Jozy Klupar
the Newsewingmachine
The history of the sewing machine dates back to 1755.
But the history of the act of sewing started as long as 20,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age. It was over 1500 years later in 1790, that the first workable sewing machine was patented by the British inventor Thomas Saint. From that time the function of the machine has changed very little and the main functioning elements have remained the same until quite recently with advancements in technology.
How it works First, the motor is activated by the foot pedal. The motor turns the gears which do two things at once, rotate the main drive shaft and the lower drive shaft and the feed gears. The bottom driveshaft then moves the shuttle hook on the bottom of the machine. The main shaft simultaneously moves the needle bar which moves the needle up and down while the shuttle hook is spinning the bobbin under the needle which hooks the thread from the needle. 13.1.2006
TING STARTED - HOW A SEWING MACHINE WORKS
of a sewing ided into the
Rotating driveshaft
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Hook Ring
Needle bar
Hook Ring Crank
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n or powered or or treadle tion to the lance wheel. ven out any machine to n.
MATION
Rotating driveshaft
These levers convert the revolution of the drive shaft ...into the up and down movement of the needle bar.
1
How to use it
Turn machine on
Thread machine
Thread bobbin
Thread needle
Align fabric to be sewn
Put bobbin in
Push presser foot down
Press pedal for speed
Guide fabric
VoilĂ !
WHAT’S INSIDE needle shaft thread guide
hand wheel
The hand wheel is found on the side and adjusts needle height. The reverse sewing button is a lever or button allowing reverse stitching.
feed dogs cover case
presser foot
motor
shuttle/bobbin case plug to foot pedal Inside the machine is the bobbin case. It holds the bobbin controlling lower tension. The bobbin holds a small spool of thread and is located below the presser-foot plate. This feeds a second thread which locks with the upper thread when sewing. Thread is fed into the bobbin from the shuttle hook which then will be stitched underneath the stitch fabric.
connection to power supply
length adjuster battery case
Most modern sewing machines have a foot control that you step on using varying degrees of pressure to make the machine run faster or slower(make the motor go faster). The foot control is attached to an adapter that plugs into this part of the machine.
BRAIN DUMP
swot analysis
Strength
*Bonds clothing together *Fast and effective method *Has been used for hundreds of years *Thread is inexpensive *Fairly easy to thread *Display screen describes problems
Weakness Opportunity
*Could be compacted *Could be retractable *Could be exposed to allow for easier replacement and threading *DIY market opportunity
*Takes up a lot of space *Time consuming(threading bobbins) *Difficult to fix if parts are broken *Difficult to get bobbin thread to catch
Threat
*Glue *Serging *Big sewing factories *Low market demand
mARKET
Basic The basic machines vary in complexity and price. They range from $100 - $325 but are mostly uncomplicated and are fairly easy to use with basic features.
Industrial The industrial machines are aggressive and can be difficult to use. They are to be used with heavier duty fabric and are usually connected to a table.
Mini The mini sewing machine has fewer features and is extremely compact. They tend to be cheaper and not to last as long.
Opportunity While doing market research I found many complaints on machines that have parts that are hard to replace. I saw this as an opportunity to find a way to have more access to parts or create less parts to be replaced.
PacesetterÂŽ PS3700 $325
XL-2610 $120
lots of functions 2277 Tradition $129.99
1507WC $102
No access to internal parts
Acess to internal parts LX-3125E $80
Pixie Plus $60
few functions
opportunity Another observation lead to an opportunity; all sewing machines look the same! They also are almost all made out of white plastic.
PacesetterÂŽ PS3700 $325
2277 Tradition $129.99
$$$
XL-2610 $120
Pixie Plus $60
Attractive
1507WC $102
Unattractive
LX-3125E $80
$
New materials & technologies
Liquid Metal
Apple bought the right to use materials created by LiquidMetal. They recently made a metal which is a fast cooling alloy mix twice as strong as titanium.
Newspaper Wood
These are just stacks of newspapers meticulously and individually glued together, rolled into a tight ‘log’ and left to dry, deform and harden just like living trees would do. After they ‘cure’ these building blocks can be cut, carved, routed, mortised and so forth as one would with normal wood.
New Type of Organic Inflatable Steel Light Emitting Diode The people at Full Blown Metals have just developed (OLED) Just mix carbon, oxygen, chlorine and bromine together, expose the material to ultraviolet light… to make this new light-emitting material. It’s cheaper simply because the organic material wouldn’t need any metal to glow.
a manufacturing technique that allows steel to be “inflatable”. Still patent pending, they have developed a technique of bending, forming and twisting steel that contradicts the preconceived nature of a material’s qualities.
New materials & technologies
LiTraCon
LiTraCon, short for light transmitting concrete, is an innovative new combination of optical fibers and light concrete. The resulting concrete is just as strong as conventional concrete, but it transmits light like glass.
Color Changing TIles
There is virtually no limit to what you can decorate with color-changing tiles (from Inventables). Daytime cityscapes turn into urban night scenes as the temperature in a room shifts.
Super Glass
A new kind of ceramic material has been discovered by the Swedish chemist Saeid Esmaeilzadeh. This is a kind of “super glass� with unexpected properties such as extreme hardness (harder than steel) and high index of refraction.
Cork
Carbon fiber (carbon fibre), alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of extremely thin fibers about 0.005–0.010 mm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms.
who is she
moderate income 25 - 35 years old woman
busy lifestyle
costume designer
My persona is a woman in her late 20’s early 30’s who is a costume designer. She is a workaholic and will not put her name on something that is not worthy of it whatever the cost. She needs a machine that....
* * * * * * *
is durable easily changable-thread, needle easy to replace parts does not waste time looks elegant inspires her work is enjoyable to use
User Scenario
My persona is a woman in her late 20’s early 30’s who is a costume designer. She is frequently in the costume shop using the sewing machines. The machines in the shop are older and some of them are industrial sewing machines. They are aggressive and frustrating to use, the threads constantly snapping, the bobbins are always running out, and they seem to always be breaking. She could be working on a machine for an hour take a break to eat and come back and someone would be using the machine she was just on. Now she has to re-thread a new machine and re-thread a bobbin with the appropriate color. When she gets home all she wants to do is relax and have a good time. So she goes to her own sewing machine which always runs smoothly. Every piece she does on this machine looks amazing and she has fun using it. It takes her to paradise how easy it is to use and how long the bobbin thread lasts she doesn’t have to change it for hours. It inspires her, and fuels her creativity. She can hear the sound of the motor and see the movement of the gears and belts and it no longer feels like she is doing any work, the machine does it all for her. When she is done she leaves it out for everyone to admire.
User Scenario
Bobbin runs out of thread quickly Hard to replace bobbin
Difficult to replace parts Time consuming to change thread color
Common Problems *Bobbin runs out of thread often *Thread gets tangled w/o user knowledge
*Difficult/time consuming to replace bobbin/parts *Difficult to fix thread build-up
*Annoying to use back stitch button *Foot pedal cord gets in the way
User Survey Summary
The main problems that surfaced from the user surveys were * * * * *
It is difficult to replace parts that are broken It can be difficult to put the bobbin in (visibility & too complicated) The bobbin does not hold enough thread A moderate amount of time is wasted on re-threading (bobbin or needle) Most people thought the machine was not aesthetically pleasing
How much time is wasted?
little How much time is wasted threading the machine/bobbin?
How much time is wasted?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
beautiful
How aesthetically pleasing is your sewing machine?
How aesthetically pleasing is it?
How aesthetically pleasing is it?
a lot
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ugly
User 8 User 7 User 6 User 5 How aesthetically pleasing is it?
User 4 User 3 User 2 User 1
“It looks like your sewing machine is sewing a birds nest of looping, knotted thread on the bottom or bobbin side of your sewing.”
“I wish it was easy to replace the parts in my machine.” “Threading and replacing the bobbin takes too much time.”
“I would want to change the position/orientation of the bobbin.” little
a lot
hate it
pleased
never
often
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
How do you like the size of your sewing machine?
How do you like the size?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
How pleased are you of the functions of your sewing machine?
How pleased are you with the functions?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
How often do you use a sewing machine?
How often do you use a sewing machine?
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Dependable
Inspirational
Timeless sophisticated
elegant
Aesthetic Dependable
Timeless Requirements
sophisticated
Her machine must have a back stitch, bobbin threader, speed wheel, foot pedal, stitch length and width adjustment.
elegant
Easy to use
efficient
Functional
Inspirational
Ideation functions
thread placement
compactable
Ideation
adjustable surface board
Initial Mock ups
Compactability
Belt Mechanism
Form/scale study
Moving from the ideation, while still developing concepts I moved into 3-D to better understand and develop the form. I wanted to play with the idea of using different mechanisms in which the first mock up experimented. I could use belts instead of drive shafts to power the needle shaft. With the second mock up I wanted to play with the idea of allowing the machine to be compacted. The third mock up was mostly to get an idea of real scale but it lead me to the concept which inspired the next three. It allowed me to look at the machine in a different way and realize that the best way to sew is not with a horizontal surface board but a vertical one.
Final Three concepts The next concept played off of the idea generated from the last mock up, sewing on a vertical surface board. After that I tried to eliminate the top piece that constantly gets in the way of the fabric but having it hang on the wall. This concept also experimented with a rotating surface board to enhance stability. The third concept I combined the ideas from the last two in a new interesting shape.
