Multi head VS single head

[Denis Kolar]

I have 2 single heads, and I can se the benefit of having more single heads than a one.
If someone offers me a one 4 head to work with or a 4 single heads, I think that I would lean to the later choice.

If you get your timing right, and work fast, you can have 3 machines working constantly while you are down only with one at the time to change garment. While on the 4 head, you have to stop everything while changing.

My goal if to get one more single head and to stop there. Anything that I can not finish with that, will be outsourced. (That is my current plan that will probably change down the road)

[Denis Kolar]

And yes, trace every design on every machine.
You might be centering on machine 7 while you have it set on a different machine which will throw the design off and you will hit the hoop.

I got lucky few weeks ago with the Mighty Hoop. The material is softer so needle went right in and nothing else broke. If that was a regular hoop, I would probably have to change reciprocator.

[mk162]

I've hit a few hoops in my day.  I've only had to replace 2 reciprocators thankfully.  They aren't hard, they are time consuming.

[stitches4815]

I always trace, even if it is something I have done in the past.  The first time I crashed a frame I thought I screwed the machine up.  I was very lucky I didn't break anything.  Since then I trace everything. 

[GraphicDisorder]

We've never hit a hoop yet. However one of our 4 heads was purchased used and they have hit hoops with it several times. 

[mk162]

we found with our machine if you have too many saved designs, the system goes into freakout mode and starts sewing fine and then jumps over and slams the hoop.  Not good.

[inkman996]

we found with our machine if you have too many saved designs, the system goes into freakout mode and starts sewing fine and then jumps over and slams the hoop.  Not good.

We send through serial and occasionaly a design gets jumbled up. Whenever a design is sent over the operator always looks at the redraw on the machine first to confirm no scrambling has happened.

[ebscreen]

For any machine still using disks, converting to a USB reader is cheap ($30) and easy.

Also, at least the SWF's up until the mid 2000's (and probably many other brands/models) used what's
known as a Disk on Chip instead of an actual harddrive. These were like the first compact flash cards, but they're
in IC format (looks like an insect). These fail frequently and didn't have much storage to begin with.
Most machines will have an IDE slot for a HD, and installing one (or better yet a SSD) is a snap.
If your "main chip" on your SWF goes, look into it.

[Gilligan]

I got it now.

My brother has a center point on every hoop and automatically adjust when you change hoops.  I forget the commercial machines don't have that "luxury".

[inkman996]

How does it know where center is?

[Gilligan]

It homes when you turn it on and then the frames are different widths.  So when you adjust the arms it triggers a mechanism that says you have X frame in and it centers accordingly.  It also WON'T let you sew outside of that frame either.  Which works unless you have on something like Fast Frames which is set to the widest setting and assumes you can go anywhere.  That is pretty  much the only time we feel we MUST trace.

Other time it's just for tricky placements or approximate sizing.

[mk162]

our melco knew where hoop center was.  I thought the SWF would too since it was 7 years newer.  It's funny the standard things you think every machine has, like somehow there isn't an OFF switch on our oven...I had to wire in a disconnect next to it, and the RPM doesn't have a production rate readout.

[inkman996]

I am wondering whatis the mechanics behind finding center? On barudan the pantograph can be in any position at any time and there is nothing to tell it center, all it has is proxies for the outer boundaries of the pantograph. Does the other machines use some type of sensors?