# anyone know about ZSK machines



## laurannemc (Jul 13, 2010)

i have run Tajimas and Barudans for years, now i am running a ZSK. seems to run flats well, but i am having some major problems with structured caps. there is a lot of flagging, and it has a lot of problems with sewing over the seams on 6 panels. i had to sew 72 caps the other day and i had 9 needle breaks, i never had these problems with the other machines. just wondered if anyone out there has any advice. do i need to use certain brands of caps, are there some different cap frames out there? would love any advice or comments about ZSKs!


----------



## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Is it possible that your ZSK needs a cap plate when embroidering caps?


----------



## laurannemc (Jul 13, 2010)

i have to change out the needle plate for caps, which i do every time i switch over the machine. there is something about the hoops(i think) which causes structured caps to sit too high, and there is way too much movement. if we could just talk our customers into only unstructured caps(yeah right).i just don't know much about ZSKs.thanks.


----------



## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Some styles of structured caps just don't fit. I've used extra pieces of backing to take up unwanted space. I assume you've tried 80/12 needles. Some decorators steam hats before hooping so they are more pliable when hooping. I don't get many requests for structured caps but I've found that the buckram in SanMar styles isn't as stiff as some and therefore less likely to cause broken needles. You may want to keep a list of hats that fit your equipment so customers can choose from your approved list.


----------



## AndTees (Jul 6, 2009)

If there is a Hooptech cap frame for that machine, you may have better results.


----------



## Earl Smith (Sep 30, 2008)

ZSK - Hersteller von Stickmaschinen und Stickerei Software, Einkopf- und Mehrkopf-Stickmaschinen, Punchsoftware.

I dont know much about these machines but here is the contact info for their factory in Germeny. They speak english, so dont worry. They have their training school there for training tech guys from around the world. 
I see these machines at nearly every fair I go to and they are nearly always doing caps, so you shouldnt have a problem. 
Best of luck.
Earl


----------



## skits (Jun 24, 2009)

I used to have a lot of problems with embroidering on caps on our swf machine and it all got sorted when we got our barudan (BEDSME) machine. if I were you I'd try to stick to same brand as you currently have because changing to a new brand means keeping stocks of small parts for each brand.

We tried swf and are back with barudan. We wont move to anything else now.


----------



## laurannemc (Jul 13, 2010)

i loved the Barudan that i used and the Tajima, both of those machines really sewed caps well.i guess i became spoiled, now i work for someone who bought the ZSK machine. i just don't think the machine design is cap friendly. well i'm trying to make the best of it, i don't really have any choice.i was just hoping someone out there has had some experience with the ZSK and maybe had some advice for me.


----------



## stitcherlady (Jan 20, 2009)

Hi I have run 2 zsk machines 2004 models and these machines loved caps. You should have a higher throat plate for caps which will help with the flagging as well as a lever behind the head of the machine to lower the presser feet which will also help. Use a 80/12 needle. These things should help your problems alot.


----------



## stitcherlady (Jan 20, 2009)

Oh and if you would like to talk to me you can email me privately at melissasewnsew[USER=36795]@gm[/USER]ail.com. I will be happy to help you all that I can.


----------



## laurannemc (Jul 13, 2010)

hi, i change out the plate and change the pressure foot setting and have tried changing out the needles as well. i really only have problems with structured caps, i really believe it has something to do with the hoops. they hold the cap too high up,you know the piece that the band fits under, well it slopes upward toward the frame which prevents the structured caps from laying as flat as they need to. oh well, i'm sure i will figure something out , thanks for all the input.


----------



## stitcherlady (Jan 20, 2009)

Try also to bend the bill, almost to distortion, bend flat first and then bend it across ways. I didn't care for that piece on the cap frame but the frame is identical to the tajima cap frame. I may have even taken those pieces off. I used masking tape to keep from getting burns on the bill from the little bar on the back of the head. You may really have a bad cap, what brand of cap are you using? I ran Pacific brand structured caps on the machine all the time. There are also adjustments that you can make to the frame itself the small plates that are actually up inside the cap providing support once hooped, you can move these back and forward. If they are all the way forward they will also cause the cap to kind of hump up. Then you can adjust the band I would make it at tight as possible and still be able to close it. If you can get it fine tuned you will like how it runs caps, I really hope you do, I understand your frustrations. And is it doing this with all designs or just some? which could also be a issue. If I think of anything else I will let you know.


----------



## [email protected] (Dec 26, 2010)

I hate doing structured caps. We have Toyota ESP9000, basically a Tajima NEO, and I go through the needles if my design is not digitized right. If we do structured hats, I will digitize so that i do not start out on a seam (6 panel cap) and that helps some. 

I have started doing offset designs on the 6 panel caps where the design is off center to one side or the other in the center of one of the panels. Works out much better to stitch, but it does not work with too many designs.

Mike


----------



## laurannemc (Jul 13, 2010)

we use a lot of Outdoor caps, and yes it seems to happen on all of the designs that i have done on structured caps only. unstructured caps do fine. i am wondering about the steaming trick, or i do have a heat press for caps, i could give that a try. but could be very time consuming. most of my jobs are corporate, so most of them want a full front, not just to one side of the seam. i am new to digitizing, been running machines for about(hate to admit this) a decade though. never had these problems before.


----------



## stitcherlady (Jan 20, 2009)

Yes I remember having trouble with outdoor cap brand hats, actually there were only a few structured caps that would work well. I like pacific,some daystone, otto also worked real good for structured, it seemed that they were just built better for embroidery, If the hat was structured but still had an angle or curve on it,(may have been called pro style?) they would tend to give trouble because now matter what, when you hooped it there was still a hump. I got to the point I would steer customers away from those all together. I would maybe also try and have someone else digitize the design for you, for caps - I have seen designs that will lay a big double zigzag stitch up the middle to lay down the seam and then do a light fill under the whole design area, started in the middle working out and up. If you decide you could give this guy a try punchlinepro.com. He did alot of real good cap designs for me. I never digitized anything myself but tried to pay attention at all the designs for what worked. Heat pressing helped only slightly but it made a big shiny mark on the hat where it was pressed and for large order was almost impossible to do. Good Luck


----------

