CNC Embroidery 101

Overview & Purpose

In this class you will learn how to set-up files using Inkstitch which can be used on the CNC Embroidery machine. You will then learn how to operate the CNC Embroidery machine using both your custom files and pre-programmed patterns. 


Materials covered:

Equipment & Materials Needed


Safety Considerations

Recommended:

Always unplug the machine after using, when cleaning, or servicing.

Do not leave the machine while it’s running.  If it jams while it’s running the needle could break or the machine could get damaged.

Do not use a bent or damaged needle.

Do not push or pull the fabric while the machine is running.  Let the machine do the work.

Always make sure the machine is off before attaching the embroidery unit.

Do not move the machine with the embroidery unit attached.

Make sure no objects or hands are near the embroidery unit while it is running.


Material Selection

With the embroidery machine, there are limitations on what you can embroider onto. 

Unlike traditional sewing machines, there is a carriage that makes it difficult to place materials, not to mention the hoop you will have to secure the material to.

For the most part the embroidery machine is meant to generate patches that you can later sew onto other items such as clothing, bags, etc., or a small part of a larger but flat, single layered item.


In terms of what to embroider the patches onto, you will want a reasonably thin material such as cotton/linen to work with. Anything too thick may damage the sewing needle as it is meant for simple domestic projects, not heavy duty ones.



Parts of the Brother PE-770 Embroidery Machine

LCD Operation

Setting up the Embroidery Machine

Attach the embroidery Unit

Check the Needle


Wind and load the bobbin

*** The bobbin will be the same colour for the entire job.  Choose a bobbin thread that will match with the colour of your fabric. ***

The embroidery machine takes an SA156 or Class 15 type bobbin

Be wary of thin thread. We have had very little issue with 120D thread. 

Prepare the bobbin for threading by following the guides on the machine and make sure it’s locked into place.

Press the start button

Once the bobbin is full, press the stop button, and cut the thread

Load the bobbin into the bottom compartment of the machine and install the cover

When loading the bobbin, make sure to use the correct size end cap. A cap too small can result in the thread getting caught & possibly tangled/jammed.


Attach the fabric and stabilizer material to the embroidery hoop


Attach the embroidery hoop


Select your pattern


Adjust the layout

Thread the upper thread

*** People tend to forget for step 6 you need to tug left to secure the thread before proceeding. *** 


Run the pattern


Cut the thread

*** Never do this when there is no material attached to the frame. ***


Putting away the Embroidery Machine

Remove the Embroidery Hoop


Remove the Embroidery Unit

Designing patterns with Inkstitch

Using Inkstitch

Inkstitch is a free extension for Inkscape and is required for setting up custom patterns on the machine. Inkstitch can be downloaded here. Inkscape can be downloaded here. 


Design considerations

Although you can preview your pattern in Inkstitch, make sure not to set your settings too small. If the needle is stitching in a very small area, it will end up creating a hole in your fabric, rather than actually embroidering.  It could also cause the thread to jam in the machine.


The preview the Inkscape will show you is a blown up version of the actual embroidery.  If it looks very spaced out in the preview, it might not actually be in reality.  Check the scale in the preview window to get a better idea of how it will look.


A full checklist of design considerations will be provided near the bottom of this manual for ease of reference.


Different Stitch Types

Stroke - Stitching along a single path

Satin - Stitching between two paths

Fill - Stitching to fill an entire object


Setting up Stroke Stitches

Zig Zag Stitches

Zig zag stitches will stitch along the path in the form of the zig zag. The height of the zig zag will be determined by the stroke width.

Draw a path. With the path selected, open the Fill & Stroke window.

Under stroke style, set the thickness of the stroke by changing the stroke width. Next, select Extension> Ink/Stitch>Params

Under the Stroke tab, you can change the zig-zag spacing and number of repeats to determine the intensity of the zig zag stitching.


***Make sure the zig-zag spacing is never set to less than 0.4mm, otherwise the machine could jam and tear a hole in your fabric. ***



Running Stitches

A running stitch will stitch along the path, following a line.

Draw a path, and with the path selected open the Fill & Stroke window. Set the Stroke Style to a dashed line. Any type of dashed line will work.

Next, select Extension> Ink/Stitch>Params


Under the Stroke tab, make sure Satin stitch along paths is checked off.

