbin
thread
up
to
the
top
of
the
fabric
and
will
also
increase
fabric
puckering and thread breaks
See needles in the Embroidery Source web store
TEMPERATURE & HUMIDITY IN YOUR WORKROOM?
Many years a go I received a desperate call from a customer here in Melbourne. My customers 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 has slipped just as the machine
was coming to a stop. No - everything was fine. I could not find a single thing that was 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 it back to
full productivity again”
So, what’s going on?
A drop in 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
* 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.
Although it is quite rare here in Australia, cold dry weather can result in 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 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 underneath the fabric that can result in breaks
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
Either
the
needle
thread
tension
has
suddenly
become
loose
or
the
bobbin
thread
tension
has
suddenly
become very tight.
Check
WHAT CAUSES PUCKERING ON THE GARMENT?
Well the short and simple answer is Push & Pull.
Imagine
that
you
are
walking
through
a
crowded
room
and
you
need
to
get
past
a
group
of
people.
They have to move out of your way, don’t they?
Well
it’s
the
same
when
a
needle
passes
through
fabric
-
the
yarn
has
to
move
out
of
the
way,
but
when
the
needle
comes
back
of
the
fabric
again,
it
leaves
behind
two
pieces
of
the
thread.
That
means
that
the fabric yarns can’t move back to the exact position they were in before.
Now
that
might
seem
to
be
extremely
small
to
you
but
then
you
must
also
consider
that
in
an
embroidery
design
there
can
be
hundreds
and
even
thousands
of
stitches
within
a
small
area
and
each
one is pushing out to the side just a little.
So we have two problems:
1. Successive stitches formed side by side all pushing out towards the ends of columns and
filled areas.
2. Every stitch is formed under tension - so the sides of columns and the sides of filled areas
are being pulled in.
We
use
backing
fabric
to
try
and
hold
the
fabric
firmly
in
place
during
embroidery
and
it
does
a
great
job
-
but
there
is
only
so
much
that
can
be
achieved
with
backing
fabric
without
making
the
finished
logo
stiff and unnatural on the garment
What can I do?
It’s
a
trade-off
really.
We
try
to
achieve
a
balance
between
maintaining
softness
whilst
also
creating
a
high quality logo with outlines that match up perfectly with filled areas
•
Use a good quality, soft, non-stretch backing
•
Avoid using long satin stitches on wide columns. Try split satin instead
•
Try running fill stitches at right angles to the column instead of from end to end.
•
Experiment with using longer fill stitches or even shorter fill stitches.
Remember that fill stitches pull in at the sides and push out towards the last row.
DESIGN REGISTRATION PROBLEMS
The
first
thing
to
help
you
understand
why
some
designs
or
machines
stitch
out
of
register
/
alignment was covered to some extent in the section on puckering.
Fabric
distorts
during
embroidery.
The
effect
of
thousands
of
embroidery
stitches
is
to
pull
the fabric inwards in some direction and to push it outwards in other directions.
Filled
areas
pull
in
(away
from
the
sides)
and
push
out
towards
the
ends.
So
a
letter
I
might
get
taller
because
it
pushes
out
towards
one
of
the
ends
but
a
letter
O
might
get
smaller
because the stitches pull inwards from the edges of the column.
A
skilled
embroidery
digitiser
understands
push
and
pull
and
knows
how
much
compensation
to
include
in
the
design
to
make
the
outlines
match
up.
Having
said
that,
even the most skilled digitisers are not mind readers.
•
They don’t know what type or quality of backing you are using.
•
They don’t know how well your machine operators are hooping the fabric
•
They don’t know if your machine is in good condition or ready fro the scrap heap.
How do we prevent it?
1
.
Use good quality, non-tear backing making sure that it is hooped up with the fabric
2
.
Make sure that the garment is hooped up correctly with no loose areas inside the hoop
3
.
Hoops must be securely attached to the machine with no play
4
.
Inner
hoop
must
be
pressed
fully
downwards
to
hold
the
fabric
as
close
to
the
needle
plate as possible.
5
.
Thread tension must be adjusted correctly. If too much tension, fabric will pull in.
Last
but
not
least
-
Try
running
the
logo
on
a
stable
woven
fabric
with
a
good
quality
backing.
If
it
works
well
then
you
can
rule
out
any
problem
with
the
machine
or
hoop
system.
Note:
A
skilled
digitiser
will
adjust
the
logo
to
suit
the
type
of
fabric
that
you
are
working
with, applying more compensation to large areas of fill.
HOW TO PRODUCE KILLER CAP
EMBROIDERY?
When
Barudan
designed
the
very
first
cap
embroidery
machine
with
cap
hoops
back
in
19**
it
was……..well
let’s
just
say
a
long
way
away
from
fantastic
cap
embroidery
systems
that
we
have
to
work with today.
