Melco Advantage 18 Operation Manual Download Page 22

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6. Press the inner hoop into the outer hoop with the fabric and backing between them as shown in

Figure 2-9. Pull the outside edges of the material inward, toward the center of the hoop. This
tightens the material inside the hoop without popping the hoop apart.

7. When the material is hooped properly, tighten the outer hoop adjusting screw. Tightening this

screw will not tighten the fabric, it simply secures it. Tightening it too much can leave a
permanent imprint in your material.

Loading The Hoop

To attach the hoop to the carriage:

1. Place the left notch of the hoop mounting bracket against the carriage stub as shown in Figure

2-10.

Figure 2-9

X-Carriage

Thumb Lever

Hoop Mounting
Bracket

Figure 2-10

2 - 8

Hooping

Advantage 18 Operation Manual

Melco Embroidery Systems

Summary of Contents for Advantage 18

Page 1: ... 18 Colors One Needle Automatic Color Change Automatic Rethreading Under Thread Control ASaurerGroupCompany Operation Manual for the Advantage 18 embroidery peripheral Part Number 110265 01 Revision A ...

Page 2: ...erwise without prior written approval of Melco Embroidery Systems Melco reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes in it at any time without obligation of Melco to notify any person or organization of such revisions or changes All precautions have been taken to avoid errors or misrepresentations of facts equipment or products However Melco Embroidery Systems does not assume ...

Page 3: ...Configure 1 6 The Peripheral Program 1 7 The Unit Number 1 7 The Language 1 7 How to Configure 1 7 Start Up Messages 1 8 2 Operating the Advantage 18 How Threads Are Spliced 2 1 Threading the Advantage 18 2 1 Threading to the Selector Carriage 2 1 Inserting the Thread into the Splicing Cell 2 3 Rethreading After a Failure 2 3 Thread Types and Needles 2 5 Thread Types 2 5 Needles 2 5 Tensions 2 5 T...

Page 4: ... 6 Orientation Menu 3 6 Setting Orientation 3 6 Run Design Menu 3 7 The Idle Menus 3 7 4 The Customizing Menus Frame Menu 4 1 The Frame Idle Display 4 2 Return To Origin 4 2 Trace Menu 4 3 Home Menu 4 4 Set Home 4 4 Hoop Limits 4 4 Power Fail Rescue 4 5 Move Menu 4 6 When to Use The Move Menu 4 6 Trim Menu 4 8 Setting the Options 4 8 Trim Immediate 4 8 Jump Count 4 8 Bobbin Menu 4 9 The Splicing M...

Page 5: ...ubricating the X Carriage Rollers 5 9 Lubricating the Y Rails 5 10 Lubricating the Lower Trimmers 5 11 The Rear Trimmer Parts 5 12 The Front Trimmer Parts 5 12 Embroidery Head Timing 5 13 Machine Out Of Timing 5 13 Making A Stitch 5 14 Setting Timing 5 15 Needle Depth Check Adjustment 5 15 Hook Timing 5 17 Checking Hook Timing 5 18 Adjusting Hook Timing 5 19 Cleaning the Color Change Area 5 21 Col...

Page 6: ...Table of Contents Operation Manual iv Advantage 18 ...

Page 7: ...the needle In addition to embroidering on flat goods the Advantage 18 embroiders on caps using the optional cap frame attachment WARNING For operator safety Never allow untrained personnel operate the Advantage 18 Physical Arrangement The Advantage 18 has five sections the controller the embroidery head the thread tree the keyboard and the pantograph see Figure 1 1 Thread Tree Controller Keyboard ...

Page 8: ...Crystal Display LCD displays informative messages The main power supply and the motor that moves the pantograph forward and backward are located under the keyboard cover The Pantograph The pantograph see Figure 1 2 moves the hoop right or left the X axis and forward or backward the Y axis The beam is the arm of the pantograph that moves forward or backward Inside the beam is the X carriage that mo...

Page 9: ...the shipper Unpacking the Advantage 18 When cutting open the boxes be careful not to damage any of the equipment Continue to inspect the parts for any physical damage not apparent from the condition of the cartons Again contact the shipper to report any damage Tables And Cabinets Unpack and place the work station furniture before unpacking the embroidery equipment Embroidery Peripheral 1 Carefully...

