Sewing has been
around for many years. Bone needles were discovered from as long ago
as the Ice age. It wasn't until the last 200 years and the advent of
the Industrial Revolution that sewing using a machine came about.
Industrial sewing
machines were a turning point in the history of the industrial age.
Industrial sewing machines changed the way clothing was made and also
more importantly the speed in which garments could be produced.
The industrial
sewing machine changed the way a whole industry operated. It
increased the speed of production which couldn't be matched by hand.
Industrial sewing machines as early as the 1900s had zig-zag
stitching and used a swing needle. These features would not appear in
the home sewing machines until much later.
The industrial
sewing machines origins stem from England, France and also the United
States of America. Many countries can claim to have a hand in the
development of one of the most vital pieces of equipment that is used
world wide. The truth is that lots of countries do all play a role in
the advancements of the industrial sewing machine. The first patent
for an industrial sewing machine was in 1790 by a man called Thomas
Saint. This sewing machine would allow leather and canvas to be
stitched. Like many early industrial sewing machines that followed
this machine copied the action of the human arm when sewing. It
wasn't until 1807 when a new innovation by two Englishman, William
and Edward Chapman saw an industrial sewing machine with the eye of
the needle at the bottom of the needle and not at the top.
Industrial sewing
machines were becoming so good at their job that they started to
require less people in the industrial factories where these sewing
machines were being used. A patent by the Frenchman, Bartheleémy
Thimmonier's, increased production of the French Armies uniform. As a
result over 160 tailors were not required so they rioted, destroying
all the machines and almost killing Thimmonier in the process. The
patent he produced allowed for a industrial sewing machine to cross
stitch using a curved needle.
In 1834, Walter Hunt
an American, created an industrial sewing machine that produced a
locked stitch from underneath the machine with a second thread. Hunt
is also credited with inventing the safety pin. This industrial
sewing machine design was however never patented. It was down to a
fellow American Elias Howe who got credit for the invention of the
sewing machine. In 1846 he designed and patented a machine which he
made, while a friend helped him financially, so he could concentrate
all his efforts on the industrial sewing machine. Howe tried to
market his machine in England but on his arrival back to the United
States in 1849 he realised that his machine had been copied by
others. He sought financial backing and took the companies who copied
his ideas to court. It wasn't until 1854 that he won his cases, which
turned out to be a landmark case in the history of patent law.
Howe's main
competitor to his machines was a man names Isaac M Singer. Singer's
industrial sewing machine design received a patent in 1851. The main
difference between this machine and the other industrial sewing
machines was that it had a arm which overhung a flat table and
dropped the needle down. This allowed stitching from any direction.
With so many patents
being made towards industrial sewing machines during the 1850's Howe
and Singer decided to create a "Patent Pool" along with two
other manufacturers. Due to the 1860s when the civil war had broken
out production of huge orders of civil war uniforms were required.
This drove demand for industrial sewing machines and lead to Howe and
Singer becoming the first millionaire inventors.
The Design and
Production of the Industrial Sewing Machine
Industrial sewing
machines require a large sturdy frame usually made from iron or
strong steel. A variety of different metals could be used to produce
the actual sewing machine fittings. The main criteria being that the
parts are durable enough to last long enough as industrial sewing
machines are used for long hours and as a result the parts need to be
strong enough to take this demand.
Industrial sewing
machines are often designed with a single function in mind unlike
home sewing machines. The industrial variety of the sewing machines
are much heavier than the home version of the sewing machine due to
the parts used in them which was discussed earlier.
A companies
requirements are often very different. The machine they may require
could be specific to what they produce. It is often important to get
a specialist to see which type of industrial sewing machine would
fulfill their requirements.
