Hand Book for

B Voc in Fashion Design & Retail

&
B Voc in Apparel Manufacturing & Entrepreneurship

Sewn Product Machinery & Equipment - II

Semester - III
Prepared by
Mr. Mahesh Kumar M
Instructor, ATDC Thiruvananthapuram
 SEWN PRODUCT MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT - II

Course content

* Basic knowledge of the following machines along with their parts and functions,
machine settings, pressure foot adjustment, machine maintenance etc..

a. Bartack

b. Button attach

c. Button Hole

d. Zig Zag

e. Feed Off the Arm

f. Blind Hem

* MAINTANENCE AND LUBRICATION SYSTEMS: Maintenance – types, importance,

settiing points of various sewing machines.

* Lubrication System – Functions and types of lubricating system.

* Project & Swatch making with the help of all special machines.
 Lesson Planner
2 hours X 20 sessions = 40 hours

Day Duration Topic Delivery Mode

1 2 hrs Maintenance Introduction, PPT
Importance & types
2 2 hrs Setting points of various sewing PPT and Practical
machines
3 2 hrs Lubrication system and types PPT
4 2 hrs Work aids PPT
5 2 hrs Sewing defects (causes & remedies) PPT & Defect swatches
6 2 hrs Bar tack machine introduction & Practical with machine
threading manual
7 2 hrs Bar tack machine control panel Practical with machine
programming manual
8 2 hrs Bar tack machine basic settings Practical with machine
manual
9 2 hrs Button Hole machine introduction & Practical with machine
threading manual
10 2 hrs Button Hole machine control panel Practical with machine
programming manual
11 2 hrs Button Hole machine basic settings Practical with machine
manual
12 2 hrs Button Attach machine introduction Practical with machine
& threading manual
13 2 hrs Button Attach machine control panel Practical with machine
programming manual
14 2 hrs Button Attach machine basic Practical with machine
settings manual
15 2 hrs Zig Zag machine threading & Practical with machine
working manual
16 2 hrs Zig Zag machine basic settings Practical with machine
manual
17 2 hrs Feed off the Arm machine threading Practical with machine
and working manual
18 2 hrs Feed off the Arm machine basic Practical with machine
settings manual
19 2 hrs Blind Hem machine threading & Practical with machine
working manual
20 1.5 hrs Blind Hem machine basic settings Practical with machine
manual
 Maintenance
Equipments are an important resource which is constantly used for adding
value to products. So it must be kept in best operating condition, otherwise cause
excessive downtime and interruption in production. Poor working machines will
lead to quality related problems. The equipment will be obsolete over a period of
time, if the firm wants to be in same business completely, it has to take decision
on whether to replace the equipment or to retain the old equipment by taking the
cost of maintenance and operation into account.

Apparel machineries are designed to run for long hours and Industrial
sewing machines are certainly more robust than those which are made for
domestic use. The continuous use of any machines impact on the designed life of
the machine. Parts which move against each other wear out eventually, even with
the best lubricants. Dust, lint, metallic grit, small bits of broken components like
needles get into the system and can damage other parts or components.
Fluctuation and stoppages of electric supply affects both the mechanical and
electric systems in a machine. Wrong, improper usages, operation by untrained
operators or trainees, over working etc. these are all factors that can contribute
to the reduction of any machines optimum performance.

Bad maintenance leads to fall in productivity, at the least or at the worst to

stoppage of production itself. Good maintenance procedures help in getting the
best out of the machine, comfort and peace of mind to operators and shop floor
supervisors’ alike, optimum quality and efficiency in production.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

Total productive maintenance is a management system for optimizing the
productivity of manufacturing equipment through systematic equipment
maintenance involving employees at all levels. It is a maintenance program which
involves a newly defined concept for maintaining plants and equipments. The goal
of TPM program is to markedly increase production while at the same time,
increase employees’ morale and job satisfaction.
The objectives of TPM are..

1. Aim at the creation of collective culture relating to the attainment of

maximum efficiency throughout the production process.
2. Us the system so as to prevent losses and to reach the ‘Zero accident’, ‘Zero
defect’ and ‘Zero breakdown’ in the manufacturing process.
3. Involve the entire work force from bottom to top.
4. Obtain ‘zero losses’ by integrating the activities of teams with the
production system.

