[whiteriver]

I have built a few machines over the last few years. A couple CNC routers, a couple CNC lathes. A couple 3D printers and even a few multi axis camera heads and slides. But this is my first Quilting machine. Took about 4 days and $10. I had everything laying around except a 12vdc relay..
I took my wife's old quilt frame and a smallish Husqvarna mega quilter sewing machine that had a Cruise Control stitch regulator on it and added motors etc to make it move. I used Mach3 for the software and a USB Smooth Stepper for the controller. A nema 17 with 5:1 planetary on X axis and a nema 23 on the Y axis.



Donny

[dharmic]

Nice!

[whiteriver]

Here is a pic of the second quilted project from the machine. This is a 32" x 25" panel of some horses. I created a vector with cowboy hats, a cowboy on a horse and a cowgirl leading a horse. Then flipped every other row upside down to break it up a bit.

Donny

[HomeBrewer53]

I have built a few machines over the last few years. A couple CNC routers, a couple CNC lathes. A couple 3D printers and even a few multi axis camera heads and slides. But this is my first Quilting machine. Took about 4 days and $10. I had everything laying around except a 12vdc relay..
I took my wife's old quilt frame and a smallish Husqvarna mega quilter sewing machine that had a Cruise Control stitch regulator on it and added motors etc to make it move. I used Mach3 for the software and a USB Smooth Stepper for the controller. A nema 17 with 5:1 planetary on X axis and a nema 23 on the Y axis.



Donny

Looks great!
I am starting with a long-arm system with stitch regulator and would like to do close to what you did. What was your flow process or software applications to get the quilt patterns to the gcode? How did you handle the restart when the bobbin thread runs out? What motor controller did you use?
Lost of questions! I have had this on the back burner as a project for about five years. The electrical and mechanical part should be easy enough, but I have no clue how to tackle the software side.
HomeBrew53

[whiteriver]

For software I use Adobe Illustrator to vectorize an image and create a single line vector and export to dxf. Then I put in into Vectric Aspire to clean up the vectors and smooth them out. If I want several different patterns in one pass I will save each one after smoothing and cleaning as a dxf. Then I will bring in all the different elements for the pass. Scale and position each one. Then draw bezier curves between each element. I break each original vector and connect the line to one side and the other line to the other side. When I am done I have one continuous chain from one end to the other with not gaps. I then create a profile path on the line. I set my feed at 90ipm. I don't worry about spindle speed or Z depth since I am only using X and Y. The stitch regulator handles the speed of the needle. I edit the code to start where the thread starts not at 0,0,0. I also do the same at the end of the code. This prevents it stitching outside the pattern.
There are free raster to vector programs online. You don't have to use expensive software. There are cheap and maybe free cam programs to create the gcode. Notepad works good for editing them. Mach3 come with Lazycam I believe. You could probably use that if you did not have something else already.

I use Mach3 with a Smooth Stepper. I modified the Aqua screen set for my needs and condensing it to one screen. I put a large tool path follow screen all the way across the bottom so I can see the pattern. By clicking jog follow I can see where I am at in the pattern. If I break a thread or run out of bobbin can jog back to that point over the pattern and then scroll through the G code to get the starting point to where it needs to be. On the screen the pattern turns white where the line of G code is going next. Makes it very handy for finding your place again.

Good luck and post pictures on this thread or start another one. Its a simple build with lots of reward.

Donny

[isaacvargas]

please help me WHITERIVER . I built the xy table.. but I don know how move the pantograf only when the needle is up.. and Prevent the needle from breaking.. please help me I use the mach3.


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have a nice day..

[whiteriver]

Sorry I missed your question. I was lucky and the machine came with a stitch regulator so that made it easy to solve your issue. The device basically controls the speed of the sewing machine motor based on how fast the carriage is moving. It reads the speed of the carriage via two encoder wheels. One in X and one in Y. The the little box calculates speed and adjusts the motor accordingly. Kinda how you would control the machine with a foot pedal. A generic stitch regulator should work on any machine that accepts a variable speed foot switch. Mach 3 does not even know about the stitch regulator. It just turns on and off and moves X and Y as needed.