Page 10: ...l onto its dedicated work station 8 Set the 115V 220V selector switch to the proper setting for your power supply The switch is just to the right of the ON OFF switch see Figure 1 5 Machine ON OFF Switch Voltage Selector Switch Attach Power Cable here Network Cable Terminator Cable Rear of Computer Rear of Peripheral Figure 1 4 Lift Here Lift Here Figure 1 5 1 4 Installation Advantage 18 Operation...

Page 11: ... range of 70 to 100 psi A 5 micron particle filter A 0 5 micron oil coalescing filter The Advantage 18 comes with a 6 foot long air supply line with a standard quick disconnect fitting To install the tubing on the Advantage 18 1 Route the free end of the tubing through the open base of the thread tree 2 Insert the end of the tubing into the air supply fitting with a red ring around it It is locate...

Page 12: ...at the peripheral The number may be between 1 and 16 when using EDS II software or between 1 and 64 when using other Melco software Each peripheral must have a unique unit number Before sending designs to the Advantage 18 enable the unit number on the computer See your software operation manual for instructions The Language Set the language displayed by the LCD to either English or Spanish How to ...

Page 13: ...es Once configured a series of messages will display during power up Usually the messages are simply informational but sometimes they will require a keyboard entry from the operator The messages displayed will depend on the combination of the computer and peripheral operating modes When there is a completed link to the computer the series of messages are DSKBIOS Version Bytes of free memory DNLOAD...

Page 14: ...1 8 Start Up Messages Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery Systems ...

Page 15: ... needle and tensioner Threading the Advantage 18 Although the Advantage 18 will automatically rethread when it performs a color change you may need to perform manual threading when the following occurs Initial set up Using short fiber threads that do not splice well A thread break Mechanical failures Follow these directions to thread the machine Threading to the Selector Carriage 1 Put a spool of ...

Page 16: ...s 6 Replace the pretensioner 7 Trim the ends of the thread to 1 8 inch in front of the carriage see Figure 2 3 Pretensioner Magnet lifted for thread placement Thread tubes from the thread tree Idler Roller Guide Hole Groove Figure 2 2 Pretensioner Magnet in operating position Threads trimmed to 1 8 inch Figure 2 3 2 2 Threading the Advantage 18 Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery System...

Page 17: ... it before performing an insert the tails of the neighboring threads become positioned to avoid interference Using ALT or ALT stores the previous thread position so the selector carriage knows where to return Press FAST SLOW immediately after accessing ALT or ALT to perform an insert at that position OR Access the insert thread option in the Splicing Menu This is discussed in the Splicing Menu sec...

Page 18: ...The Advantage 18 Thread Path NOTE The thread is passed between the disks of the tensioner only once Figure 2 4 2 4 Threading the Advantage 18 Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery Systems ...

Page 19: ...needle For the splice to easily pass through the eye use a standard 80 12 size needle or larger Tensions Excellent embroidery quality is achieved when both the upper thread and bobbin thread tensions are set properly Experience and practice allows customized tension settings based on factors such as threads material backing needle type stitch size and hooping The Upper Tension There is one upper t...

Page 20: ... 4 With the bobbin tension adjusted pass the bobbin thread through the bobbin case pig tail Installing a Needle The needle clamp set screw holds the needle in place as shown in Figure 2 6 Using the small flat blade screw driver from the operator s tool kit 1 Turn the set screw counterclockwise until the needle can slide down and out of the needle bar 2 With the scarf of the new needle toward the r...

Page 21: ...fortable margin of blank fabric around the inside edge Later you will learn how to use the Trace menu to make sure you have the right size hoop 2 Loosen the adjusting screw on the outer hoop by turning it counterclockwise see Figure 2 7 3 Place the outer hoop on a clean flat surface with the mounting bracket on the side that is up and away from the flat surface see Figure 2 8 4 On top of the outer...

Page 22: ...ooped properly tighten the outer hoop adjusting screw Tightening this screw will not tighten the fabric it simply secures it Tightening it too much can leave a permanent imprint in your material Loading The Hoop To attach the hoop to the carriage 1 Place the left notch of the hoop mounting bracket against the carriage stub as shown in Figure 2 10 Figure 2 9 X Carriage Thumb Lever Hoop Mounting Bra...

Page 23: ...res to the X carriage and the front of the machine Installing the Cap Frame Drive Attach the cap frame drive by following these steps and referring to Figure 2 11 CAUTION To avoid possible cap frame drive or other machine damage Set Home before installing the cap frame drive 1 Remove the table top insert from the embroidery area This allows access to the cap frame mounting brackets under the bed o...

