How Are Sewing Needles Made?
How Are Sewing Needles Made? A sewing needle is a long slender tool with a pointed tip that is used for stitching. A hand sewing needle has a hole on the non pointed tip of the needle called the “Eye.” The eye is used to insert thread through the fabric after the pointed end has pierced it.
Even though the needle looks simple, the process of making it is not an easy task. Sewing needles are made from coils of high grade carbon steel wire.
The wire is cut into pieces long enough for two needles. Though the process looks simple, the wire is required to be heated, pressed and then cooled.
Next, the ends of the wires are sharpened on a grindstone, one end at a time. After the ends are sharpened, the middle section of the wire is stamped, to make a flat place for the eyes. The two eyes are punched in the middle of each piece of wire by another machine.
Now, each piece of wire has become a double needle. The needles are cut apart and the eye ends are rounded and smoothed. Finally, the needles are tempered (toughened) and polished.
Once finished the needle heads are again heated to countersink the eyes. Countersink on the eyes are done to ensure that the inside of the eyes are smooth and would not shred the thread.
After countersinking the needle is electroplated in nickel to make it corrosion resistant and also to make it shiny and smooth. The final polishing takes place after electroplating to achieve the desired quality.