Measurement and analysis of needle penetration forces in industrial high-speed sewing machine

Abstract

This paper presents a system that allows the measurement of parameters of needle penetration during high-speed sewing. The system has been developed as a tool for analysis of the most important mechanical effects occurring during high-speed sewing. It allows the measurement of several sewing process variables, namely the needle penetration and withdrawal forces. The objective of this work is the development of real-time control and monitoring devices, as well as offline process planning tools for industrial sewing. The evaluation of needle penetration forces is a particularly critical aspect. A fault-free needle penetration depends mainly on the material's properties and needle choice. Needle penetration force is one of the variables whose measurement is important for the pre-screening analysis of quality problems (‘sewability testing’) and for real-time quality monitoring. This article describes the experimental results obtained and discusses potential applications in process planning tools and monitoring devices.