Here are several great resources for 3D Foam (Puff).
Digitizing:
- Melco's Presentation - Digitizing for 3D Embroidery on Facebook and YouTube
- 3D Puff Digitizing - Start to Finish - 05.26.21 - Facebook and YouTube
- Also, review the information in the attached PDF File below (General Digitizing Steps and Tips for Puff Embroidery
- Melco's Presentation - DesignShop v11 Puff Alphabets Properties
1. If you are using DesignShop v11's Puff Fonts (Block 2 Puff or Industry Script Puff), right click on the element > Properties > Styles > select Puff Alphabets > Selection > Apply.
2. Use satin stitches between 30pt and 110pt column width.
3. Set the Use Fill for greater than at 300.
4. Cap the ends of satin columns. You can use some non-puff fonts if you manually cap the ends.
5. Use a higher density, 1.5pt - 1.7pt.
6. Manually create Edge Walk or Center Walk Underlay with the Walk Input Method tool, and set the stitch length to 20pm - 25pm. Generally it is recommended to Not use Object Properties > Underlay.
7. Use 5 tie-in and tie-off stitches
Embroidery:
Melco's Presentation on Facebook - 3D Embroidery on Hats
- Use a larger needle; 90, Sharp, KK needles are recommended. They have a shorter shank and a longer blade and allow for thicker fabrics. Measuring the blade height when the needle is in the bottom center position there is just over 5mm of height for fabric (or foam). When using 6mm foam the shank is actually in the foam which traps the thread from being pulled up, so it is recommended to have 5mm or thinner Puff.
- Set your presser-foot to 9 clicks up (Maxed out).
- Set your sew speed to 700.
- If you are using Bravo OS v11 you will need to set the Acti-Feed manually for puff. As a rule of thumb, add 5 Acti-Feed points per millimeter of puff thickness and a Maximum 10 points higher than the Minimum. Run a test to verify if this is correct for the specific application.
- If you are using Bravo OS v12, you will need to set it manually 10 points per millimeter in the Advanced UI or with the 3D puff buttons in the Simplified UI.
- Check the 3D puff checkbox in the operating software, or if that isn’t available adjust your Acti-Feed appropriately.
Puff Checkboxes in Melco OS:
7. Use the same or similar color foam as the thread that sews over the foam.
8. Use the Sample Designs (below) on stable garments such as caps or bags.
9. If you are still having issues after checking all other steps for 3D puff digitization and embroidery, you might need to check your Presser Foot Eccentric Adjustment.
Finishing the product:
- Push in excess foam under the threads
- Use a heat gun to tighten the stitches
- Foam can be washed, but avoid over-drying it. Do Not Dry Clean garments that have foam.
Additional Resources: