we are aware that when running a four head machine and you have a thread break on one all four stop. Is this a big time restraint on production or with the right digitizing does it seldom happen? We are still trying to decide whether to trade our Melco Amaya(big red) in for 3 new Amaya XTs or to get a new SWF 4 head. The Amayas would each run individually so if there were a thread break the others would still be going. What is the opinion of most out there as far as production wise? Can I produce more on a 4 head or 3 individuals?
I would do an evaluation of the types of jobs coming into my shop. Do they consist of smaller pieced jobs, 3 or under, or do they consist of larger pieced jobs 4 and above. The smaller jobs can tie up a 4 head machine if you do a lot of them. If the jobs are mainly larger ones, in my experience with my 4-head SWF, they would go quicker. Thread breaks happen but not a lot if your machine is in good working order and the digitizing is done correct. In my situation, I do a lot of contract, large jobs but some of my customers are sports centers and ASI salesmen and can bring in small onesie type jobs. There are times when I have wished for a one-head machine instead of tying up my 4-head for the onesie jobs, but they sew quickly and I move on. On the larger jobs and a 4-head, you quickly get into a rhythm of putting on and taking off, pushing go once and they run. I like that. Will your machines be networked? or will they be individually run? A lot of time can be spend in set up of computer input. I would think that three single heads would be more costly than one 4 head. Have you looked at the dual 4 head SWF makes? Hope my 2 cents gives food for thought.
I have an SWF Dual Head Dual Function machine, in my opionion this is the only way to go.....if the thread breaks on one head the other keeps going. Also I can sew a shirt on one head and a hat on the other. I also own a single head 15 needle SWF machine and it is my workhorse, this thing will sew through anything seems like, hardly never have a thread break with it..
I have a 2 head and 3 single heads all SWF and I use the 2 head for hats mostly and the 3 singles for flats. I have used all heads for large orders. I like the flexibility of multiple single head machines for the abilty to run many different projects at one time. ..... JB
What do you mean by flexibility? Having a single head Amaya has been a nightmare. We've had a tech out three times and he still can't find anything wrong with it. When you have only 1 head and it doesn't work you're 100% down. It just seems Amayas are fine when you don't have any deadlines to meet. From my research there still a 2nd tier machine. With deadlines we're looking at a tier 1 machine like SWF, Tajima or Barudan. We just can't take a gamble when our business name is on the line. And if you mean flexibility because of their add As Many As You Allow fluff with the flex software, this is a crock. After researching and talking to Amaya users, it is more trouble getting all your network set-up than using a standard 4 head machine. We even visited Melco's booth at an ISS show and the demo running on the floor had three thread breaks while we were standing there for ten minutes. Needless to say the rep was quite embarrassed. Not to come off as rude we are just burnt from our experience with Amaya. Thanks for your input though.
I have a 2 head and 3 single heads all SWF and I use the 2 head for hats mostly and the 3 singles for flats. I have used all heads for large orders. I like the flexibility of multiple single head machines for the abilty to run many different projects at one time. ..... JB
Would you recommend the Amaya XTs when using multiple heads for big jobs or is SWF the way to go? We are considering a single function 4 head because most of our jobs are big. We do have small onesies here and there but we figured we would just turn off the other three heads and eventually get a SWF single head in the future. Thanks for your input.
Would you recommend the Amaya XTs when using multiple heads for big jobs or is SWF the way to go? We are considering a single function 4 head because most of our jobs are big. We do have small onesies here and there but we figured we would just turn off the other three heads and eventually get a SWF single head in the future. Thanks for your input.
Melco verses SWF is like sayind ford verses Chevrolet. I chose SWF over Melco for a few reasons. I had Melco machines in the begining and they were great machines. I had them serviced and maitained them.When I started looking at new Machines and asking questions, I learned that Melco had made all their Techs subcontractors. The tech, I had used for years told me Melco pretty much told them they were on their own.I then talked to Brother ,Baruden,SWF, and ZSK (ZSK is awesome ,but at the time Parts were scarice and had to be shipped from Germany). After talking to all the different companies and their techs. I chose SWF necause their people were very friendly and helpful. I asked them lots of questions and they took their time with me. If I did it again today, I would still choose SWF. They have been awesome to deal with and could not find better people than SWF. ..... JB
Not sure on the 4 head system 
