Ferdco Monster Machine Sewing Up To 3 Inch Thickness

[Trox]

This Ferdco machine is currently for sale on EBay and is called a pro 4000 serial # 001. http://www.ebay.com/...984.m1438.l2648 This machine was made for the aerospace industry and is one of a kind machine. They claim it capable to handle materials up to 3 inch thickness. It looks like a triple feed lock stitch machine with a monster needle. It has the same Efka motor as I use on my 441, a DC 1550 (they have listed the control box number only in the add).

If you look closely, (if you are interested monster sewing machines as I am) you will see the motors position head(synchronizer) is located on the speed reducer, not at the machines hand-wheel as they usually is.

This is the way to do it if you need a speed reducer in addition to this powerful motor. (Efka Dc 1550 has 8 Nm and up to 1800 watt of power)

On older motors the machines position was adjusted in the position head, thats why it was placed on the hand-wheel. On the new motors the position heads only function is to calculate belt slippage. Motors mounted in direct drive do not need it.

The best way to mount a modern mini servo on a saddler machine like the 441, is to use a toothed belt like they use on Harley Davidson custom bikes. This way you will eliminate all belt slippage.

Do it like my Swedish friend has done with his Cobra class 4, only use a toothed belt and pulleys instead .

Anyway, if somebody needs a real monster machine, start bidding now.

Edited November 19, 2012 by Trox

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Need, no. Want, yes.

Able to afford? No way in hell.

[Wizcrafts]

That Super Bull has been for sale at least three times over the past two years. It was a prototype machine for sewing heat tiles onto space shuttles. The tiles were glued instead of sewn, making this machine unnecessary. The weak link may have been the available types of thread that might not stand up to the heat of reentry into the atmosphere.

[Trox]

That Super Bull has been for sale at least three times over the past two years. It was a prototype machine for sewing heat tiles onto space shuttles. The tiles were glued instead of sewn, making this machine unnecessary. The weak link may have been the available types of thread that might not stand up to the heat of reentry into the atmosphere.

Thanks for that info Wis, I guess that would be a problem yes. A problem NASA should have thought about before buying the machine with your tax dollars. It is a real nice machine anyway, it makes me sad that we lost Ferdco. They was really innovating machines builders.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

I can see a couple of problems with the whole concept:

1/ The tiles are relatively brittle and hitting them with a needle will cause them to shatter.

2/ Sewing involves putting a hole through the heat ablative tiles which is what caused the failure in the first place!

Rather than spend a couple of hundred thousand on a pointless machine the job could have been done with a modified numeric control vertical mill to prove or disprove the concept.

[Trox]

Well what can I say sewing is not rocket science

[Mike Craw]

Nor is the Government purchase process!

Mike

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Well it is now Trox!

Mike, you are a bad man. Everyone knows that the US government purchase process is strictly monitored and subject to rigorous controls.

Yes, I was all but pissing myself laughing while typing that sentence.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

Well, certainly a conversation piece, no doubt. First thing I was wondering is what needle system they were using. Specs on website state it's custom. That means 'make your own when they break and you've run out'. Good luck with that.

Very good looking machine, highest lift lockstitch I've EVER seen. But, again, this is not a production model, and everything is custom. That means when your machine has problems, you've got PROBLEMS!

[Trox]

Well, certainly a conversation piece, no doubt. First thing I was wondering is what needle system they were using. Specs on website state it's custom. That means 'make your own when they break and you've run out'. Good luck with that.

Very good looking machine, highest lift lockstitch I've EVER seen. But, again, this is not a production model, and everything is custom. That means when your machine has problems, you've got PROBLEMS!

Hi Greg, I was wondering about the same thing. It will not make it any easier that Ferdco now is closed.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Certainly is a problem!

For the machine to be worth anything more than collector value it would have to come with a complete set of production drawings - particularly for the needle. Given time and money anything can be made but we are talking a hell of a lot more money if you have to make a needle without a drawing or at least sample.

I still cannot see how it could have been made for sewing the heat ablative tiles! My suspicion is that there must have been some other material under consideration. To sew the tiles you would need to drill holes and for that I would have taken a CNC vertical mill where one head drilled the hole and the second position on the turret was the sewing head. The third position on the turret could have injected whatever compound was necessary to seal the hole.

Apart from other problems it still would not solve the issue of the tiles being brittle and being damaged by debris from the three fuel tanks/rockets and adds another variable with the thread being exposed.

I would still love to have the bloody thing!

Hi Greg, I was wondering about the same thing. It will not make it any easier that Ferdco now is closed.