The following are the 2 main categories of sewing machine.

Domestic sewing machines

These are designed mainly for one person to sew individual dresses while using a single stitch type. Modern sewing machines are designed in such a way that the fabric easily glides in and out of the sewing machine, speeding the stitching process and saving time and energy. Some key points for domestic sewing machines are as follows.

  • Domestic sewing machines are usually used in homes by people simply interested in sewing.
  • These are commonly used by people in a variety of projects for dressmaking, and for stitching simple home furnishing items.
  • With little changes, these machines can perform a variety of stitch types.
  • Domestic sewing machines usually work on lightweight fabrics or work pieces.
  •  These machines run on significantly smaller motors compared to that of the industrial sewing machines.

Industrial sewing machines

  • Industrial sewing machines are a heavy-duty version of a standard basic sewing machine, and it is used in garment and other related industries.
  • Industrial sewing machines are used for mass production.
  • These are heavy-duty machines that work thousands of stitches per minute.
  • An industrial machine is well equipped with a clutch and large servo motor.
  • Industrial machines are mainly designed to perform one single specific function in assembly line based factories.
  • Some industrial machines are designed to operate heavier than normal material.
  • Mainly, mass production requires an industrial sewing machine, which is designed to sew heavy material speedily, such as leather, canvas, and vinyl, at one time.
  • The industrial machines are named based on the function that they serve. Typical names for industrial machine class include pocket setter, buttonhole, and programmable pattern sewers, etc. For instance, a pocket industrial machine can sew 2,000 pockets in an eight-hour production cycle.
  • Programmable machines can store 10–30 or more patterns in the memory.
  • Special purpose industrial machines can give better output in production, for example, buttonhole machines, pocket setter, pattern sewer.

Industrial sewing machines are larger, faster, more complex, and more varied in their size, price and task.

Comparison between domestic and industrial sewing machines:

-          The industrial machine is faster, stitching from 3000–6000 stitches per minute, while the fastest domestic sewing machine stitches not more than 1500 stitches per minute.

-          The presser foot on a power machine is raised and lowered with a knee lift to a special foot pedal. On domestic machines, it is generally operated manually using a lever at the back of the needle bar.

-          Lubrication is done automatically in industrial sewing machines whereas it is done manually in domestic sewing machines.