Page 24: ...shaft towards you attach the hoop bracket to the X carriage It attaches just like a regular hoop 7 Guide the cap frame drive shaft into the hole in the rear mounting bracket At the same time insert the cap frame drive dove tail bracket into the dove tail mount 8 Push the cap frame drive shaft into the bracket hole as far as it will go 9 Tighten the thumb screw on the rear bracket 10 Tighten the th...

Page 25: ... under the roller clamps on the cap frame drive Using a Raised Needle Plate When the cap frame is attached the curve of the frame leaves extra space between the needle plate and the cap This sometimes creates poor embroidery quality Cap embroidery may be improved by installing the raised needle plate option to reduce this extra space When embroidering with the raised needle plate place extra space...

Page 26: ...enus and the idle menus The Keys and Their Functions Key Name Key Function MENU Moves from one menu to the next After the last menu displays it wraps back to the first menu ALT Never used alone Held down while pressing another key allows the other key to take on an ALTernate function See Key Combinations ENTER Makes a selection similar to clicking on the OK button in Windows or pressing the ENTER ...

Page 27: ...s menu ALT ENTER Exits sub menu and displays one of three idle menus even while the machine is embroidering ALT Moves the selector carriage one thread position to the left when the machine is in idle Decreases upper thread tension while the machine is embroidering ALT Moves the selector carriage one thread position to the right when the machine is in idle Increases the upper thread tension while t...

Page 28: ...dow and a drop down menu displays 2 Click on Transfer and a dialog box displays 3 Select the appropriate information 4 Click on OK More information is available in the EDS II and EDS III operation manuals Consult the sections concerning sending designs from the computer to the peripheral Receiving a Design Now access the design in the Advantage 18 s design buffer Remember the SHIP design is just a...

Page 29: ... TENSION MENU Sets and remembers the upper tension for each thread position ORIENTATION MENU Positions a design in one of eight combinations for placement in the embroidery field RUN DESIGN Inserts the selected design and color sequence into the run buffer Also allows the design to embroider after you Set Home FRAME MENU Sets the direction either forward or backward to move through a design to cor...

Page 30: ... be powered up but not embroidering or making a color change Selecting a Design To select a design follow these steps 1 Press MENU until the LCD displays DESIGN MENU 2 Press ENTER to display the first design 3 Scroll through the designs with the key or key until you reach the design you want 4 Press ENTER to select the design The LCD displays the next menu Deleting a Design If you are not using th...

Page 31: ... number Press and hold to scroll The thread position number refers to the cone number on the thread tree Acceptable numbers in this position are 1 through 18 and the special characters Embroiders using the previous color selection 0 Stops the machine at this color change Press Start to resume embroidering P Pauses the machine at each subsequent color change Press Start each time to resume embroide...

Page 32: ... the Color Menu using two methods If you have a design with three flowers each to be embroidered in green cone 6 blue cone 12 and yellow cone 5 you could set each individual color selection as shown in the left column This results in a total color selections value of 9 In the example on the right however only three selections are made The total color selections become 3 forcing the color sequence ...

Page 33: ... memory Each tension setting remains recorded until you change the setting perform a hard reset or reconfigure the peripheral At that time all the tensions return to the default setting of 30 1 Press MENU until the LCD displays TENSION MENU 2 Press ENTER and the display reads The thread number refers to the selector carriage and thread tree positions 1 through 18 An asterisk next to the thread num...

Page 34: ...ach the Orientation Menu The Orientation Menu allows you to embroider a design in any of the positions shown in Figure 3 1 Because of the way a cap mounts into the cap hoop you may want to embroider it like the third example Setting Orientation 1 Press MENU until the LCD displays ORIENTATION MENU 2 Press ENTER and the display will show an F in the current orientation 3 Press or to scan through the...

Page 35: ...ND OF DESIGN The Idle Menus The Idle menus display information about the currently selected design You can access the idle menus while a design is embroidering or when you are in another menu 1a Press ENTER when a design is embroidering OR 1b Press ALT ENTER when you are in any other menu or sub menu The diagram below shows the first idle menu 2 Press ENTER and the second Idle menu displays as sho...

Page 36: ...nu displays as shown below If you press ENTER again you will scroll back to the first Idle menu THD 1 TENS 27 Tension Setting Active Thread Indicator Thread Number 3 8 The Idle Menus Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery Systems ...

