HELP! not trimming

[Debbie Rinehart]

I need to finish 9 shirts that still do not have the right side name on them but the problem is my trimmer is not cutting. After each letter of the name you hear the trimmer do something, but it sounds more like a scraping sound and then the top thread is still attached. Sometimes the bobbin thread somehow breaks and does not pick up so the needle goes about 5 steps and stops. I really need to get these shirts done as the customer is picking them up soon!! When I took the needle plate off to check everything around the area, I noticed something, ( may be normal but I don't remember it from previous cleaning sessions). Is there a screw at the very back of the knife, where it lays in the arm, cuz as I run my finger accross the area in the back it feels jagged, as if the screw has broken. Just an observation, may be nothing. THANKS Debbie in Indiana

[Rod or Sharon]

Debbie,
No. There is no screw at the very back of the knife or selector. Are the pushrod wires still attached to the knife and selector?

You can check their function by going into "Maintenance", "Steppers", and clicking on the "in and out tabs" for the knife and selector. You should remove the needle plate so that you can see any movement, i.e., if there is movement which there should be..

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[KNC Designs]

We run into the same problem about once a week.We always run a trim test at start up to see if the machine will trim.The blade always seems to be moving o.k. when using the stepper as Rod said.but sometimes it just won't trim.We shut down the machine and O.S. system then restart as normal and all is well then.

[Debbie Rinehart]

I guess I don't know what pushrod wires are..but I will take a look at the knife when I start back up. I finished the shirts dispite the metal-rubbing-metal sound. I will try the test as you mentioned to see if that makes a difference. I still can't figure out what the rough piece of metal is that sticks up about 3-4 inches behind the knife. THANKS to both Rod and Sharon and KNC Designs!! Debbie

[HERB]

Take a picture of it and post where we can look at it.

[Rod or Sharon]

I would say that "rough" piece of metal that is sticking up is the end of the push rod. It should have a small 90 degree bend upward. The knife carrier has a small hole at the back of the knife that this wire goes into.....it then pushes and pulls the knife back and forth.......


Hi Herbie......

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Alicante]

I have the same trouble. The trimmer just stopped trimming one day.
I haven't had the machine even a year yet. The tech guy says he thinks this isn't covered in the warranty.
Anyway, I took off the needle plate and arm plate, cleaned with compressed air, removed a thread, oiled, and did the trimmer test: No knife movement.
The pushrod was unhooked from the back of the knife. Finally, I got it rehooked (VERY DIFFICULT TO DO), redid the test, all well. Put the plates back. Did another trimmer test, A-OK.
I then ran a simple melco design to test for trim. Zilch, No trim. Tried trimmer test again: no knife movement.
I removed the plates, found the pushrod unhooked, Re-hooked it, Re-did trimmer test, all A-OK. Replaced the plates on arm and needle area. Retested trimmer. Still moving freely back and forth.
Then I retried a simple melco design. No trim, Did the trimmer test, no movement again.

How come it's unhooking when I sew but does fine for the continuous movement trimmer test. I let it do the trim action continously about fifteen times before stopping, no problem.

Now the tech guy here says to bend the pushrod, hmm...

What y'all think of that?

[Linda]

Seems strange we are all having this issue at the same time. I have had my Amaya about a year as well. I called my tech the other day and he recommended the "slight bend" of the pushrod end where it bends and fits in the hole at the end of the knife case. He said to be very careful and not bend the cable itself. I did this and it is working just fine right now.

Linda

[Rod or Sharon]

Yes, a slight upward bend of the knife pushrod will help the pushrod stay in the knife carrier. The tech is telling you the right way.....

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Juli in Kona]

What do I think? I think you are very lucky to have such a simple solution! I have other issues - not trimming sometimes, shredding (badly) the top thread, not cutting the upper thread or the lower thread, all resulting in broken needles, screwed up sewing, popped out hoops sometimes, bobbin thread being pulled to the top, tails left on top that have to be cut manually, thread pulled out of the needle. I thread probably 50 or more times a day when I sew all day long. We are working on solving the underlying problem, but, needless to say, I am very frustrated in the mean time.