Benefits of Maintenance
 Reduced equipment downtime.
 Increased equipment productivity.
 Approaching zero equipment caused defects.
 Increased plant efficiency.
 Lower maintenance and production cost.
 Reduced accidents.
 Improved Return on investment.
 Better understanding about the performance of the equipment’s.
 Improved team work and less adversarial approach between production
and maintenance departments.
 Increased involvement of the work force.

Maintenance cycles
The maintenance work in an apparel unit should be done in the following cycles.

1. Daily maintenance

This is to be done by the operator. It includes cleaning the machine

surface before starting work of the day. It is also important that the environment
of the work place is also cleaned. Ideally housekeeping section will sweep the
shop floor but it is the individual operator who should clean up the sewing
machine. Operator must remove waste fabric and dust from the work place. It's
also important for the operator to adjust the needle and bobbin thread tensions.
No part of the machine need be dismantled, but the under bed area the hook set
etc. need to be wiped for lint and loose threads.

2. Periodic maintenance

This is to be done on a regular periodic cycle and can be carried out

by the operator or by maintenance engineers/mechanics. It will involve some
basic dismantling, hook set, face plate, feed dog etc and cleaning those for lint or
loose threads before replacement. The stitch quality is also checked and the
tensions reset. Mechanic should run the machine for some time and observe if
there are any unwanted vibrations, noises and all the controls are functioning
properly. A specified day should be set for periodic maintenance. It is also good
practice to maintain a log book of this for ready reference.

3. Preventive maintenance

"Prevention is better than cure". Preventive maintenance is

conducted to keep equipment working and /or extend the life of the equipment.
A specific day at periodic intervals has to be kept aside for this and rigorously
followed. It is better that the whole production line is not working at this time and
this work is taken up on a day when the production operators have their day off.
In this process, the whole machine or at least the main working parts are opened
up, dismantled, individually cleaned, inspected and replaced after recording their
condition. This type of maintenance is done only by the trained technical persons
using the maintenance manuals provided by the machine manufacturer. The
correct tools must be used to open any parts. In sewing machine the oil must be
changed irrespective of its visible condition. Also the prescribed lubricants must
be used to replace. If any part is to be replaced, the parts manual provided by the
manufacturer must be referred and only good spare parts must be procured.

4. Break-Down/Corrective maintenance

Break down maintenance can be defined as the maintenance which

is required when an item has failed or worn out, to bring it back to working order.
If the above three maintenance cycles are followed rigorously, there will be little
need for actual repairs due to breakdown of the machine. It is the most
commonly used maintenance approach. When equipments fails, it often leads to
downtime in production and sometimes damages other parts. This is expensive
also. For this a mechanic must be readily available in the industry. The first duty of
the in house mechanic is to diagnose the fault in the machine and decide on a
plan of action based on possible causes. This should be recorded - machine type,
number, time of breakdown, the observations and breakdown report filed by the
production supervisor/machine operator, the diagnosis by the mechanic, parts
removed, replaced and the total time the machine was not in production. In some
machines manufacturers may insist that certain portions of the machine are to be
replaced/ repaired only by their own representatives.

General cleaning of machine

Remove all the parts possible in order to clean the machine thoroughly.
Keep the parts in order to make it easier to replace them.

1. Bearing area - if the machine begins to run hard, it is a sign that dirt or lint has
jammed inside a bearing, continue running the machine and flushing with
cleaning fluid until the dirt and gummed oil are washed from the bearing.

2. Upper thread tension - pull a piece of cloth soaked in solvent back and forth
between discs to clean. To remove any remaining dirt and oil, dip a cloth or brush
in cleaning fluid and scrub all parts of machine that can be reached.

3. Hook area - lint is the primary offender in this area. Us dry brush to clean out
all lint. Remove any thread that may be wound up around the hook shaft.

