¶ 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.
- Take a peek under the needle plate and make sure there's no stray threads.
4. Oil the hook with a drop of oil. The area is inside the race, indicated by the green arrows. Make sure the oil sinks in between the layers of metal. If it sits on the surface, it's probably in the wrong spot.
¶ Inserting the bobbin into the bobbin case
- Hold the bobbin case in one hand with the open side facing you.
- Place the bobbin into the case with the thread coming off the top and to your right.
- Bring the thread down and to your right until it catches in the angled slot in the side of the case.
- Bring the thread back up through the slot until it pops out underneath the plate on the side of the bobbin case. You may need to hold the bobbin still in order to pull the thread through. The thread will slide all the way through, there is no need to thread it through any holes.
The bobbin will spin clockwise as you pull on the end of the thread.
- Now bring the end of the thread up and wind it through the "pig tail", which is the small coiled wire above the tab.
- Leave 3-5 inches of thread hanging out of the pigtail.
¶ Using the Bobbin Tension Gauge
The tension gauge will determine the tension on the thread as created by the bobbin case. The tension should be between 150-190.
- Put the bobbin in the case, following all steps except for putting the thread through the pigtail.
- Put the bobbin case in the gauge the same way you would put it into the machine. The tab will point towards the key and it will click into place.
- Wrap the thread below the guide directly to the left, then up and over the guide that moves.
- Bring the thread down and hook it under and to the left on the tab. It will have a friction fit.
- Pull the thread gently. Let the gauge stabilize. When the gauge stops, that's the reading. It should be between 150 and 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 end of the bobbin arm.
- Release the tab while pushing in. It will click into place.
¶ Checklist
- 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?