ABCOLN FASHIONS
ABCOLN FASHIONS
Real quick, short answers. Mostly this applies to multi-head machines, but I'm also asking for single headers out there. What speed do you run your machines at, how many heads, and any why's or why nots..
We have a mix of Barudans, Tajimas and Melcos: from single heads upto 15 heads. Usually the 750 - 850 range is good for us. We slow it down and also get it to run faster to 900 or even 1000, depending upon the design, the material, the details & the stitch patterns. I would never compromise on quality, but in certain orders, the fill stitches can zoom through without headaches. We do take care of the machines meticulously, and they have been lasting us for more than a decade, and still runs almost 24 hours a day for at least 5 days a week, if not more.
Every machine might have a variation, but the latest machines are a lot more sturdier.
Abcoln.com
Nov 24, 2017
My machine lopes along at 800 spm with few mistakes. It will run at 1000 spm max but will have more issues so 800 is fast enough for me.
Rob
Nov 25, 2017
@Bala, no need to be sorry, if you can't admit your mistakes you'll never
grow. As for the discussion, well, wow. They're wanting a lot more pcs
per day than I've ever even heard of. I'm pretty good at getting the most
out of my team, but 250 pcs per shift off an 8 head? I've already pulled
everyone in and told them to make sure they let their family know they love
them and appreciate their support, they're going to need it.
@Rob, I'm a little old school, my first machine was a Tajima DC model, 12
head. If you ran it over 700-750, nut's and bolts would start falling
off! But evidently, the technology has advanced that much.
Here's to new things!
Joey
Nov 25, 2017
Right now we have 4 Tajima 8 heads
(buying
6 more next month), about a year old, that WERE being run at 900 for 2
shifts, until I started. I started in with all the problems they were
going to have and told them not to run them over 700 during the slow
days.
Those machines just can't run that fast without spinning rotary hooks.
So
I reached out to a couple tech buddies of mine, one being one of, if not
the best, techs I know.
Sooooo, unfortunately, I'm wrong. So now I have to go in tomorrow and
eat
crow. Oh well, at least i know now.
Rob
Nov 27, 2017
We have multiple machines and every time my tech comes in he asks what speed
I am running. I run about 750 - 850 on all 3, (2-9 needle Brothers and a 16
needle Melco) I tell him that my car will run at 150 MPH but I certainly
won't run it at that speed if I want it to last. Same with my machine,
besides, the faster the speed the greater drag on the thread so it stretches
and causes more puckering. If I want to speed it up I have to adjust all my
tensions every time to obtain a nice stitch out. We want slow and steady, I
have 2 machines that are over 14 years old and still going like a work
horses. Don't want to mess with that since I can no longer get parts if I
break them.
Debra
Nov 28, 2017
I have a Old Barudan (2000) that I only use for caps and run it at
500-550...mostly because it is loud when running faster. My newer Barudan
I typically run at 750-800, a little slower on knit beanies.
Lucinda
Nov 28, 2017
In my newest position, I jumped up and down and beat my chest from day 1
because the machines were all being run at 900. That's way more than I'm
used to asking of my machines. When I calmed down at this flagrant abuse of these
living, breathing and beautiful creatures, I took a deep breath. Why would
a tech tell anyone that it's "normal" to run these machines that fast? He must be a very evil
person. So, I typed the question, and, not knowing what I was getting
into, launched it into cyberspace. I posted this same question around all the usual places, about
8 total, as well as calling on a number of tech buddies mentors and
previous bosses, that I know and trust, and found that the answers are wildly varying....
Old schoolers (like myself) seem to adhere to the lower speeds on
multi-heads, somewhere in the range of 700-750 for flats,
600-650 on hats, while the "next generation" has a different (maybe
even....better?) understanding of what the machines are capable of,
running 800-900 on flats and only about half slowed it down for hats.
I didn't ask about quality or tensions, but from the work I could find pics
posted of, it seems the ones running faster set the tensions a little tight
which, just my opinion here, seem to take away from the dimensiality (my word) of
the embroidery, which is one of the things that makes our work so unique and beautiful.
I've had an even mix over my 20+ years of both custom and commercial
embroidery, both running a variety of machines and digitizing on a number
of different programs. My kindergarten was the original school of hard knocks, with a mentor who
expected me to bring nothing but my absolute best and instilled in me a
demand for the highest quality. In a high-production environment, I run my tensions a little tighter, and
speeds a little higher, vs custom work where I run my tensions at their
recommended settings and the machines a little slower, always slowing more for the more technical
designs and ball caps.
I'm very fortunate to have had guidance along the way from some true
industry vets, as well as input from some very gifted people in their
fields outside of embroidery. I've been both inspired, (as well as being inspiring) and humbled, by their
input; analysts, number crunching engineers, high-level corporate folks and
talented, passionate and even downright nerdy, graphic artists, have all taught me something. I've been
told that there's no magic involved in embroidery, too which I strongly
disagree with still to this day; that everything can have a number assigned to it so that it can fit into
some kind of formula. I still talk to my machines both verbally as well as
through the designs I digitize and input. I've had machines that liked Lynyrd Skynyrd over Michael
Bolton, hot weather over cold and humidity over dry air. So telling me
these machines are inanimate objects that have no feelings or moods and don't hold grudges, is a
fruitless endeavor. My wife jokes that she's the only woman in the world
who has a husband with a sewing machine is his "man-cave". Lucky girl, right?