4. Bobbin area - Clean carefully to remove lint using a soft brush. Tweezers may
be helpful in removing stray threads.

5. Face plate area - remove the screws, the plate can easily removed. Remove lint
from faceplate area using soft brush, cloth dipped in solvent can be used to
remove grease.
Preventive Maintenance Service plan
Monthly check

Thread stand clean and tight

Bobbin winder proper check

Feed dog check

Pressure foot check

Needle plate check

Needle screw check

V - belt check

Belt cover clean & tight

Pulley & pulley cover check

Hook set check

Needle guard check

Moving knife check

Fixed knife check

Foot rest check

Knee pad check

Pedal mat check

Stand rubber shoe check

Pedal chain check

Looper check

Oil level check

Oil lubrication system check

Gauge set check

Pressure regulator check

Quarterly check

Oil change

Motor and control box clean up

All moving parts checking / replacing

Gear and bearing checking/ replacing

Causes and remedies of sewing defects

S. No Defect Causes Remedies
1 Loose stitch Improper needle system Use correct needle
Improper needle and bobbin system
thread tension Needle and
Improper feed timing bobbin/looper thread
tension must be equal
Adjust feed timing
2 Thread Breakage Burns on bobbin case, hook Smoothen using
and in thread path emery sheet.
Needle got bent or blunt Use good needle
Weak thread Use good quality
Improper needle and hook thread
timing Adjust the timing
Improper fixing of needle Fix needle properly
3 Skip Stitch Improper needle fixing Fix needle properly
Pressure of presser foot is too Correct presser foot
weak pressure
Needle touching needle plate Fix needle plate
Thread thickness does not properly
match needle size Use correct thread
and needle
 4 Needle breakage Bobbin is not correctly Insert bobbin case
inserted in hoot set correctly
Improper needle bar height Adjust needle bar
Needle is blunt height
Hook set and needle timing Change the needle
wrong Correct hook set
timing
5 Puckering Feed dog height is more Correct feed dog
Damaged feed dog height
Presser foot pressure is high Replace feed dog
Adjust presser foot
pressure

Lubrication System in Sewing machines

Oiling systems

1. Manual oiling system – it requires the operator to oil each point

individually, and on a regular basis.
2. Automatic oiling system – lubrication done automatically or combined with
manual oiling. The oil in automatic system can be distributed by..
a. Through gravity
b. Through splash
c. Through wicking
d. Through a pump

Automatic oiling system requires the reservoir to be filled to a certain level

with oil. Wick feed system range from small reservoirs to more substantial
cavities. The smaller the reservoir, the more often oil will need to be added.
Larger oil reservoirs of any system type may have marked indicator levels,
so that the operator can verify that enough oil is available in the reservoir.

Automatic lubrication systems have sight window or bubbles. A flow or

splash of oil seen through these windows or bubbles will indicate that there
is likely a good pressure of oil in the system.
Lubrication is necessary for the sewing machine maintenance but at the
same time lubrication may be the cause of oil stains in garments. To
prevent oil stains in garments, an advanced technology is used. On the
basis of that sewing machines are divided into following categories…

1. Sewing machine with lubrication – the needle bars and thread take-up
components are lubricated with the minimum required quantity of oil.
For the hook section, standard method of lubrication is employed.

2. Semi dry head sewing machine – with the advanced technology of

enabling without being lubricated, a frame which does not need
lubrication has been developed. It is provided with not only a high speed
sewing capability, but also a safety feature for preventing oil stains. The
needle bar and thread take up components are not lubricated. For the
hook section, the standard method of lubrication is employed.
3. Dry head sewing machines – dry head machine ensures convenience of
use by totally preventing the oil from staining the material being sewn.
The machine wholly contributes to improved quality of finished
products. The section around the needle bar, the thread take up lever
and the hook are not lubricated.
WORK AIDS
Improvement of productivity is a very important factor in an industry. For
this to improve productivity and quality work aids are used. The additions which
can be made to basic sewing machines are many and they come under the
general term work aids. Materials handling for sewing, along with that of dealing
with garment bundles, plus various aspects of machine attention and personal
needs that make up 80% of the time spend working by most sewing operators.
Orientate and control through sewing is greatly slowed in some operations
because of the need to pause repeatedly to realign the parts or to fold them into
position. Trimming of thread will take time. The stacking of completed parts by
one operator not only takes time but may affect the next operator as well.
Achieving accurately controlled stitching at speed with operators without a high
level of skill is greatly to be desired.

Work aids are devices which are built into machines, added to them
afterwards, attached alongside to improve productivity, improve or maintain
quality, reduce training time and minimize fatigue for the operator.

