Parts of the Machine Needle:
1. Butt: A small pyramid at the upper end of the shank. It is designed to make a single-point contact with the hole in the needle bar.
2. Shank: The upper end of the needle, which is held in the needle bar by the needle screw. The shank is usually round, but it can have one or two flat sides. The shank is designed to support and stabilize the needle blade; its di- ameter is usually larger than the diameter of the blade.
3. Shoulder: The beginning of the shank just above the needle blade.
4. Blade: The thin section of the needle that ex- tends from the shank to the eye. It is easily bent and should be examined for straightness periodically.
5. Scarf (needle scarf, clearance above the eye, clear- ance cut, or spot): A small indentation above the eye that permits the hook or looper to pick up the thread loop. On some needles, the scarf is elongated and/or deeper to ensure that the needle thread loop will be large enough to prevent skip stitching.
6. Land: A small hump on the blade immedi- ately above the eye. Used instead of a scarf, its purpose is to enable the needle thread to make a larger loop and form a stitch.
7. Eye: An opening in the needle blade at the lower end of the long groove that carries the thread into the material to the hook or looper to make a stitch. The size of the eye is propor- tional to the diameter of the blade.
8. Point: The tapered end. It is often considered the most critical aspect of the needle. The most common needles have a round point, a ballpoint, or a cutting point as shown on the next page. Generally round points and ballpoints are used for woven and knit fabrics because they can penetrate the fabric by spreading the fibers or deflecting the yarns without damaging them. By contrast, needles with cutting points are used for leather.
9. Tip: The part of the needle that pierces the material.
10. Needle groove (long groove): A long channel on the blade. It is located on the side on which the needle thread enters the eye and provides a protective guide for the thread when the needle is rising and the needle-thread loop is enlarging.
11. Short groove: A short channel immediately above the needle eye. Located on the side op- posite the long groove, it is a guide for the nee- dle thread and protects it from abrading when passing through the material.
0 Comments