Emergency Repair Kit
Nothing is worse than having a technician arrive at your business and after a brief look he tells you we must order parts. The repair is delayed, additional expenses of return service, and the lost use of the machine gets expensive. I have created a list of the most common parts and suggested things that may need to be replaced on a machine.
I call it an Emergency Repair Kit. I suggest you order one for each head, but you will probably not need everything in a set for each head. This list of parts is a suggested list. They cover the most common parts that may need replacing when you have a service on the machine. This is also a list of a good set of spare parts to have on hand.
You know your machine so if you don’t have issues with it trimming you may not need to order the knife sets. If you haven’t replaced the rotary hooks since you bought the machine you may want to order all four. If you don’t need a new set of needles you don’t need to order them.
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Consult your parts supplier and parts manual for the correct parts for your machine.
Emergency Repair Kit
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Reciprocator: The reciprocator grabs the needle bar and drives it down through the cloth. It can become damaged if you hit the frame or have a Birds Nest.
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The reciprocator may break immediately,
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The reciprocator may be damaged and slips intermittently or
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The reciprocator may not be damaged at all.
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How can you tell if you need a reciprocator?
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The needle may “bounce up” before it hits the cloth.
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The needle may not come all the way down in the first few stitches.
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You may notice skipped or missing stitches.
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Note: The actual reciprocator looks similar to the image above. it cost about twenty something dollars. On many occasions something is broken on the reciprocator carrier or assembly pictured below. An assembly may cost over $100.00. I would suggest getting the carrier or assembly for your machine.
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Note: Happy machines use a Needle Bar Driver and roller bearings instead of a Reciprocator. Consult your parts supplier and parts manual for the correct parts for your machine. See the next section.
Note: ZSK machines use a "Klinker" instead of a Reciprocator. Consult your parts supplier and parts manual for the correct parts for your machine.
Some Happy Embroidery machines use a Needle Bar Driver and roller bearings instead of a Reciprocator. The needle bar Driver is shown in the diagram below as part number 22. The whole assembly may not be available but you can order the roller bearings and the C-clamps.
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If it has been awhile since you have had these changed it may be a good idea to replace them. When the roller bearing wear out they may give the same symptoms as a broken reciprocator as described above.
HCG-08110 small
M04-08276 small
One other thing that you may want to have on hand for some models of Happy machines is a Cushion B shown in the diagram as part number 29. Cushion B may be black or white in color.
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If you are ordering one of these you may want to get parts 28, 29, 30, and two screws, part 31s.
Rotary hooks rotate twice every time the needle comes down, so if you run your machine at 700 Stitches per Minute the hook spins at 1400 SPM. The interior of the Hook has a rail that slides in a raceway and holds the hook together. There are no bearings, so the rail and raceway are metal on metal. This is the only point on the machine that most manufactures recommend you lubricate every four hours of use.
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Rotary hooks may need to be replaced at around 3 to 5 years, depending on use and maintenance of the machine.
Symptoms that could be caused by a worn or damaged Rotary hook are:
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Birds nesting
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Broken needles
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Fraying thread
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The machine not being able to maintain timing
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Note: These same symptoms may be caused by other issues also.
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Note: The Toyotas and some Tajimas will sew with generic Rotary Hooks but may sew better with an Eccentric Hook. The difference is that the timing mark lifts to meet the needle so that the needle does not have to penetrate the cloth as far. This makes the machine sew better with caps.
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