Lazy susan surface board
Accessability to parts Verticle surface board
verticle board Concept
Verticle surface board
With this concept I rotated sewing surface. This allows you to have more room to set up what you are going to sew. When sewing you focus on the fabric before it gets sewn. You do not focus on the needle, so this way you have more room to line up your stitch.
lazy susan concept
With this mock up I wanted to give the user more room to move the fabric. After that I tried to eliminate the top piece that constantly gets in the way of the fabric by having it hang on the wall. This concept also experimented with a rotating surface board to enhance stability.
ribbon concept ic br on fa cti ed ire Fe is d th
The third concept combined the verticle surface board idea and experimented with a form that mimiced the shapes found in fabric.
Decision Matrix
Criteria Inside Out Aesthetics Adjustability Portfolio Ability to make it Persona Durable Gut feel
Concept
Concept
Concept
Weight 25% 15% 10% 10% 5%
1
2
3
10 8 5 7 8
7 6 10 7 8
10 9 8 7 6
10% 15% 10%
8 8 8
5 8 6
8 7 10
8.1
7.05
8.5
Concept three won by a few points, so moving forward I will consider taking the best aspects of each concept and merging them into one.
Continued Development
I decided to take elements from all three designs and intigrate them into a new concept. I took the vertical board from the first, swivle board or “lazy susan� from the second and the shape from the third. I used a list of criteria to come up with this decision. The criteria included
Inside-out Adjustability Persona Ability to make
Aesthetics Portfolio Gut feel Durable
Continued development Once I decided the path of the general form of the sewing machine, I played around in Solidworks and with more mock ups to finalize the details..
Final Design This design meets the requirements I sent up earlier in the process. This machine has a back stitch(built into the foot pedal), foot pedal, bobbin threader, speed wheel, stitch length and width adjustment.
tension wheel
presser foot lever hand wheel
stitch length adjuster Eliminates the need for a bobin threader by using a whole spool foot pedal forward and back stitch
Orthographics
Features Vertical surface board that rotates to get that perfect stitch.
Foot pedal that does a forward stitch as well as a backward stitch.
Fabric cord that easily rolls up to help prevent tangling. Full spool for the bobbin eliminates the need to thread the bobbin. This way the bobbin lasts longer and no time is wasted threading the bobbin. Exposed interior allows for easier access to tangled thread.
features The surface board swivels right and left around the needle. There is a circular piece that stays stationary to keep the needle in place and the board swivels around the circular piece. This allows for more control of accurate stitches so one does not have to move the fabric around.
Once the surface board is rotated the user can slide a sleeve around the board and through the sleeve slots to sew a sleeve. or pant leg
belt vs. drive shaft
4
This works almost exactly like a usual sewing machine which uses a drive shaft but instead of powering gears it powers belts. Attached to the main belt is a scottish yoke which is attached to the needle shaft and powers it up and down. At the same time that the belt is moving to power the needle shaft the motor is also moving a drive shaft which moves the bobbin case under the needle.
3
5
2 1
The belt is made of Kevlar, which almost never needs to be replaced and has an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio. The benefit of the belt allows for more freedom with the form and significantly decreases the amount of parts needed.
How the belt works
One of the bearings that the belt pivots on has a shaft that connects with a Scottish yoke. While the belt moves so does the bearing thus moving the shaft which catches on the yoke and pushes it up and down.
Color/material study I began experimenting with various materials and colors. What I decided on was that it would look nice if I had a collection of sewing machines with the main body being wood, metal, or frosted glass(or at least look like it). From there the rest of the machine would have wood, metal, or ceramic details. So the metal body could have a wood surface board and cermaic details, or the wood body could have a a ceramic surface board and metal details. The model I decided to make has a body of frosted glass, a ceramic surface board and metal details.
Manufacturing
There are many manufacturing methods that could work. vacuum bag molding: Fiberglass
For the model that I made (frosted glass version) it could have a metal frame inside and the outside be made of fiberglass using the vaccum bag molding method. This would keep the ribbon-like shape and allow for channels for the power cable and belt to fit in but is expensive
injection molding: Polypropylene
Another option is injection molded, but if this is the case the main body would have to be split (horizontally) into 2 pieces, a top piece and a bottom piece.
injection molding: Arboform
machined metal
The wood version could be made using Arboform, a new technology that uses Lingin (an often-discarded element of regular wood) and natural resins, flax and fibers that can be injected into molds and form extremely complex, precision-shaped objects normally made of conventional,nonbiodegradable petroleum-based plastics.
The metal version could be machined. It would need to be in 2 pieces but it could be split along the curve. This allows for hollowed channels to fit the cable but has a cover to keep the internals safe.
How it works
How it works
How it works