Once upon a time, most embroiderers dreaded getting an enquiry for caps. No so today.
With
the
new
generation
Barudan
K
series
machines,
cap
embroidery
is
easier
than
ever.
So
much
easier that many of our customers tell us that they welcome cap orders.
So what has changed?
•
Many changes in the design of machines specifically to make cap embroidery easier
•
Cap hoop design and construction have improved immensely
•
Understanding of cap design & digitising techniques for caps is much better
Once
upon
a
time
there
was
'The
tractor
driver's
Cap'
with
its
high,
flat,
front
panel.
Then
came
centre
seams,
low
profile,
unstructured
front
panels
with
no
stiffening,
visors,
floppy
sun
hats,
&
bucket
hats - every one of them presenting its own unique set of challenges.
Barudan’s
design
and
development
team
have
worked
like
crazy
scientists
to
produce what we think is the best cap embroidery machine you can buy
1.
The
cap
driver
are
super
easy
to
fit
(not
tools
needed).
The
cap
sits
down
as
close
to
the
needle
plate
as
possible
so
there’s
much
less
up/down
movement
of
the
cap
panel
during
embroidery.
This
helps to improve design quality and eliminate thread breaks
2.
The
distance
from
the
end
of
the
needle
plate
to
the
needle
hole
is
critical
when
it
comes
to
being
able
to
embroider
large
designs.
The
new
Barudan
K
series
models
have
the
shortest
distance
ever
of
just
8mm.
This
allows
the
top
of
the
cap
to
move
in
closer
to
the
needle
so
designs
can
be
higher
on
the front panel of the cap.
3.
Many
older
machines
have
what
is
called
a
thread
holding
fork
which
sticks
out
from
the
end
of
the
bed
just
above
the
bobbin
case.
Its
job
is
to
hold
the
needle
thread
at
just
the
right
length
for
thread
trimming.
The
problem
with
the
thread
fork
is
that
if
you
try
to
embroider
a
design
that
is
more
than
about
50
to
55mm high then the top of the cap will catch on the thread fork.
Than
restricts
the
movement
of
the
cap
during
embroidery,
which
in
turn
causes
gaps
or
distortion
in
the
logo.
Worst
case
scenario……
the
cap
can
press
the
fork
right
into
the
sewing
hook
whilst
the
machine is running and that will result in a massive jam-up and maybe serious damage to the machine.
Barudan’s
latest
models
have
some
excellent
improvements
that
make
cap
embroidery easier than ever:
1. The new, slim type thread fork never protrudes out from the end of the bed
2. The end of the bed is much closer to the needle hole (only 8mm)
3. The cap frame sits down very low on the needle plate reducing fabric bounce
4. The new style Barudan cap frame has a quick fit/release mechanism that makes fitting and
removal much easier and quicker than before (no tools required)
5. A new direct-to-pocket hoop can now be used with the cap driver. That means you can now
embroider onto shirt pockets without having to remove the pocket from the garment.
Now last but by no means least…….. ‘the cap’.
COLOUR CHANGE SEQUENCE?
One
of
the
most
commonly
used
embroidery
machine
design
formats
is
DST.
Whilst
the
format
does
not
have
any
negative
affect
upon
design
quality,
there
is
one
minor
disadvantage
of
DST
format
and
that is that is does not allow for needle number addressing.
In
other
words
you
can’t
pre-program
the
machine
to
change
colours
using
your
embroidery
software.
All
that
happens
is
that
the
design
has
stop
codes
at
each
of
the
stitches
where
there
should
be
a
colour
change.
if
you
run
that
design
then
the
machine
will
just
stop
at
each
of
those
codes
because
it doesn’t know yet which needle to change to.
The
machine
operator
then
has
to
program
the
correct
colour
change
sequence
before
the
machine
can
be started.
Barudan’s binary U-code format
A
really
helpful
advantage
provided
by
the
Barudan
machine
code
is
that
you
can
set
needle
colours
at
the embroidery software so that there is no need for colour change sequencing at the machine.
For example: If your machine is threaded like this:
Needle 1 = white
Needle 2 = black
Needle 3 = red
Needle 2 = navy
Needle 2 = green
You
can
set
the
colours
in
Wilcom
software
to
match
your
machine.
When
you
create
a
new
design
you
simply
choose
the
colours
you
want
from
the
Wilcom
colour
bar
and
then
when
you
send
the
design
to
the
machine
in
Barudan
format,
all
the
colour
change
codes
are
already
pre
programmed.
The
machine can be started without any need for colour sequencing at all.
In
fact
it
is
impossible
to
start
the
machine
on
the
wrong
needle
because
as
soon
as
you
press
START
the very first stitch has a colour change code for the the right needle.