Page 37: ...is loaded and the machine is stopped To Frame press and hold the STOP key until the beam moves You may frame either forward or backward Set the forward and backward direction in the Frame menu as described in these steps 1 Scroll through the top level menus to reach the Frame Menu 2 Press MENU until the LCD displays FRAME MENU 3 Press ENTER and the LCD displays FRAME BACK 4 Press The LCD now displ...

Page 38: ... ENTER 6 Press START and the beam and carriage moves back through the design and stops at the origin When the machine stops the LCD displays FRAME FORWARD 7 Press ENTER to resume embroidering at the start of the design Trace Menu Scroll through the top level menus or press ENTER from the Frame Menu to reach the Trace Menu The Trace Menu allows you to verify the design fits within the hoop by traci...

Page 39: ... process moves the beam and carriage assemblies to the upper left corner of the embroidery area and then returns to the starting position This home position remains the reference point for all machine calculations until the machine is turned off CAUTION The beam and carriage move rapidly during the set home process To prevent damage to equipment or material do not set home if The cap frame driver ...

Page 40: ...oll through the menus until the LCD displays HEAD TIMING MENU 4 Press ENTER and the LCD displays HEAD TIMING ON 5 Press ALT until the LCD displays GO TO HEADUP Warning When you press ENTER to activate Go To Headup the Z Motor will rotate 1 2 revolutions and the needle will move Keep clear of the needle and needle plate 6 Press ENTER 7 Scroll through the main menus until the LCD displays DESIGN MEN...

Page 41: ...controlled movement of the embroidery position within the embroidery field 1 Press MENU until the LCD displays MOVE MENU 2 Press ENTER and the LCD displays MOVE X 00 00 IN The value displayed after the prompt is either the last number entered or the default value 00 00 3 Pressing increases the value by 0 01 inches pressing decreases the value by 0 01 inches If you press and hold either of the keys...

Page 42: ...ove Menu The LCD displays MOVE MENU 3 Press ENTER and the LCD displays MOVE X 00 00 IN 4 If necessary press to make the value positive 5 Press and hold the key and the value increases rapidly Stop at 2 00 The display now reads MOVE X 02 00 IN NOTE Keep in mind that the X movement of the carriage is in reference to the needle position That means for the needle position to move to the right in the e...

Page 43: ...ataset The start and the end of the design The number of consecutive jump stitches set in the jump count option A trim immediate selection if the machine is not embroidering A change thread selection if the machine is not embroidering Setting the Options Scroll through the top level menus or press ENTER from the Head Timing Menu to reach the Trim Menu Use the Trim Menu only when the machine is idl...

Page 44: ...ss to turn the feature OFF 5 Press ENTER to leave the menu The Splicing Menu Scroll through the top level menus or press ENTER from the Trim Menu to reach the Splicing Menu The Splicing Menu provides The ability to change the current thread color An alternative way to insert thread through the splicing chamber A way to toggle on or off certain functions A tool for troubleshooting that can activate...

Page 45: ...old to scroll through the values Release the key when the desired thread position is displayed CAUTION The following step includes making trims and stitches Keep the embroidery area clear 5 Press ENTER to execute a color change NOTE Press ENTER when the Change Thread value is in the range of 1 to 18 to execute a color change to that thread position No color change takes place if The value is set t...

Page 46: ... valves ON and OFF The default is OFF These valves normally function automatically during a thread splice or insert If you are troubleshooting one of these processes test the valves individually If they are working properly you will hear a hiss of compressed air or a mechanical action such as a moving clamp as each is turned ON If there is no reaction when turning ON a valve call your Melco servic...

Page 47: ...NU 2 Press ENTER 3 Press until the display reads TRIM THREAD 4 Press either or and the machine displays TOP TRIM PAUSE 5 Press either or again to perform a trim The upper trimmer has separate left and right cutting edges You may get a successful trim when moving left from thread to thread but not when moving right or vice versa When you press or to perform the trim you are also selecting the left ...

Page 48: ...ou must respond to this message before the Advantage 18 will resume embroidering If PRESSURE LOW is displayed check your air compressor regulator and make any necessary adjustment When the air pressure returns to the 75 psi to 95 psi range the message remains until START is pressed If you check your air pressure regulator and find the pressure is between 75 psi and 95 psi you may have a broken sen...

Page 49: ...s you to turn the sensor OFF and continue embroidering 1 Scroll to the SPLICING MENU 2 Press ENTER 3 Press until the LCD displays HI PRESSURE ON 4 Press to disable the sensor The LCD displays HI PRESSURE OFF Press to enable the sensor 5 Press ENTER to leave this option The sensor will stay off until you reconfigure or perform a hard reset Reset Menu The Reset Menu allows you to delete the current ...