 Some are used for increased speed while working

 Some are used for greater accuracy for sewing

 Some are used for guiding and folding materials

 Some are used for trimming threads

 Some are used for stalking the work after sewing

Advantages of using work aids

1. Deskilling the operation
2. Saves the labor of sewing process
3. Provides the added value
4. To get more production
5. To get good quality seams
6. Replace manual material handling with automatic material handling
towards semi automatic.

1. Guides
Guides are designed to facilitate alignment, accuracy and consistency
in positioning and stitching the fabric. They may provide both a tactile and
visual focal point for an operator. Guides increase the rate of production
and accuracy. In most cases guides may be attached to the casting, cloth
plate, bed or presser foot bar and are adjustable and changeable.
Types of guides are….
Magnetic guide
T- Guide
Sewing guide
Quilting guide
Three corner guide etc…

2. Folders
Folders are used where fabric must be folded prior to sewing. Folders
enable great increase in productivity to be achieved along with a high
standard of control over the quality of the finish obtained. They are made
from highly polished metal over which the material will pass smoothly and
they can either be purchased from specialist suppliers or made by skilled
 factory engineers. The demand for folders in a company will depend to a
large extent on the type of garment they make.

3. Binders
Many folders are available which add further items of self fabric or
other material to a garment and of these, many come into the category
known as binders. Fabric edge is frequently bound, either as a means of
edge neatening or to create a decorative effect or both.
4. Hemmer
Folders which operate on a garment part without any additional
material are known as hemmer.

5. Presser foot
Presser foot can be used as specialized work aids, in addition to their
normal function of holding the material against the feed dog, when the
scale of the situation is within the small size of the foot. Types of presser
foot are….
Compensated presser foots
Hemming foot
Zipper foot
Piping foot
Teflon presser foot etc…
Simple Automatics
These are machines which sew a short, automatic cycle such as a button
hole, bar tack, button sew or label sew. The machine only sews one stitch type
and changes in the stitching configuration are limited.

Computer controlled high speed Bar tacking Machine

These machines sew a number of stitches across the point to be reinforced
and then sew covering stitches over and at right angles to the first stitches. The
variables are the number of tacking stitches and the number of covering stitches.

Computer controlled lock stitch Bar tack machines are extremely fast and
capable machines with high sewing accuracy and need less manpower to operate.
Cylindrical bed machine with intermittent feed motion for work clamp. Sewing
speed vary from 2700 sti/min to 3200 sti/min. DP X 5 or DP X 17 needles are used.

Application: Bar tack stitches are used to secure garment parts where excess
pressures are applied. Typical uses are reinforcing the ends of pockets openings,
bottom of flies, sewing belt loops etc.
 Threading

Technical adjustments of Bar tack machine

Installation of needle

Button centre adjustment

Work clamp adjustment

Setting needle bar height

Operation panel programming

Hook set timing

Changing sewing data

Buttonhole machine
Buttonhole machines come in a variety of types according to the type of
buttonhole needed on the garment. The simplest buttonholes are used on shirts,
blouses and other lightweight garments and the more complex ones on the
heavier tailored garments. The variables in buttonhole machines are the form and
size of the buttonhole, the stitch type (lock stitch or chain stitch), the stitch bight,
the stitch density, whether the buttonhole is cut before or after sewing and the
presence or absence of a gimp.

Buttonhole machines form a simple circle, where the stitches radiate from
the centre of an eyelet hole, two legs on either side of a straight cut with a bar
tack at both ends as in a shirt or blouse, a continuous line of sewing up one leg,
round the end and down the other with a cut and tack at both ends as in the
buttonholes on the cuffs of jackets.

The choice between lockstitch and chain stitch is affected by the security
requirements of the hole, the finished appearance required and the relative costs
involved. Use of lockstitch gives greater security to button holes.

Raised bed machine with standard sewing speed of 3600 sti/min and DP X 5
needle. 99 patterns with 31 kinds of standard sewing shapes stored in the
memory.

