THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF
FEED-OFF-THE-ARM MACHINES

In February of 1962 Union Special Machine Company introduced to the world the first 36200 Flatseamer. It was, as the editor of The Needle's Eye put it then “—the first really new machine to be developed for seaming operations on flat and rib-knit underwear in the past thirty years.” From that day on the Union Special® 36200 became the benchmark for all flatseam machines.

Now, thanks to an innovation in oiling, comes the next generation of flatseamer machines:

The new 36200 Series. The concept behind oiLESS is to have little or no oil in key areas of the sewing machine. This eliminates the chance of oil drops getting on the work, resulting in more first quality garments.

These next generation 36200 machines are the first Juki Union Special machines to feature this oiLESS advancement. The parts in the needle bar area have been designed to function in a reduced oil environment, to keep the oil in the machine and away from the work. To further enhance this area, a new larger diameter needle bar, new needle head and other respective components have also been designed, still utilizing the standard 118 Series needles.

The new 36200s have gone through extensive R&D and field testing to insure the proper function and longevity of the new parts. Testing was done at sewing plants in the United States and Asia, with excellent results. “The customers did not want to give up the test machines”, says Fred Ackerman, project leader for the feed-off-the-arm line of machines. He adds, “The machines performed better than we hoped they would.”

A new numbering system applies to this oiLESS series of 36200s. The system will utilize the basic 36200 Series machine number, but it gives more information, in an easier-to-understand way, about application types, fabric trimming, sub-models and needle spacing. A complete ordering information chart with descriptions is included in the New Machine Release section of this website. Also, a complete brochure on these new machines can be downloaded at the end of the New Machine Release.

With production of the new 36200s beginning October 1, 2004, the first oiLESS machines will be arriving in customers’ plants before the end of the year---just in time for next year’s clothing designs. Contact your local Juki Union Special agent or distributor to order your new oiLESS machines. NE

Check out the latest TNE article: LESS Means More!