Page 50: ...R to display the SYSTEM RESET message 2 Press or and the LCD displays HARD RESET 3 Press ENTER and the LCD displays RESET 4 Press ENTER again and the LCD displays MEMORY CLEARED The Advantage 18 s stitch count is cleared from memory and the operator supplied parameters are restored to default values in the Move Trace Home Color Tension Orientation and Splice menus 4 14 Reset Menu Advantage 18 Oper...

Page 51: ...op up the excess fluid with a clean dry cloth and allow the machine to dry completely before turning on the power If the fluid gets inside the plastic covers remove the covers to access the interior Contact your Melco representative for recommendations Cleaning the Rotary Hook Area 1 Turn the machine power OFF 2 Remove the 2 screws holding the needle plate and lift it off the cylinder arm Set the ...

Page 52: ...e two socket head screws from the color change cover 3 Lift the rear of the cover about 3 to 3 1 2 inches as indicated in circle inset in Figure 5 1 Lift the cover straight up to remove it Thread Select Carriage cover screws Color Change Cover Aim compressed air into this opening for cleaning Figure 5 1 5 2 Cleaning the Color Change Area Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery Systems ...

Page 53: ...first thread guide as shown in Figure 5 1 As you engage the air move the can so that the air reaches all areas under the cover At the back of the manifold clean the area in and around the openings by the carriage selector If color change or thread splicing problems continue remove the cover and clean the area more thoroughly Pick away any threads that the compressed air leaves behind Reinstall the...

Page 54: ...ate the trimmers stand at the side of the machine just behind the manifold and look toward the front of the embroidery head 2 Spray air into both holes at the top of the trimmer Do this two or three times a week or any time you are having color change or thread splicing problems Aim compressed air into these openings to clean trimmer area Upper Trimmer Splicing cell Toward the front of the embroid...

Page 55: ...tor carriage to the side 3 Use a can of compressed air to blow away any lint or debris 4 Lift the magnetic strip and clean it using the lint brush provided in the operator s kit 5 Clean the metal under the threads with a soft cloth and an alcohol wipe 6 Replace the pretensioner and the embroidery threads 7 Turn the Advantage 18 ON 8 Rethread the machine Lubrication Follow the schedules in each lub...

Page 56: ...wing Machine Oil Rotary Hook 1 Slide out the table insert to gain access to the rotary hook area 2 Remove the bobbin case and bobbin from the hook assembly 3 Turn the Advantage 18 ON 4 Press MENU until the LCD displays HEAD TIMING MENU 5 Press ENTER 6 Press ALT 2 times to rotate the hook assembly into position 7 Place one drop of oil at the location on the hook assembly shown in Figure 5 6 8 Repla...

Page 57: ...r The needle bar driver is located inside the head casting directly behind the needle bar It has a spiral groove around its shaft see Figure 5 8 Access it through the take up lever slot Put 3 to 5 drops onto the shaft Cutaway of the needle case showing the needle bar Needle Bar lower lubrication location Needle Bar upper lubrication location Figure 5 7 Cutaway of the needle case showing the needle...

Page 58: ...onnecting rod 7 Slide the front cover back in place Lower Connecting Rod 1 Press MENU until the LCD displays HEAD TIMING MENU 2 Press ALT 3 Press ALT 4 Press 5 Locate the lower lubrication hole of the connecting rod It is behind the access hole on the left side of the embroidery head as shown in Figure 5 10 6 Put 1 to 3 drops into the lubricating hole Upper Connecting Rod lubrication hole Cutaway ...

Page 59: ...ley Sewing Machine Oil Every 160 operating hours Rollers left right front rear Sewing Machine Oil Every 160 operating hours Left right Y rails front rear Sewing Machine Oil Every 160 operating hours Drive Pulley Shaft front rear Left Rollers front rear Right Rollers front rear Idler Pulley Right Y Rail front and rear Left Y Rail front and rear Figure 5 11 Lubricating The Beam 5 9 110265 01 Rev A 5...

Page 60: ...y to the left 4 In turn insert the oil tube through each of the two drive pulley shaft access holes and place one drop of oil on top of the pulley shaft at each location see Figures 5 13 and 5 14 X Drive Cover Cover Screws Beam Locking Tab Figure 5 12 Figure 5 13 5 10 Lubrication Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery Systems ...