So this part of my journey has been enlightening, to say the least. You
have to look beyond "the answers you want to hear", to search for the
answers you disagree with, and to replace some of your stead-fast beliefs with hard-to-accept truths.
Joey
Nov 29, 2017
My goodness, Joey, what a fine, thoughtful and charming post. And thank
you for sending your "digestion" of all advice and input for us to see.
First, I have to agree with you about the living embroidery machine. All
the ones I have owned had names...the first one was Sally as I was
"sallying forth" into a new world. One had a name it didn't like, I
swear this Irish story:) is true..for when I changed the name he became
a new machine.
Some are girls, some are boys..and they are named accordingly (oops PC
alert) but they all respond to music, laughter, challenges and
appreciation..and oil, and cleaning.
As far as speed goes, I am probably{!!} what you are calling an old
schooler, but years ago I came home from a show, a little put out by
what I was saw as "showboating" by the machine vendors running their
machines as fast (as Anna would say)as a mouse in tennis shoes. I
didn't see that as really representative of our day to day work.
So, I made it a point to run my machines for a while at (near) the
speeds I saw at the show and found that the faster speed was productive,
profitable and possible...AS LONG AS the machines were well cared for
and the digitizing was spot on.
Think about it...the machines at the shows have a dedicated tech and the
design they run is well tested, running at many a show for a whole
season. So if you are a "dedicated tech" or have one on staff and well
digitized designs (and I know any aficionado of Carl Clarke produces
those), then you should have all the right ingredients to run faster and
be more profitable.
Another thing I think is important is having the machines level. Just
like a picture on the wall, it needs to be straight.
I never got to the point that I could run caps at sonic speed...next to
a never ending bobbin, a cap that can really be straight and flat is a
dream but, if the machine is in great health and the digitizing has
taken the fabric and the shape of the cap into consideration, you should
be able to run faster than 600. The two things I always found helped
with caps were warming the front with a cap press to make it softer and
digitizing an all over loose fill to marry the cap to the backing to add
to the stability.
(A side story...at a show one time a looking-for-a-digitizing-program
attendee in one of my classes said he was tired of seeing the "dog and
pony" show which happens on digitizing systems as well as machines.
Show the same design in a demo over and over and it really looks like
the program is a cinch to learn. He had brought a graphic and said if
any sales person could/would scan and digitize that for a demo instead
of their canned presentation, he would buy the system on the spot. I
took him to (drum roll, please) Larry Russell, one of the most
knowledgeable and personable humans to ever grace our embroidery world,
and he did it and the buyer bought the system. For those who might ask,
Larry digitized it on Capital Automation. For those who don't remember
or know, it was/is one of the finest and well crafted digitizing systems
I ever used. It would have been right up there with Wilcom today if
different roads had been taken. I still miss the ease of drawing an
object with CAI software.)
You are totally correct, Joey, that you have to look past the answers
that you want to hear...but isn't that true in all of life. And yes,
your wife is a very lucky lady.
Helen
Nov 29, 2017
Always a pleasure Helen, hope you've been well. I really need to call
you.
Anyways....I am currently running the machines we have through the ringer
with a numbers geek. He's trying to nail down a specific formula so that
we can get the absolute most out of every machine while I try to make sure
we get the absolute most out of every operator. One big challenge is that
he's a numbers guy, which I am also, to an extent, but we butt heads a
LOT. I will not, and I say this sternly, NOT sacrifice quality. I've done
so much custom work, and seen the difference, that anything less will
simply not cut it. I hated to leave my last place because I got to work
with The Walking Dead for the last 3 seasons as well as Scream (2 and 3),
MTV, A and E, ITV Studios, and a few other big names in both the television
and music industry, allowing me to get really creative. (Carl would be
proud)
I'm about to hire on more operators to run the 6 new machines we'll be
getting in February. I'm going to apologize in advance to them all. I
have a short timeline and you already know me. Still not going to accept
half-ass for the sake of a deadline. I'd rather run all 6 machines
myself. The crew I have in place now is great, and I'm able to train both
digitizers and operators to the standards I expect, while also existing
harmoniously. I know some won't "get me", so they can fold and trim. But
for those who do, I want it to be a coveted position with pride and
ownership being strong traits. We've decided on super-heros for the
machine names, and beyond that, whomever makes the cut will pick their
machines name. Beyond myself, that machine is going to decide if you stick
around.
It's a little harsher than I like to be, but it's necessary to accomplish
our goals in the allotted time. So thin-skinned personalities need not
apply. Ultimately I want to build a dream team, and that's what we'll need
to put into process the ideas this company has. Interesting comes to mind,
but not before tired, frustrated and wit's end. I'm sure i'll still look
to my friends here for some input, as I've been doing for years, they've never let
me down. I'll keep you posted.
Joey
Dec 2, 2017
