Baby Lock Sewing Machines

History

In 1964, a group of engineers and managers from a Japanese enterprise thought it would be a good idea to redesign the industrial overlocker under production at that time for private use. They wanted to make the machine smaller and lighter so that it could be used easily at home. The group presented their concept to the enterprise but this was turned down. However, they were so convinced of their plan that all of them handed in their notice and set up their own new company to design and build the machine of their dreams.

This was the birth of the baby lock brand, the first home overlocker on the market. In 1993, the baby lock engineers developed the unique jet-air system. This system, which is now standard on all baby lock machines, threads the loopers by means of compressed air quickly and easily. At the same time, it was no longer necessary to stick to a defined threading order. 30 years after the invention of the brand’s first overlocker, baby lock launched another revolutionary product – the Imagine – in 1997. Thanks to the unique, patented automatic thread delivery (ATD) system, this is the first overlocker that does not require any tension adjustment. Normal overlockers create the stitches by compensating the tension of the threads that are pulled. The thread tension is adjusted by a thread tension controller as well as needle and looper thread take-ups.

This new innovative overlocker creates stitches by pulling and setting down the amounts of thread required for a stitch. The Imagine then delivers these threads to the needles as well as the lower and upper loopers to create a perfect stitch. Apart from the tension dials, users of this machine can also forget all the trouble connected with setting the “perfect” tension and the confusion about which tension dial should be turned.

In 1997, Mr Sakuma, the inventor of the baby lock overlock machines, said in a speech before US dealers at the baby lock Tech trade fair: “A lot of people have said my invention was ‘Sakuma’s magic’. But I don’t believe this. Over the years, I have experienced many successes and failures. As a result, a large bloom has come into full flower and I can now give you, the baby lock customers all over the world, the Imagine. Experience has taught me that mystical magic is the result of many years of hard work full of trials and errors.”