Why do portable hand held Bag Closing Machines fail?

Tips & Tricks

Having sold thousands of bag stitchers, the repairs and malfunction always centre on one or more of these 10 causes, no matter what brand bag stitcher you use:

  1. Poor maintenance – hard working stitchers have to be cleaned thoroughly every day. Dust, packaging particles, string, thread etc. mix with oil for a corrosive combination, wearing out the working parts of the stitcher.
  2. Stitchers dropped accidentally or due to placing it precariously on bags or raised pallets.
  3. Placing the stitcher on the floor with dirt, meal and other particles gets imbedded in the working parts.
  4. Not lubricating the stitcher. The oil level needs checking at least with every shift.
  5. Incorrectly threading the needle or using wrong thread or needle – too heavy or too light.
  6. Excessive tension on the thread.
  7. Bent, blunt or clogged needles can causing bundling of the fabric.
  8. Power issues such as loose plug connections & damaged cables cause the trigger mechanism to burn out or accumulate carbon at contacts.
  9. Using the wrong type of fabric, poor quality fabric, inconsistent fabric thickness, frayed used bags can damage your stitcher.
  10. Running too fast or too slow speeds and incorrect stitch count.

What can you do?

Why do portable hand held Bag Closing Machines fail?Having sold thousands of bag stitchers, the repairs and malfunction always centre on one or more of these 10 causes, no matter what brand bag stitcher you use:Poor maintenance – hard working stitchers have to be cleaned thoroughly every day. Dust, packaging particles, string, thread etc. mix with oil for a corrosive combination, wearing out the working parts of the stitcher.Stitchers dropped accidentally or due to placing it precariously on bags or raised pallets.Placing the stitcher on the floor with dirt, meal and other particles gets imbedded in the working parts.Not lubricating the stitcher. The oil level needs checking at least with every shift.Incorrectly threading the needle or using wrong thread or needle – too heavy or too light.Excessive tension on the thread.Bent, blunt or clogged needles can causing bundling of the fabric.Power issues such as loose plug connections & damaged cables cause the trigger mechanism to burn out or accumulate carbon at contacts.Using the wrong type of fabric, poor quality fabric, inconsistent fabric thickness, frayed used bags can damage your stitcher.Running too fast or too slow speeds and incorrect stitch count.What can you do?Solving problems 1, 2 and 3 is easily rectified by ensuring you attach your bag stitcher to a Collins spring balancer, keeping the stitcher above ground, improving efficiency by taking the stitcher load off the arm of the operator, and ensuring its not dropped or placed on a dirty floor.Other than operator training and regular mechanical and electrical maintenance, ensure you buy quality thread, lubricant and spares from an accredited supplier. 

2 Comments

  1. Robert Clarke
    Robert Clarke on August 12, 2025 at 7:02 am

    My machine when operated, just cuts out. What would be the cause of it?

    Reply
    • Marion van Niekerk
      Marion van Niekerk on September 16, 2025 at 9:12 am

      Robert

      I could be an over heating issue – sometimes if teh lucbrication isn’t running properly – the machine can start to over heat and then cause it to cut out. Is the machine’s motor hot to the touch when it cuts out? How long are you workign the machine before it cuts out?

      It can also be a trigger switch problem – that isn’t making proper connection – or a power supply problem on the power cable.

      Reply

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