Re: CNC Embroidery?

> of the mfg code files into step and direction.
>
> I just remembered something. You can get mfg specific software much
> cheaper like $400 USD. But it is usually very limited in what it can
> do. I think it will let you view the patterns and resize only 10 or
> 20%. I do not think it lets you design. But as I said before, one
> trip to a sewing machine center will give you a lot of information.
>
>
> Wally

The embroidery community is a lot like where the machinery community
and hobby CNC was 6 or 7 years ago. Each machine manufacturer has
their own machine code and sells their own software and patterns (it
was part of the profit projections). Then someone came up with a
reader/writer that would allow you to do your own designs or use
designs formated for other machines. There are starting to be chinks
in the armour. Several companies have software (REAL similer to our
CAM software) that let you easily create your own patterns and save
them off in dozens of formats for different brands of machines. The
price for the "digitizing" software used to be pretty steep, especially
for commercial stuff, but that too is starting to see downward pricing
pressure.

Here are two packages to look at: Embird Studio and DRAWings for Corel.

If you have the misfortune to suggest to the embroidery groups that
their "art form" is simply another CNC approach, you will be tarred and
feathered and run out of town! Most of the embroidery persons are
female and have no interest in technology of any kind. The Embird
software is very affordable and the latest release allows you to import
several vector formats so you can skip the digitizing step. I confused
the heck out of the groups. I did samples using CorelDRAW and saved in
EMF format and maybe three or four people out of the 3000 they have on
the list even bothered to try it.

The single needle machines are starting to get very affordable and I
don't see how you could to try and do your own unless you just need
something to do with your spare time. Even the multi-head machines are
coming down in price so a small shop can afford to buy and run one to
do caps and shirts. Brother (brand) seems to have a lot of models
including a 6 head machine.

I see it as just another way to draw images and use a machine to apply
it to a product. The embroidery community has no idea their world is
going to be changing. When guys like yourself start to see the
similarities with it and the hobby CNC world things ARE going to change.

The good news is that the machines are already there and affordable and
the CAM software is staring to show up to make it easier to move from a
drawing to a finished product.

Check out the Brother, Singer and other sites and then look at some of
the embroidery software (especailly the . For less than a kilobuck
total you can be an embroidery mavin!

To keep this on subject of CNC and building it yourself do as much
research as you can on the existing machines and software then if you
still want to build your own then go for it!!