Industry Technologies
The needle is the key element for a sewing operation both for hand-sewing and machine sewing. A sewing machine needle and a hand-sewing needle are not the same at all. The sewing machine needle has the eye close to the tip whereas a hand sewing needle has the eye at the butt end of the needle. The hand-sewing needle is designed for making loop stitches or continuous stitches and passes completely through the fabric on every stitch.
The sewing machine needle is designed for making the lockstitch or chainstitch and does not travel completely through the fabric, only about half of the needle penetrates the fabric. The sewing machine needle has a shank for attaching it to the sewing machine.
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The functions of the sewing machine needle in general are:1. To produce a hole in the fabric for the sewing thread to pass through and to do so without forming any damage to the fabric.2. To carry the sewing needle thread through the material and form a loop that can be picked up by the hook on the bobbin case in a lock stitch machine or by the looper or other mechanism in other sewing machines.3. To pass the sewing needle thread through the loop formed by the looper mechanism for machines other than lock stitch.
Needle types
There are two separate types of industrial sewing machine needles: straight needles and curved needles. Straight needles are used for chain stitch and lock stitch machines while curved needles are used for blind stitch machines.
Selection of sewing machine needles in the readymade garment industry
In the readymade garments industry needle sizes, thread sizes, and materials should all be in perfect combination. Otherwise, different types of faults will be created during the sewing process and the garments will ultimately be rejected during quality inspection. Make no mistake about it. The type of needles you use can affect the quality of your stitching big time.
Sewing machine needles should be selected according to the types of fabrics and sewing threads. Perfect needle selection helps achieve better output from the sewing section. Needle size is expressed differently by different manufacturers but the metric size is the simplest and most widely used in the garments manufacturing sector.
Needle selection1. For a finer fabric, the needle and sewing thread should be finer.2. If the needle is finer than the sewing thread the thread cannot move easily through the needle eye.3. If the sewing thread is coarser than the needle eye it will generate more friction causing heat buildup. For this reason, thread breakage increases and hampers production rates.4. If a finer needle than a sewing thread is used the thread will not take position perfectly at the needle's long groove.5. However, if the thread is finer than the needle it may cause a slipped stitch at the needle and fail to create perfect loop sizes.6. If the needle is finer than required by the fabric then the sewing needle will deflect and become curved with the action of the throat plate. 7. The needle must correspond with the fabric and sewing thread. The correct combination of fabric, needle, and sewing thread can allow for fault-free sewing.
Anatomy of a common sewing machine needle and its functions1. Butt: For setting the needle onto the needle bar or clamp.2. Shank: Upper part of the needle that is tied to the needle bar and supports the needle. It may be cylindrical or flat on one side.3. Shoulder: Transitions from the shank to the blade. Supports the strength of the needle.4. Blade: Longest part of the needle from the shoulder to the needle eye. This is where friction between the fabric and needle is at its maximum. The blade is gradually tapered to the tip.5. Long groove: The long and thin groove between the shoulder to the needle eye in the blade is called a long groove. When the needle penetrates the fabric with needle thread, the needle thread takes position in the long groove. The needle thread remains at this slot when the needle penetrates the fabric and goes up and down.6. Short groove: Short groove is the slot on the side of the needle towards the hook or looper. It assists in forming the loop of the needle thread.7. Eye: The hole present in the front of the needle is called the eye – the eye through which sewing thread is passed.8. Scarf: The groove of the needle above the eye is called the scarf. Its purpose is to enable a closer setting of the looper to the needle.9. Point: The portion from the eye to the tip of the needle is called the point. Points should be different for different types of fabric.10. Tip: The last part of the needle is called the tip. It helps to create a hole in the fabric during sewing.