Juli in Kona

[signman]

Juli...you don't have it that bad...we were rethreading 10-15 times PER ITEM for a year...until our service tech magically appeared at the door 3 years after we bought it...guess no one at Melco thought to tell him to come see us-and wouldn't tell us HE existed.
First thing he found-the 'cables' that handle the carriage were slack...just enough to throw things off so slightly that the needle was trying to hit a moving target...adjusted that, fine tuned everything else...and it ran like it NEVER had from day one. Now if we get a problem with thread breaks, shredding, etc. we know it is either : density (or too many points in one place), a loose hoop hold down screw, shifting bag, burr on the needle, needle alignment a hair off (the needleplate), etc. 90% of the time...it's that dang needleplate.
As for the 'tail'....not much you can do about that...sometimes we get'em, sometimes we don't.
Upper thread not getting cut? Yup...maybe 1 or 2 times a day, OR it's a too long jump stitch in the design we didn't add a trim cut to.
Most common in 'bought' digitizing by the way!
Some of the uncut thread might be caused by differences in the thread-it just doesn't cut. I don't know-guessing on that one but we have noticed, like others, that thread consistency can change between colors and brands.
So hang in there, and when you can get a service tech to stop by, be nice, get him a good morning cup of coffee and a danish, and sweet talk him...he'll (or she) will do you right!

[Alicante]

Hi all,
I was able to bend the pushrod and now it stays put when embroidering.
Unfortunately, the trimmer still does't trim, though it goes in and out makes a nice "shhhlack" sound. It doesn't trim either top or bottom thread. I stop and trim when I hear the "shhlack".
I am looking at the maintenance manual cd diagram for knife and trimmer adjustment and testing. I can't figure out how the diagram they have corresponds to what I see on the machine.
The diagram looks to me like the outline of a woodpecker on a tree upside down, pivoting. LOL What I see on the machine is a straight block of pieces, one on tope of the other that move forward and back, no elbow, no pivot no crook shape. As to movable adjustable knives and fixed knives, how to release and remove a knife, I'm clueless. They suggest doing so but I don't see how.

What am I missing?

[Rod or Sharon]

Dee....our lady in Spain....

There is a good chance that during the trial and errors, a needle strike could/may have hit the end of the knife, bending it. Have you replaced the knife?

In your starter box, there was one extra knife included with some screws, bobbin case, roller, etc....try replacing the knife with a new one. The V shaped tip of the knife is bent on purpose, one up and one down so don't straighten them....

First, the "old" first generation Amayas had a different knife system, an upper and lower knife. The upper knife is stationary and the lower knife is moveable and also works as the selector. It does resemble some what, a "woodpecker" head as you described. This is not the series instruction you need to be referring to. In the CD, look at your machine serial number first, and select the ""XT"" tech info relative to your machine.

I am going to .....assume.....that you have not removed or loosened the housing block that both the knife and selector the knife ride in????? If you have, there may be other issues involved here.... There is a spring clip (flat) shaped like a piece of very thin channel iron. This holds the knife carrier down, Use a small screw driver to slip between the side of the housing block and the spring and gently pry the clip to the side and remove it. The knife and carrier will then be able to be lifted off together so that the knife can be replaced...make sure that you replace the spring clip just as it was when you took it off......

And...nope it is not a warranty item....just a general maintenance issue.

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Alicante]

Thanks Rod, I changed the knife following your instructions and found the correct maintenance manual on the cd.

I did have to unscrew the knife block in order to rehook the pushrod, once I changed the knife. The pushrod would not budge forward, nor could I move the knife back far enough, (last 1/8th inch probably) to lift it over the pushrod hook onto the hole.
I then test sewed a small design and got no top trim, but the lower thread did trim. Progress?

I saw in the cd maintenance booklet, they talk about a "housing unit" to adjust the trimmer. Is that something I need to do now?

[Rod or Sharon]

Dee,

Oooops!...Unscrewing the housing block was a bad idea. This is usually set with a fixture which us techs had to purchase and pay for the training on how to use them to adjust the selector/knife assembly for proper operation.....

The top thread is not trimming because you now have the housing block not adjusted properly and when the selector fires it is not separating the triangle made by the top thread up to the bottom of the garment where it has tied onto the bobbin thread, therefore not allowing the hook on the selector to pick up the one top thread that is suppose to get cut, but is picking up the bobbin thread and pulling it back to where the knife will fire and cut it. This triangle /\ is very small and everything must be right for the selector to separate it correctly.

The housing block should not have been loosened, it was not necessary. Don't get me wrong, I am not verbally chastizing you here....it is that you just did not know. It is difficult, with a machine that using timing in every part of it's function, to not affect something else when another part is moved or adjusted, messed with or whatever. The new knife is placed into the knife carrier after removing it from the machine and then placed onto the pushrod wire, laid down on top of the housing block and then the spring clip replaced to hold every thing together, in that order. The push rod wire is attached to a stepper motor deep in the back of the machine, that drives it back and forth and will not pull forward without the motor driving it.

You have two choices at this time. Call for a tech to re-adjust the housing block, or... keep experimenting by loosening the housing block and moving(rotating) it slightly. It does not have much movement left or right because it has a guide pin to hold it in place, but there is some and it's positioning is "extremely critical" for the trimmer to function properly.......did I say "extremely critical" !!! It really is....

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer