Towards a P2 controlled Embroidery Machine?
Christof Eb.
Posts: 1,377
Hi,
for some time I have been wondering, if I should try an embroidery machine. This should not be extremely difficult, I think. You need a sewing machine, some electronics to start and stop it, and an XY-table plus some sort of synchronising, because you need to move the table only when the needle is up. Actually you can find some fine projects in the net.
Like: https://lordovervolt.com/embroidery
So it's possible to do it.
At the moment I am at some brainstorming stage and I have not yet decided to really do it. (Only thing is, that I learned, that I have to start earlier than last year, if I want to make Christmas presents....)
Has anyone here tried this?
Comments, suggestions?
Christof
Comments
Seems to be a good idea, to look at the entire CAD/CAM chain. There are some tools available: https://inkstitch.org/
Machine has to be able to process the output format of inkstitch.
Hm, these existing concepts all use linear movements. But as the needle is round, orientation is not important. And support of the vertical axis is given by the sewing machine. So I am thinking about two rotating axis like a robot arm holding the frame. Frame shall be 180mmx180mm. This area lies in a circle of diameter 255mm.
Length of 220mm for each lower and upper arm should be sufficient.
Movement shall be done with a step motor and a belt drive for each axis.
Thanks to P2's cordic, conversion of coordinates should be easy?
[citation needed]
I think you might get a kinda funky radial pattern to the stitches from moving like that?
Certainly interesting idea. Real embroidery machines are really expensive.
There seems to be some misunderstanding here. For embroidery only the position of the stitch is important. Way of movement between stitches have no importance. So if coordinates are converted properly, there should be no "funky pattern". The relative rotation of the needle between two stiches will be small. There are 2 degrees of freedom here: A shoulder joint and an elbow joint. Together they give X+Y. Perhaps this picture is better:
Green lines give position of needle to shoulder.
Will it be a "real" embroidery machine? Yes, I hope so. :-) Of course it can do only one colour at a time.... The expensive part is the sewing machine.
Depending on arm length and gear ratio I hope to chieve 0,2mm resolution. The big gear is to be printed ABS. 240 teeth. Linear axis would give higher resolution.
What i meant is don't think the direction of the stitch is entirely immaterial, though IDK to what extent we'd care.
(I know about manual embroidery and machine sewing, but I never did machine embroidery....)
Hm, I cannot imagine that the Direction of the needle has importance, because when the needle has left the hole, the thread can move freely. (Edit: Though the other thread will hinder this.) Also for the length of a stitch of perhaps 5mm, the angle of misalignement will perhaps be 3 degrees.
I think, I will risk this.
But thanks for the input, there is much to learn here for me. Which is part of the fun, of course.