Needle size classifications Sewing machine needle sizes are determined according to both the Singer (American) and/or the Metric (Global) system of sizing. Generally, both numbers will be given. A good rule of thumb to remember is that the smaller the number, the finer the needle. In addition, the finer the fabric, the smaller the needle size needs to be to reduce the stress on the fabric. Different machine manufacturers use their own nomenclature to describe needle sizes, but the simplest sizing system is the metric system. The metric size or Nm of a needle is related to the diameter in the middle of the blade above the scarf or short groove but below any reinforced part. This measurement, in millimeters, multiplied by 100, gives the metric number. Thus, a diameter of 0.6 mm is an Nm 60; a diameter of 1.1 mm is an Nm 110.
Singer (American) sizing system:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,19, 20, 21, 22, 22.5, 23, 23.5, 24, 24.5, 25
Metric (Global) sizing system (Nm):• Easy process, most used, based on the blade diameter• Needle size = Blade diameter in millimeters X 100 0.6 mm X 100 = 60 Nm
Thicker needles are typically used on heavier fabrics, while thinner needles are used for lighter fabrics.• Very thin needles (8/60, 9/65) are used on delicate fabrics like silk, chiffon, lace, organza, and voile.• Thin needles (10/70, 11/75) are used for lightweight fabrics like synthetics, velvet, batiste, and taffeta.• Medium needles (12/80, 14/90) can be used on a variety of fabrics, including medium-weight cotton, linen, corduroy, chambray, gingham, wool, knits, jersey, tricot, spandex, lycra, flannel, poplin, pique, percale, and muslin.• Thick needles (16/100, 18/110, 20/125, 21 /130, 22/140, 23/160, 200/25) are used for heavier fabrics like gabardine, tweed, denim, canvas, tickling, and leather.
Singer (American) sizing system:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,19, 20, 21, 22, 22.5, 23, 23.5, 24, 24.5, 25
Metric (Global) sizing system (Nm):• Easy process, most used, based on the blade diameter• Needle size = Blade diameter in millimeters X 100 0.6 mm X 100 = 60 Nm
Thicker needles are typically used on heavier fabrics, while thinner needles are used for lighter fabrics.• Very thin needles (8/60, 9/65) are used on delicate fabrics like silk, chiffon, lace, organza, and voile.• Thin needles (10/70, 11/75) are used for lightweight fabrics like synthetics, velvet, batiste, and taffeta.• Medium needles (12/80, 14/90) can be used on a variety of fabrics, including medium-weight cotton, linen, corduroy, chambray, gingham, wool, knits, jersey, tricot, spandex, lycra, flannel, poplin, pique, percale, and muslin.• Thick needles (16/100, 18/110, 20/125, 21 /130, 22/140, 23/160, 200/25) are used for heavier fabrics like gabardine, tweed, denim, canvas, tickling, and leather.
Point stylesSewing needles are available in various point styles. This variety is needed to meet the requirements of different materials. Basically, point styles are divided into cloth points (round points) and cutting points.
Sharp needles every time
Before anything else, it's probably helpful to remind ourselves that we should always use a sharp needle when working on our projects. A sewing machine needle can get bent, become blunt, or get burred after just a few hours of use. A good rule of thumb is to replace your needle after around 6–8 hours of continuous sewing. Other people replace their needles after finishing a project.
Always using a sharp needle can prevent a host of problems, from damaged fabrics and skipped stitches to fabric wrinkling and lopsided seams. New needles are very affordable, so don't risk a headache and a damaged workpiece by not replacing them as often as you should.
Fabric considerations
It wasn't so long ago when all we had to work with were natural fabrics like cotton, flax, silk, hemp, and wool. This changed beginning in the 1930s, when an employee of chemical giant E. I. du Pont de Nemours (DuPont) invented Nylon, humankind's first synthetic fiber. Nowadays, we have many types of fabrics to choose from for our sewing projects – from natural and synthetic fabrics to blended fabrics and composite materials.
With so many fabric types you can use, you must familiarize yourself with the different needles that go with these variants. The most important things you should consider are the following:
• What material is the fabric made of?• How was the fabric constructed or in what manner was the fabric woven?• How heavy is the fabric?