Do I Need an Industrial Sewing Machine?

Are your sewing skills and ambitious projects outgrowing your home sewing machine? If so, you might find yourself wondering if you should upgrade to an industrial sewing machine. This blog will help you spot the signs that it’s time for an upgrade, explore the benefits of an industrial sewing machine, and show you why the Sailrite^® Fabricator^® Sewing Machine should be your choice for your industrial upgrade.

When to Consider an Upgrade

Home machines are great for learning on and for making very light-duty projects, but they don’t perform well with thick materials and large projects. If you’re trying to DIY with a home machine, you may be experiencing the following issues:

• Your machine sews too fast.
• Your machine can’t sew large enough thread for your project.
• The bobbin is small and winding it is cumbersome.
• Your needles break often.
• Your machine isn’t powerful enough to sew heavy materials or thick assemblies.
• It's hard to control your sewing and stitch placement.
• Your machine requires frequent adjustments.
• You're experiencing poor feeding and stitch quality.

Fortunately, you can solve these problems by upgrading to the industrial Fabricator Sewing Machine. There are a few key questions to ask yourself when deciding whether an industrial machine is right for you. Let’s walk through them together.

Do You Sew Professionally?

If you answered “yes” to this question, then you need an industrial machine. Why? Simply put, sewing businesses and job shops need to produce high-quality, consistent results day after day.

Industrial sewing machines are known for precision and consistency. They produce even, well-tensioned stitches, which are crucial for professional-quality sewing projects. This level of accuracy is challenging to achieve with home machines.

Another advantage of owning an industrial sewing machine is the significant increase in speed and efficiency. Industrial machines are designed to handle heavy workloads, allowing you to complete projects in a fraction of the time it would take with a home machine.

Finally, unlike home machines that may overheat or need to cool down after extended use, industrial machines are designed for continuous operation. This is crucial for sewers who need a machine that won’t go down and cost them money and time.

The production-grade Fabricator delivers all these professional must-haves. This powerhouse boasts finely machined metal parts and internal components that won’t wear out. You’ll get great results from the Fabricator day in and day out, without having to worry about unexpected downtime and lost productivity.

Not a business owner or prefer to sew for fun? Not a problem! Serious DIYers can benefit from this machine as well. If you’re a prolific sewer and you want the capabilities of an industrial machine, then the Fabricator is right for you too.

Do You Sew Heavy, Thick or Tough Materials?

The next question to ask yourself is what materials go into your projects, as well as what materials you hope to use in the future. If any of these materials have a place in your DIYs, then the Fabricator will be a great fit for your workshop:

• Heavy canvas.
• Leather up to 20 oz.
• Denim.
• Upholstery fabric.
• Awning fabrics.
• Pack cloth.
• Vinyl fabric.
• Clear vinyl window material.
• Sew foam and batting.
• Drapery material.
• Light home fabrics.
• And more.

Home sewing machines can struggle with thick materials like denim, leather or canvas. Industrial machines, on the other hand, are equipped with powerful motors and specialized presser feet to effortlessly handle heavy-duty materials. This versatility is valuable for sewers who work with diverse materials, including multiple materials in the same project.

In addition to a powerful motor (which we’ll talk about in the next section), the Fabricator has other features that make it an ace at sewing challenging applications. The machine’s extra-high foot lift of 9/16 inch accommodates super-thick assemblies — up to 16 layers of marine grade fabric and up to 20 layers of denim. And with its compound walking foot, the Fabricator can feed these assemblies evenly and reduce fabric puckering.

Do You Need More Power & Speed Control?

Let’s consider power and speed. If you’re in the market for an industrial sewing machine, you’re looking for a machine that’s packed with power to punch through even the thickest assemblies. The Fabricator has all the muscle you need.

It’s powered by the 3/4-horsepower Workhorse^® Servo Motor, which is a Sailrite^® exclusive. The Workhorse is used in conjunction with a cogged timing belt and our oversized Stitch PRO Balance Wheel. The large balance wheel gears the motor down to provide more slow-speed control, torque and power. In addition, the cogged timing belt prevents belt slippage and ensures full power transfer between the motor and the balance wheel.

This combination gives the Fabricator maximum power while maintaining slow-speed sewing control. But why would you need slow-speed control? Isn’t the idea of a production-level machine to increase efficiency by sewing fast?

While it’s true that you do want the option to sew fast with an industrial machine, the problem is that most industrial machines only sew fast. They have plenty of sewing power, but only with a fast start, and it may be hard to control stitch placement at fast speeds.

But on the other hand, sewing slowly with home or other industrial machines may limit the power from the motor, making it difficult to sew thick or tough materials. You need a machine that offers a range of sewing speeds without losing power.

That’s where the Fabricator comes in. The Workhorse motor features fully adjustable speed settings. You can raise or lower the maximum speed, enabling you to restrict the number of stitches per minute based on your preferences and comfort level.

If you’re comfortable sewing quickly or you need to sew long runs of stitches, then take full advantage of the Fabricator’s top-line sewing speed of 1,108 stitches per minute. But if you’re sewing certain materials or you want more control with your stitches, you can slow down to a precise 3/4 stitch per second. (And with an optional motor pulley and belt, you can slow the machine down even more to an unmatched 1/2 stitch per second. Talk about slow-speed control!)

This feature is a must for sewing specialty materials such as leather and vinyl. Every stitch hole in these materials is permanent, and a mistake means wasted time and materials. This control doesn’t just kick in when you get the machine to its top-set speed, though. The Fabricator gives you full power as soon as you push the treadle down for the first stitch.

Do You Want to Save Money on Adjustments & Repairs?

As a sewing machine ages, its effectiveness may begin to falter. If you’ve been shelling out cash on costly repairs and maintenance on your home machine, consider upgrading. These expenses can add up quickly. Over time, all the money you’ve spent fixing your old machine could have been put toward a new, more easily maintained machine.

The industrial Fabricator is built with robust materials and construction, making it more durable and capable of handling heavy workloads and continuous use. This means fewer repairs and less downtime, which is especially important for those who sew for a living.

In fact, the Fabricator is even less likely than a typical industrial machine to ever have costly repairs. Here’s why.

Once a sewing machine is assembled, it needs to be adjusted before it is ready to sew. Many machines are shipped straight from the overseas manufacturer to domestic middlemen and then your doorstep, bypassing the adjustment process. This leaves you to handle the technical and time-consuming tasks of tuning, oiling and getting your machine ready to sew.

That’s not the case with the Fabricator. We do all the hard work so you don’t have to. Every Fabricator is assembled, fine-tuned and calibrated at our Indiana manufacturing facility. We make sure that every machine not only sews, but performs perfectly before it leaves our facility. Our entire process guarantees that every Fabricator functions to its highest capabilities. That way, when you receive your Fabricator, it’s ready to sew right out of the box.

Another advantage that keeps the Fabricator from needing repairs and readjustments is the Posi-Pin^® Safety Shear. This patented innovation is found only on Sailrite sewing machines.