Page 61: ...Idler Pulley 5 Repeat the procedure for the idler pulley on the right side of the beam assembly see Figure 5 15 Figure 5 14 Figure 5 15 Lubricating The Beam 5 11 110265 01 Rev A 5 Operator Maintenance ...

Page 62: ...oller as shown in Figure 5 16 Y Rails Access the Y rails through the slots on either side of the beam Refer to Figure 5 17 for the specific points of lubrication Place 1 to 2 drops on each side of the Y carriage Figure 5 16 Figure 5 17 5 12 Lubrication Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery Systems ...

Page 63: ...ricant Frequency Trimmer Cam Grease Every 6 Months Trimmer Knife Arm Rear Pin Sewing Machine Oil Every 40 Operating Hours Trimmer Knife Arm Front Pin Sewing Machine Oil Every 40 Operating Hours Trimmer Knife Drive Arm Sewing Machine Oil Every 40 Operating Hours Trimmer Picker Base Shaft Sewing Machine Oil Every 40 Operating Hours Needle Plate Rear Bed Cover Figure 5 18 Lubricating the Lower Trimme...

Page 64: ...s Remove the needle plate to access the trimmer areas shown in Figures 5 20 5 21 and 5 22 Place a drop of sewing machine oil in each of the indicated locations Trimmer Cam groove Trimmer Knife Arm Rear Pin Figure 5 19 Trimmer Knife Drive Arm Shaft top view Trimmer Knife Arm Front Pin Figure 5 20 Trimmer Knife Drive Arm Shaft side view Lubricate both locations Figure 5 21 5 14 Lubrication Advantage...

Page 65: ...uire readjusting if you hit the hoop with the needle or change needle sizes types or brand Changing types of needles or threads can also require resetting the hook gap of the rotary hook Machine Out Of Timing It is rare for the machine to go out of timing but the most frequent cause is when the needle strikes the hoop while embroidering When this happens the machine stops abruptly jarring the mech...

Page 66: ...hows how the embroidery head makes a single stitch Understanding this stitch cycle will help produce quality embroidery The needle moves down through the fabric and then starts back This action creates a small loop in the thread behind the needle The degree of tightness of the loop depends on thread tensions When the loop forms the rotating hook must be in position to catch the thread Once the hoo...

Page 67: ...t the peripheral keyboard until the LCD displays HEAD TIMING MENU 5 Press ENTER and the LCD displays HEAD TIMING ON 6 Press ALT The embroidery head rotates to the headup position and the LCD displays GO TO HEADUP 7 Press ALT The embroidery head rotates one revolution The LCD displays ONE REVOLUTION The needle bar should be down with the presser foot about 1 4 inch from the needle plate 8 Press ALT...

Page 68: ...NG 14 Press 8 times The LCD displays 10 STEPS FORWARD each time the key is pressed 15 Loosen the black screw on the upper dead stop clamp See Figure 5 25 16 Press one more time This rotates the embroidery head to the full needle up position 17 Slide the clamp up firmly against the upper stop and tighten the screw on the upper dead stop clamp Make certain the screw points straight outward 18 Press ...

Page 69: ...f area approximately 1 8 inch 3 175 mm above the eye after the needle rises 3 32 inch 2 38 mm Checking Hook Timing 1 Install a new needle to better evaluate the needle hook point positioning 2 Remove the table insert bobbin case and needle plate 3 Turn the embroidery peripheral ON and select the Head Timing Menu from the keyboard 4 Press ALT to cycle the head one revolution The machine will go to ...

Page 70: ... both ends It should pass through the gap between the needle and the hook just slightly catching between the two The thread should form a V briefly before it pulls free If the gap needs to be adjusted hook timing may also be required Be directly behind the needle within about 1 2 the thickness of the needle as shown in Figure 5 27 If this is not the case the hook timing must be adjusted Figure 5 2...

Page 71: ...basket of the hook assembly 1 Turn the Advantage 18 power ON and press MENU until the LCD displays HEAD TIMING 2 Press ALT and the LCD displays HOOK TIMING Press ENTER three times then loosen but do not remove the first hook mounting screw on the right side 3 Press ENTER three more times and loosen the second screw on the right side 4 Press until the LCD displays GO TO HEADUP then press ENTER Pres...

