Essay on Sewing needle ( Textile Technology)

         Sewing Needle

 

A sewing needle is a long slender tool with a pointed tip. The needle must be able to penetrate the material being sewn, by pushing the yarns aside according to the application, without damaging it. Modern needles are manufactured from high carbon steel wire, nickel or gold plated for corrosion resistance.

      Needle Points

Needles are manufactured with a wide variety of needle points appropriate for the different properties of materials which have to be sewn. The needle point can be located wither centrally or eccentrically. There are two basic classes of points:

§  Round points

§  Cutting points

Slim Set Point Needles – can be penetrate the yarns of the material being sewn through its sharp point and is ideal for all woven fabrics because it helps to produce an even stitch and causes a minimum of fabric puckering. They are used for Blind stitches and for fine, densely woven fabrics. These points are not suitable for knitted fabrics.

Set Cloth Point – needles are slightly rounded to displace yarns of the material being sewn without damaging them. This is most commonly used point.

Heavy Set Point – needles are strongly blunted. These are used for button sewing machines.

Ball Points – Light Ball Point is used for sensitive fabrics such as knits, to prevent damage to the loops. This is crucial for maintaining the fabric’s elasticity. Medium ball point and heavy ball point are used for fabrics containing stretchable yarns. While sewing the threads are displaced not pierced. The needle pushes between the fabric yarns rather than “cutting rough” the yards.

Cutting Points – are used for sewing leather, coated or laminated fabrics. These are classified and named according to the position of the cutting edge and its shape. The shapes are named with regard to the form of the cutting edge for example spear point, triangular point, diamond point etc. The shape of this needle will create a slit (rather than a large hole) through which the thread will pass.

 

 Needle sizes

Suitable sewing needle type is one of the most important parameters for ensuring the effective and fault free sewing process it will depend on the characteristics of the needle type, needle point, needle fineness, fabric material, the size of sewing thread, the seam type and stitch type.

It is important to use correct needle size for the type of fabric being used. The metric size “Nm” of a needle defines the diameter of the blade (in 1/100 mm) at a point just above the scarf. Fine needles are around Nm 70, medium needles are abound Nm80-Nm90 while thicker needles are around Nm100. The convention for sizing is that the length and thickness of a needle increases as the size number decreases. Delicate fabrics such as silk, chiffon, voile, fine lace and organdie would need a fine “size 9” needle. Lightweight fabrics such as synthetic sheers, taffeta, velvet, stretch fabric and tricot would need a “size 11” needle. Medium weight fabrics such as poplin, linen, chambray, wool crepe, flannel, knits, jersey, wool and satin would need a s “size 14” needle. Medium-heavy weight fabrics such as sail cloth, gabardine and tweed fabrics would need a “size 14-16” needle. Heavy fabrics such as denim, upholstery and canvas fabrics would need a “size 16-18” needle. Most readily available machine needles are sized from 9 to 18. The smaller the number, finer the needle.