Needle | History | Function | Construction of Sewing needle

History: Needles are made in straight or curved forms. Today the steel needle is commonly used. Needles used for hand sewing since about 18,000 BC and made from bone, wood and horn. In 1800 AD, Balthasar Krems of Germany was the first to use a needle with the eye near the point and the he had developed it. Iron needles were introduced during the 15th century for hand sewing. The large scale production of sewing machines started about 1840 Curved needle is only used in blind stitch machine

Fig: Industrial sewing needle

Functions 

1. To form a passage in the material through which the needle thread can be wholly passed.
2. To form a loop which can be picked up by the loooper of hook mechanism.

Needle construction: The main construction features of a needle are- 

1. Butt: The truncated conical shape at the top of the needle which a facility it’s insertion into the needle bars or clamp.
2. Shank: Usually larger in diameter than the rest of the needle, the shank can be cylindrical in shape of flat on side depending on the method used to secure the needle in or on the needle bar.
3. Shoulder: The section joining of the shank to the blade
4. Blade: The longest section of the needle, this runs from the shoulder to the eye.
5. Grooves: On one side of the needle there is a long groove which protects the needle threads as it enters and is withdrawn from the fabric. There is a short groove on the opposite side which extends a short distance above and below the eye. Its purpose is to aid the passage if thread into the material and loop formation.
6. Eye: An ellipheal hole between the two grooves. The shape and finish of the inside top of the eye are important factors in the prevention of thread damage during sewing.
7. Point: This is shaped to provide the best penetration of the material being sewn.
8. Tip: The tip when combined with the point, determine the case and extent of penetration into the fabric.

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