Page 72: ...f the screws 10 If you loosened or removed the retaining finger during hook timing and hook gap adjustments you must now readjust the tab gap The retaining finger tab should Be in the groove far enough to keep the inner basket from rotating Leave a space large enough for thread to pass 11 Check all of your adjustments referring to Figure 5 27 and repeat any steps if necessary 12 Replace the needle...

Page 73: ...at automatically sends a design to the beginning of the job queue allowing you to sew without making any selections from the peripheral menus AUTO TRIM An option that automatically inserts a trim command between each alphabet letter used in a design ARC ANGLE The location of the center of lettering sewn on a circle This position is entered in degrees with 0 degrees the top of the circle and 180 de...

Page 74: ...the design in the center of the sewing field CHAIN STITCH A stitch used to outline and detail a chenille design CHENILLE A form of embroidery with a deep pile that uses heavy yarns and has no bobbin thread Commonly used for high school letter jackets CLICK Pressing and releasing a mouse button in one quick motion CLIPBOARD A temporary storage area in the computer s memory Data in the storage area ...

Page 75: ...e computer screen CUT An editing function used to take selected stitching out of a design and store it in the clipboard From there it may be pasted to a different place DATASET A basic set of instructions to produce an embroidery design DEFAULTS Values that are automatically used unless you override them with different values DENSITY The vertical distance between two lines of stitching measured in...

Page 76: ...is is usually done to move an object on the screen or to highlight text DROP DOWN MENU A list of available commands that displays when you click on a menu option Commands displayed in black are accessible commands that are displayed in gray or half tone are not EDIT Changing a design file by adding deleting or moving Mk points or by inserting and deleting functions EMBROIDERY POINT A unit of measu...

Page 77: ...sing the mouse to click and drag the rotation box around the object GRAPHICAL SCALING Making a design larger or smaller in the Layout window using the mouse in a click and drag motion GROUP OBJECTS Objects that have been locked together on the screen HARD DISK A sealed area in your computer containing a read write head and auxiliary memory HOOP A device made of wood metal or plastic used to hold a...

Page 78: ...cally from the position of the needle prior to sewing LINE NORMAL When the bottom left of the lettering is the needle position prior to sewing The sewing will stop at the bottom right and will not return to the original position LINE SPACING Adding space between lines of lettering Line space is determined by adding the letter height to the amount of blank space you want between the lines LIST BOX ...

Page 79: ...by EDS III such as Melco Tajima Barudan ZSK NORMAL STITCH A command that resets the stitching to a regular running stitch It also brings the needle down to the sewing position after a needle up function is performed OBJECT Any design from a disk paper tape or lettering brought in to the Layout window Several objects can be in one window at one time OBJECT FILE A code format where each object has i...

Page 80: ...t a particular peripheral POINT EDIT WINDOW One of the windows that is used to edit designs RADIUS The distance from the center to the circumference of a circle The value of the radius controls the amount of curve in an arc REGENERATE A command to redraw a design used to see modifications in the current design RESET STITCH See Normal Stitch RETURN TO ORIGIN A command used to move the pantograph ba...

Page 81: ... the way across a column at a curve or angle to prevent an excess of stitches at one point SLANT ANGLE A command that slants lettering in one degree increments up to fifteen degrees positive or negative SPECIAL STITCH A user defined stitch that is digitized and stored temporarily in the computer memory A Special Stitch is limited to 30 Mks or commands STATUS BAR The area at the bottom of the compu...

Page 82: ...e windows in the Application Window TOOL SET The commands and options on the left side of the window represented by icons TRANSFER DESIGN A command that sends Expanded or ASD files to the Peripheral UNDERLAY Stitches used to stabilize fabric and or prepare the area for top stitching VERTICAL SPACING A command that stair steps your lettering up positive value or down negative value WINDOW A rectang...

Page 83: ...Turn the Advantage 18 OFF then ON again Call your Melco service representative if this message occurs often Bad Design Name The design name was not found when the START key was pressed If AutoDelete is ON at the computer the design is automatically deleted when it finishes embroidering If AutoDelete is OFF the design was manually deleted from the Design Menu Reload the design Bad Keyboard Code Una...

Page 84: ...n you turn the power switch ON 1 Turn the power OFF 2 Manually move the selector carriage 3 Turn the power back ON If this message appears during a normal color change the current thread must be hand trimmed at the end of the selector carriage and the loose end removed from the splice cell and needle case Check the selector carriage again to make sure it is not jammed Center the carriage and press...

Page 85: ...ly running or another design is being downloaded Wait 20 seconds and try again May also be caused by the design being queued in the Run Design Menu If this is the case perform a system reset then delete the design Design Not Found This message displays during a power fail recovery if the Advantage 18 cannot find the last design that was embroidering in the design buffer Resend the last design from...

Page 86: ... splicing or head timing while the machine is embroidering Stop the machine and try again MC Buffer Full The motor command buffer is full To clear the MC buffer turn the power OFF then ON If AutoSend is ON at the computer it will reload the design buffer after a few seconds If you are running with AutoSend OFF reload the designs If cycling the power does not clear the screen message there may be a...

Page 87: ...cing Menu Press START to continue Pressure Low This means the sensor detects air pressure below a 65 to 75 psi range Adjust the air compressor regulator if necessary If the air pressure is above 70 psi the sensor can be disabled in the Splicing Menu Press START to continue Rack Limit If the X or Y motion is not within the embroidery field limits when the machine is running the peripheral will stop...

Page 88: ...sed by a jammed selector carriage or malfunction of the selector motor or electronics Manually move the selector carriage to see if it is jammed before trying a recovery During Power Up If this message appears during the power up and initialization sequence meaning you ve just turned the power switch ON then turn the power OFF and back ON to recover During Manual Color Change If this message appea...

Page 89: ...ches the selector position that is threaded As you do this keep the thread fairly taut to remove the slack 4 Press START Too Fast To Trim Trim speed is 80 RPM and any Z axis speed over 150 RPM causes this error The machine stops and stays in stop mode Press START to recover If this error occurs more than once during a design contact your Melco representative Trimmer Not Home This message is displa...

Page 90: ...bric Z Command Error An invalid read or write command sequence was detected in the Z controller software functions Can occur during high embroidery speed Reduce the speed or go to the Head Timing Menu and choose Go To Headup command Press START to continue Z Tracking Err This means the Z axis motor is not tracking as commanded by the Z axis controller software Execute the Go To Headup option in th...

Page 91: ...l 11 x 16 in Oval 27 x 40 cm Oval 2 4 X 4 in Rectangle 6 1 x 10 cm Rectangle 3 x 5 in Rectangle 7 6 x 12 cm Rectangle 2 5 in Spider 6 3 cm Arana 3 1 in Spider 8 cm Arana 4 4 in Spider 11 cm Arana 5 6 in Spider 14 cm Arana 6 25 in Spider 16 cm Arana 7 75 in Spider 19 5 cm Arana ALL SEWING FIELD no set limits other than the size of the sewing field ALL SEWING FIELD no set limits no set limits other ...

Page 92: ...C 2 Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery Systems ...

Page 93: ...Guide The following is a Quick Reference Guide It may be helpful to post a copy that is visible from the peripheral Feel free to remove the guide from this manual or make copies of it 110265 01 Rev A D Quick Reference Guide ...

Page 94: ...Advantage 18 Operation Manual Melco Embroidery Systems ...

Page 95: ...l appear on the display briefly then the design name will appear on the display 20 Press the START key to begin the trace function note you may repeat Trace by pressing the START key again 21 When ready to sew press the ENTER key then the START key To Reset Designs 1 Press the MENU key until RESET MENU appears on the display 2 Press the ENTER key SYSTEM RESET will appear on the display 3 Press the...

Page 96: ...Quick Reference Guide for Advantage 18 Part Number 110265 01 Rev A ...

Page 97: ... 13 Home menu 4 4 Hook timing adjusting 5 19 checking 5 18 setting 5 17 Hoops limits 4 4 loading 2 8 I Idle menu 3 7 Insert thread 4 10 J Jump count 4 8 K Keyboard 1 2 combinations 2 13 functions 2 12 using 8 button keypad 2 12 L Low pressure 4 13 Lubrication beam 5 6 head trimmer 5 12 lower conneccting rod 5 5 lower trimmer 5 11 needle bar 5 3 needle bar driver 5 4 pulley assembly 5 7 rotary hook...

Page 98: ...4 12 high pressure on 4 13 insert thread 4 10 low pressure on 4 13 trim thread 4 12 up trim motor 4 11 valve 1 off 4 11 Start up messages 1 8 Static electricity 1 3 System reset 4 14 T Tension menu 3 5 Tension settings 3 6 Thread rethreading 2 3 selector carriage 2 1 splicing 2 1 splicing cell 2 3 tensions 2 5 thread types 2 5 threading 2 1 Thread tree 1 2 Threads select position 3 6 Trace menu 4 ...

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