Threading
Buttonhole standard sewing shapes
Technical adjustments of Buttonhole machine
Installation of needle

Needle bar height setting

Operation panel programming

Setting hook set timing

Knife installation and adjustment

Changing sewing data

Thread trimmer adjustment

Button Attaching machine

The variables in button attach machines are the size and shape of the
button which determines the design of the button clamp, the number and
disposition of the holes, the form of stitching, whether the button has a sewn
shank or neck, the stitch type ( lock stitch or single thread chain stitch) and
number of stitches. The advantage of lock stitch button sewing is security but its
disadvantage is an untidy look to the stitching on the other side of the fabric from
the button. A chain stitch button sewer gives a cleaner appearance at the back
but less security.

On the basic machines sewing two or four hole buttons with lockstitch or
chain stitch, the requirement of the operator to position the button in the clamp
can be avoided by using a hopper feed which automatically feeds the buttons to
the clamp at the needle point.

Cylindrical bed machine with intermittent feed motion for work clamp.
DP X 17 needle used for lock stitch button stitch machine and TQ X 7 or TQ X 1
needle are used for chain stitch button stitch machine. Sewing speed varies from
1800 sti./min in chain stitch button stitch machine and 2700 sti/min in lock stitch
button stitch machine.

Threading
Chain stitch button stitch machine
Lock stitch button stitch machine

Technical adjustments of button stitch machine

Installation of needle

Button centre adjustment

Work clamp adjustment

Setting needle bar height

Operation panel programming

Hook set timing

Changing sewing data

Zig Zag machine
A zigzag stitch is variant geometry of the lockstitch. It is a back-and-forth
stitch used where a straight stitch will not suffice. When creating a zigzag stitch,
the side to side motion of the sewing machine's needle is controlled by a cam. As
the cam rotates, a fingerlike follower, connected to the needle bar, rides along
the cam and tracks its indentations. As the follower moves in and out, the needle
bar is moved from side to side.

Zig Zag machines are capable of making different stitch shapes like Zig Zag
stitch, straight stitch, scallop, Blind stitch, T stitch etc. Zig zag lock stitch machines
can run at a maximum sewing speed of 5000 sti/min. DP X 5 needle is used. 20
standard sewing patterns with a memory capacity of 200 custom patterns.
Different sewing patterns in zig zag machine

Threading
Technical adjustments of Zig Zag machine
Installation of needle

Needle bar height adjustment

Adjusting presser foot

Adjustment of feed dog

Operation panel programming

Adjusting hook set timing

Feed Off the Arm Machine

Feed off the arm machine is a double needle chain stitch machine designed
for constructing side seams of garments like shirt, trousers, jeans etc. Feed-Off-
Arm machine produces stitch falls under the stitch class 400 - multi thread chain
stitch formed by interloping technique. Machine has 2 needle and 2 loopers.
Machine are available in off arm bed or cylindrical bed type depends on it’s
application. TV X 64 needle is used. Sewing speed vary from 3500 sti/min to 4000
sti/min. Depends on its application FOA machine are equipped with puller/ roller
feed mechanism. Use of lap seam folder in feed off the arm machine helps to
improve quality and productivity while constructing side seams of garments.

Application : For constructing lap seam at side seams of shirt, trousers and jeans.
Frequently used to joining laces. Used for joining braids and elastics in garments.
Threading
Technical adjustments of Feed Off the Arm Machine
Installation of needle

Needle bar height setting

Feed adjustment

Looper timing setting

Thread tension adjustment

Blind Stitch Machine

Blind stitch falls under stitch class 103 single thread chain stitch. To form
blind stitch the needle and thread is passed through the top ply and horizontally
through portions of the bottom ply without actually penetrates it to the full
depth. The stitch is invisible from outside and this is used extensively for
hemming. The stitch formed has high elasticity and easily unraveled. So this type
of stitch is not suitable for general seaming purpose.

The needle bar movement of blind stitch machine is different from other
machines as that it is not vertical (up – down) movement but horizontal (side
way) movement. Machine has blind hem bed and curve shaped needle (LW X 6T).
As this machine is a single thread chain stitch machine only needle thread is
required, but a blind looper is present to assist in stitch formation.

Application: Hemming of garment parts, used where easy unraveling is required.

Threading

Technical adjustment of blind stitch machine

Installation of needle

Needle bar height setting

Feed adjustment

Looper timing setting

Thread tension adjustment