You can adjust the running stitch length in this dialog. The smaller the stitch length, the smoother the curve will be.


3mm Stitch Length vs. 20 mm Stitch Length:

Bean Stitches

Bean stitches are similar to running stitches, but they go back and forth over each stitch.

Bean stitches are set-up in the same way as running stitches, except you can change the thickness of the bean stitch by changing the value of the Bean stitch number of repeats in the Params dialog.


Manual Stitches

Manual stitches read each node along a path as a needle penetration point.

Draw a path, and display all nodes along a path as corners. Manual stitch does not respect bezier curves.

Next, select Extension> Ink/Stitch>Params

In the Stroke tab, check off the Manual Stitch Placement box. When this box is checked, all other parameters in the dialog box will be ignored.


Setting up Satin Stitching

Satin stitching is stitching a column between two paths.

You define a satin column using a shape made of two mostly-parallel lines. Ink/Stitch will draw zig-zags back and forth between the two lines. You can vary the thickness of the column as you like.

Satin stitching can be set up using two different methods. 


Node Method

**Note: Each path must have the same number of nodes, and the paths must be running in the same direction in order for this to work.

Check your path directions by turning on "Always show outline" and "Show path direction on outlines" in the Node section of the Inkscape Preferences dialog.

Use the "Reverse" command (Shift+R) to reverse the direction of subpaths if needed.


Draw each line, convert objects to paths, and combine the two paths.

Go to extensions> Ink/Stitch>Params> Satin Column and check off “Custom Satin Column”.

If you need to change the direction of one of your paths, with the Node Editor Tool (N), select one point of the sub-path and run Path > Reverse. This will reverse the sub-path.

Rung method

Since the zigzags are spaced according to where the nodes are parallel to each other, there may be times where nodes are very spaced apart and the angle of the stitches don’t look as clean as they could be.

The rung method is used when you want to manually control where the zigzagging happens. By drawing rungs across your paths, you can visually count and see the nodes more effectively.

To stitch between two circles, this can be done using a satin stitch. 

First, draw out the objects and convert them to paths. Using the node tool, select one node and break the path at the selected node. With the entire path selected, go to Path> Break Apart. Repeat this process for both paths and then select both paths and Path>Combine.

Next, select Extension> Ink/Stitch>Params and select Satin Column. Check off Custom Satin Column, and the preview will show the embroidery between the two items.

If you check off the “E” stitch box, a stitch will also happen around the outer edge of the pattern.


If you encounter the following error message, “path4787: error: Satin column: Object has too few subpaths.  A satin column should have at least two subpaths (the rails).”, then the above steps were not completed properly.

To make a simple satin column based on a path, there is an easy way to do it. The path must have a start and end point and not be a closed path.  Set the stroke weight to the thickness you want the path to be. Go to extensions>Ink/Stitch>Satin Tools>Convert Line to Satin, and the path will convert to a satin stitch.  You can preview this if you run the Simulator.


**Note: You cannot create a satin column that intersects itself.  You will receive an error message.


Setting up fill stitching

The objects that you want fill stitching on must have a fill colour assigned to them.  The embroidery machine will pick up on the distinct different colours, so make sure to choose colours that will match your thread colours, for ease of use.


When you design your patterns using inkscape, make sure that no shapes are overlapping.  Overlapping shapes will make multiple layers of embroidery, which is unnecessary, uses an excessive amount of thread, and can cause problems (ie. your needle could break or the machine could jam).


The best route is to use the paint bucket to fill the inside of the shape and generate new objects. Once the shapes have been generated, you can remove the stroke outlines and you will see that they are not overlapping. This is a great way if the design you want requires different colours but are overlapping, and also when the stroke outline is removed, you have a nice space between each shape to avoid overlapping stitches.

By going into Extensions> Ink/Stitch>Params>Auto Fill, you can adjust variables as to how the embroidery will be filled. This includes setting the angle of the stitch, the stitch length, and the spacing between rows.


You can preview how Inkstitch will run your pattern. To run the simulation select Extensions> Ink/Stitch> Simulate. If there is a problem with the file, or you haven’t converted your objects to paths or unioned the paths, you will receive an error message.


 If you encounter the following error “path59: error: Fill: Shape is not valid.  This can happen if the border crosses over itself. ”, make sure that all objects have been converted to paths and that all paths have been unioned.  (Path > Object to Path then Path> Union)


Working with Lettering

Lettering is set-up using the Extension> Ink/Stitch>Lettering dialog box.

