Automated quilting system for a longarm
 

Hi there,
I would like to know what is the exact use or advantage one could have to own an automated quilting system (like Qbot for exemple).
I know some people doesn't really enjoy the quilting part, so it makes sense. But I Love the freedom to draw anything on a quilt. So would that be of any use for me?
I'm thinking about it because I saw an ad on my local Kijiji. Someone is selling a longarm system for a very interesting price (a Mega quilter 18-8 on an Inspira frame and a Qbot for 6000$ CAD, that's even less in USD).
I currently have a HQ16 (older version) on a portable frame; the frame is, in fact, pole and rails that I installed on some kitchen cabinet. It is set on 120 inches The HQ16 have the stitch regulator. I really like my little system, bought 2 years ago for 2500$ The only reason why I'm thinking of an upgrade is that the number of my commissioned quilts is growing each month. Would I be able to finish quilts is less time with an automated system? Then I may be worth upgrading. But I'm not sure...
Hope you'll be able to share some thoughts!
Thanks!

Forgive me, I don't know much about LA's except for what I have seen in the stores and shows. The automated machine is quilting away unattended. If that is what the Qbot is, and you can afford to have both, you could have the one machine quilting away, while you can still be creative on your first machine. Wouldn't that be a win, win??

I have the Qbot for my machine, so I can only speak to that...one of my favorite things about it is the record function...I can record myself free hand stitching a block, then have it stitch out what I just stitched on my other blocks. As for automated systems, they do speed up your turn around time.
My qbot works with ".plt" format, and I was able to find a free program that will convert drawings, etc. to the format qbot uses,so if I can't find the pattern I like, I can draw it, then convert it and stitch it. I imagine you can do that with any automated head. Goof Luck!

Interesting, I found this:
http://myqbot.com/

There is software for this where you can make your own designs and use them.

That would be absolutely wonderful. Alas, I wouldn't have the space to keep the two set up. My hubby was kind enough to allow me a 15 X 15 quilting studio in our new house, but asking for more floor may end in a divorce :D

Donna, do you know if this wonderful feature is new to Qbot or if it is on older version? The system I'm thinking of was bought on 2011 (and very lightly used due to health issue)

My set up is pcquilter, HQ16. I only do end to end patterns.

On leaving the quilt alone while it quilts...I never do that. If bad stuff happens while quilting, you will not be there to catch it early and fix it before there is too much damage to the quilt. This is especially important for the top most and bottom most rows of a quilt, and for starting a row and ending it. Sometimes the hopping foot decides to slide under an edge in stead of over it. If you are not there to stop or catch that - oh, my, what a mess! Ask me how I know....

However, over time i have become accustomed to the sound of the HQ16 happily quilting. I keep my ears tuned for changes in the sound; if it changes than I know I have to check the quilt. Nonetheless, I am still in the same room with the LA, piecing, pressing or cutting.

As with any pattern you free motion into a quilt, the length of time it takes to quilt a row is dependent on the width of the quilt, depth of the pattern, and how detailed it is. Personal observation is that with a computerized system the speed of quilting is less dependent on the speed at which your LA can stitch, and more dependent on the relationship of your quilting robot speed and the machines stitching speed. The quilting robot rules - at least with the pc quilter - so ask if you can bring a sample to test the qbot speed before you buy. I think that is especially important if you can free arm at a relatively fast pace.

Good luck!

The Qbot does allow for stitching a pre-determined pattern which I find helpful. But the others make a lot of good points - I never leave mine unattended, for the reasons noted by others. So while I don't actually have hands on directing it, I'm watching it constantly..... It does give a precision I can't match with my own free hand stitching. That said, I do both, free hand and pre -programmed....

I had that exact setup. The machine is a rebranded Tin Lizzie 18LS. The machine itself ran great, tension was easy to set. The encoders, which are the gizmos that enable the stitch regulators were constantly malfunctioning. Neither the Viking dealer nor Tin Lizzie was helpful. I finally just learned to quilt in manual mode. When you run the qbot, you have to turn on the machine in stitch regulated mode, so if that doesn't work, neither does the qbot. I really like FMQing. I would not have purchased this feature, but I got the set up used from a Viking dealer. I eventually traded the whole setup in for a handi quilter.
The frame does not have a dead bar, so you have to manually raise the takeup roller as you advance the quilt. Just something to keep in mind as you have to have easy access to both sides of the frame. Also the rollers are aluminum, so a bit more flexible than others and no magnets.
The qbot unit will record your stitching without additional software. You can store your designs off to a sim card (make sure you check the size of the card, it will only take small ones. can't remember 2 gig maybe?) Software to create your own design on your PC was separate.

I do not have an automated system, nor do I want one. Part of the fun of the quilt is making the quilting come to life with my own hands. It may not be perfect but it is my own work. I use pantographs occasionally but I prefer freehand. My husband bought me the longarm several years ago hoping I could make some money quilting for others but it is hard to compete with the computerized longarms. I enjoy the creativity that doing it myself allows, but then I am one of those people that would never buy a kit and seldom buys a pattern. I guess I am a rebel.