Singlehead Embroidery Machine Selection

While the choices are many, the decision boils down to number of needles, field size and physical size.
July 7, 2008

By Steven Batts

When I started in the embroidery industry as a technician in 1991, every machine manufacturer had a singlehead machine, but it was not their best-selling model. Twelve-head and 6-head machines were the top sellers. For the company I was with, the singlehead was kind of a red-headed stepchild. But how things have changed!

Today, these same companies carry not just one singlehead model but two or three. While this shift in the market means you have more choices than ever when selecting a singlehead, the number of choices adds to the confusion of machine selection. Here we want to examine the differences in singleheads and their impact on performance and price.

The three major factors to consider are the number of needles, field size and physical size. All of these have a direct bearing on the price as well as the application for which the machine will be used.

Number of Needles
When it comes to needles, RJ, the raccoon from the comic strip and animated film "Over the Hedge," said it best: "Enough is never enough." Why are more needles better? The answer is not what you might think. It isn't so you can do more elaborate design with more colors, although that is a perk. The main reason is to reduce change-over time.

Changing from one job to the next is the biggest loss of production time an embroiderer has to deal with. The more needles your machine has, the more likely you are to have the color you need on your machine. You can leave more common colors on your machine and never change them, thus reducing your change-over time.

Five needles are barely sufficient, but they don't give you any room to leave a common color on the machine. Nine are adequate most of the time. Twelve to 15 dramatically speed up production. However, the additional needles represent one of the large cost differences from model to model of singleheads.

Field Size
Field size is the largest area the machine can sew. It's also probably the largest factor in the machine cost. A bigger field size means bigger motors and belts — and higher cost.

Depending on the type of work you do, the size of the field may or may not be important. For example, mobile embroidery doesn't usually need a really big field size. You don't want to spend all day sewing a giant design on location. You would rather sew several smaller ones.

Also, if you primarily do company logos and caps, a smaller field size is fine. But if you're embroidering jacket backs or doing landscape embroidery on sweatshirts, a large sewing field is indispensable.

Physical Size
When dealing with technology, you usually pay a higher price for a smaller package. For computers, laptops cost more than desktops, but the same is not necessarily true for embroidery machines. There are compact machines available for less money than full-size ones. The difference is usually a slightly smaller field size, fewer needles or both. However, these models are geared toward mobile embroidery or those making the transition from a consumer grade home machine to an entry level commercial machine and may not be suitable for heavy-duty, day-to-day production.

At the other extreme are full-size bridge machines, the traditional workhorses of the industry. In addition to cost, the main consideration in choosing one of these machines is location. Do you have enough space to accommodate their large footprint?

In between are tubular arm machines, most of which offer a good combination of all the main features mentioned, including a small footprint when location is an issue.

In sum, when you go to select a machine, think of what is most important to you: number of needles, field size or physical size. There are enough brands and models out there to let you find one with just the right mix of these components to suit your needs.

Steven Batts, a 14-year veteran of the embroidery industry, is a regular speaker at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows. He owns Righteous Threads Embroidery, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery, machine maintenance and repair, and consulting. Call him at (336) 379-9380, e-mail righteousthreads@gmail.com or hear him speak at ISS Schaumburg in August on the following topics:

•    Conquering Caps: Tips and Techniques for Embroidering Conventional and Specialty Caps
•    Embroidery Essentials: Backings, Needles and Threads
•    Embroidery Fixes & Garment-saving Repairs
•    How to Create Special Embroidery Effects

For Further Reading:
"Embroidery Machines, Equipment and Supplies," Impressions Product Guide, Feb. 26, 2008

"Embroidery Equipment and Supplies," Impressions Product Guide, May 1, 2007

"The Three Factors of Embroidery Machine Selection"