Open the dialog box, and type the text as you want it to appear in the text field.  All text must use the same font.  Fonts can be changed in the drop down menu. 

When you are happy with the text, select Apply and Quit, and the text will be generated in a format that the embroidery machine can read. 

If you want to use specific fonts that are written as regular text, you will need to do it in several steps. 


Working with different colours

The machine will try to interpret different colours to be used based on the colours that are used in Inkscape.  I.e. if something is Red in the Inkscape design, the machine will read it as red.  Note that the machine may actually call it something different on the display that is more specific, (Ie. It might say “vermillion” instead of red, which is just a different shade of red) or it may be completely off.

When running the design on the machine, it will break it up into colours and stitch one colour at a time.  The preview screen will be highlighted with which colour it is working on, and which colours it will be doing next.

Once it is done stitching one colour, the machine will stop and will wait for you to thread the next colour on the top spool. 

Note: you may have to reload that same colour again later if you have elements of the same colour but spaced too far apart. The Embroidery machine is more concerned with completing stitches in the same area first rather than completing all elements of the same colour first.

It is advised that you have your laptop with you to preview your file as the LCD screen will not display in colour, only the shape of the element it is trying to work on.


Previewing Files

While there are no visual indicators on the canvas that something has been programmed or not, you can view what has been programmed using the Inkstich > Visualize and Export > Simulator. This will provide a playback of what has been programmed, and what order it may be communicated to the machine.

If you need to remove a programming however, that is not possible unless you delete the object. If you just need to change the programming though you are able to do so just by running the params function again. It will overwrite any old commands with new ones.


Saving files

Inkstitch files should be saved in either .dst (preferred) or .pes format so the embroidery machine can open them. Once the files are ready, save them to a USB stick and insert that into the embroidery machine. On the embroidery machine main menu, select the download file button (looks like a pocket with a down arrow), and it will load into the machine.

*** Note: for some reason when saving .dst files it cannot comprehend simply overwriting the previous file if it has the same name. You may have to save it as an iterations when re-exporting e.g. file.dst, file1.dst, file2.dst, etc


Load Files Onto the Machine

On the embroidery machine main menu, select the download file button (looks like a pocket with a down arrow), and it will load into the machine.


Depending on the size of your file it can take a while before you can press the pocket button. If you see a dotted outline it means it is still trying to read/calculate your file. Once you see a solid outline then you can press to upload.


Fees:

Thread and materials can be purchased from the front desk.

Stabilizer material: $0.50/sheet

Bobbins: $0.50/each

Domestic Needles: $0.50/each

If using our embroidery thread: $0.25/square inch.  Please come to the front desk to report what material you’ve used, or fill out via the self reporting form.

TextileLab Drop-In Rate: $30/day (12pm to 9pm) 

Common Machine Issues

The CNC embroidery machine is actually very forgiving compared to other CNC machines. Just carefully follow the instructions below and you can salvage your project if something interrupts the job.


The bobbin thread is showing on the top side?

This is a tension issue where the bobbin isn’t properly loaded. You will have to adjust the tension settings through the machine settings and adjust it based on how much the top thread is showing by. Typically the more thread on top, the lower the tension is needed.

The machine typically operates fine at 0 but it can differ based on your material and thread. Please always reset it back to 0 when done.


Upper thread snapped/ran out mid job

If you use a thread that is too thin or old, it may snap/fray and either unthread the needle or get tangled in the mechanism. 


Needle broke mid job

The steps will be very similar to that of the thread snapping.


Bobbin ran out of thread mid job

The machine will let you know when it detects it is low on bobbin thread. Project is still salvageable but steps must be carefully followed.

Ideally you have extra bobbins already threaded but if not, you will need to carefully wind another bobbin.


Do not press anything on the screen for the duration of this recovery.


Common Design Issues

Error message: “path4787: error: Satin column: Object has too few subpaths.  A satin column should have at least two subpaths (the rails).”

The satin prep was not done properly and should be redrawn.


Error message: “path59: error: Fill: Shape is not valid.  This can happen if the border crosses over itself. ”

Make sure that all objects have been converted to paths and that all paths have been unioned.  (Path > Object to Path then Path> Union)