¶ Introduction
The following guide covers preparing the bobbin and installing the bobbin into the machine.
¶ Time to complete
- Less than 10 minutes.
¶ Tools Required
- Can of compressed air
- Oil
- Bobbin (pre-wound black and white bobbins are provided)
- Bobbin tension gauge
- Tweezers
- Vacuum
¶ Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
• Sturdy, close-toed shoes must be worn at all times.
• Long hair, jewelry, and loose clothing must be tied back.
• Ear protection is recommended when two or more machines in the lab are running at once.
For more information on shop safety visit Digital Textiles under "Safety."
Always keep fingers away from moving parts!
¶ Preparing the bobbin race in the machine
- Remove bobbin case from the machine
- Blow dust out of the race using the can of compressed air. Or use tweezers or the vacuum to remove threads.
- Oil the race at these points.
- Take a peek under the needle plate and make sure there's no stray threads.
¶ Inserting the bobbin into the bobbin case
The spool should be spinning clockwise as you pull.
Is the bobbin thread wound through the pig tail? Make sure to do this before loading the bobbin case into the bobbin arm and leave about 3-5 inches of bobbin thread hanging outside of the case
¶ Using the Bobbin Tension Gauge
It should be between 150-190.
¶ Inserting the bobbin case into the machine
- Pull the tab on the case out to hold the bobbin in place
- Place the case into the machine
- Release the tab
¶ Checklist
¶ Bobbin Arm (holds the bobbin case)
- Did you remove the bobbin case and clean out the bobbin case?
- Did you clean out the bobbin case housing in the lower arm with compressed air?
- Did you check under the needle plate to see if there is any thread stuck? Use the tiny vacuum or compressed air to clean out this area. Or use a pair of tweezers to pull out any thread nests.
- Did you oil the rotary hook?
- Are you using the CORRECT pre-wound embroidery machine bobbins?
- The bobbins OW provides are located next to the computer
- If you are supplying your own bobbin, please only use pre-wound machine embroidery bobbins compatible with the Melco EMT-16 Plus
- Is the bobbin spool loaded into the bobbin case correctly?
- The spool should be spinning clockwise as you pull.
- Did you check the tension on the bobbin case using the tension gauge? It should be between 150-190.
- Is the bobbin case installed correctly in the machine? Did you hear a click when you loaded the bobbin case?