Prizzi now carries Shing Ling, a Taiwanese maker of industrial sewing machines for knitwear. Nine models are in our catalog: seven interlock (coverstitch) machines for hems and binding, and two feed-off-the-arm flatseamers. This guide explains who Shing Ling is, what each type of machine is used for, how to read the model numbers, and how to choose.
Who is Shing Ling?
Shing Ling Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. (星菱縫機), sometimes written Shingling, is a Taiwanese company, incorporated in October 1989. It is based in the Linkou Industrial Zone in New Taipei City, in the north of Taiwan, and its registered business is making sewing machines, industrial sewing motors and parts. The company says it makes its own parts and assembles the machines in-house, and it marks its machines "100% Made in Taiwan".
Shing Ling is more than an assembler. Google Patents lists 38 patent documents under its name, and its grants from 2024 include a mechanism that prevents skipped stitches and a double-needle machine with a thread cutter. Its range goes beyond what we stock: bartacking and button sewing machines, buttonholers, overedgers and lockstitch machines sit next to the interlock and flatseaming lines that Prizzi carries.
What Shing Ling machines are used for
Everything we carry from Shing Ling is built for knit fabrics: T-shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts, sportswear, leggings and underwear. There are two families.
Interlock (coverstitch) machines: 3 needles, 5 threads
A three-needle, five-thread interlock machine makes the cover stitch you see on the hem of a T-shirt: three parallel rows of stitching on one side and a looper thread that covers the raw edge on the other. Shing Ling's own catalog calls its VG and FG flagships "3 in 1": seam covering, hemming and tape binding.
- Cylinder-bed machines (VG series) sew on a narrow cylinder, so tubular parts slide around it. They are the machines for sleeve hems, cuffs, leg openings and the bottom hem of a finished shirt.
- Small-cylinder versions (VG-898S, VG-999S, and the short-cylinder VG-999-N800) are made for small-diameter tubes such as narrow sleeves and cuffs. Shing Ling gives the standard VG-999 cylinder a circumference of 270 mm.
- Flat-bed machines (FG series) put the fabric on a flat plate. Shing Ling lists the FG-666 for tape binding on the neck opening and shoulder of T-shirts and sportswear.
Flatseamers: 4 needles, 6 threads, feed-off-the-arm
A flatseamer joins two pieces edge to edge so that the seam lies flat on both faces, with no bulk and nothing to rub against the skin. That is why it is the seam of activewear, leggings and base layers. On a feed-off-the-arm machine the work moves off the end of the arm, which suits sleeves, leg seams and other tubular parts. Shing Ling's SL-700 series is listed for light to medium knits such as lycra and fleece, and for leggings, thermal socks and briefs. We explain the stitch itself in our guide to flatlock stitches.
The nine Shing Ling machines at Prizzi
All nine have a direct-drive servo motor, and the interlock machines have a pneumatic top and under thread trimmer (so they need a compressed-air supply). Prices, spec tables and manuals are on each product page, and you can browse them together in the Shing Ling collection.
| Model | What it is | Made for |
|---|---|---|
| VG-898A-356-AST-DS | Cylinder-bed interlock, 3 needles, 5 threads | Sleeve, cuff and bottom hems on knits |
| VG-898S-356-AST-DS | The same machine on a small cylinder | Small-diameter tubular pieces |
| VG-999-356-AST-DS | Cylinder-bed interlock with the 3-in-1 function (cover stitch, hemming, tape binding) | T-shirt, polo and sportswear hems and binding |
| VG-999-N800-356-AST-DS | Short cylinder bed with a left-hand fabric trimmer knife | Small tubular sleeves and bottom hems |
| VG-999S-N700-356-AST-DS | Small cylinder bed with a left-hand fabric trimmer knife | Small tubular sleeves and bottom hems |
| VG-888A-N600-356-AST-DS-WB | Cylinder-bed interlock with a left-hand fabric trimmer knife and an uncurling device | Hems on knits whose edges curl |
| FG-666-356-AST-DS | Flat-bed interlock, 3 needles, 5 threads | Tape binding on necklines and shoulders, flat work |
| SL-701P-GX-G1-452-DS-PLA-VD | Feed-off-the-arm flatseamer, 4 needles, 6 threads, one-side fabric trimmer, 5.2 mm gauge | Flat seams on light to medium knits |
| SL-703P-GX-G2N-460-DS-PLA-VD | The same flatseamer with a both-side fabric trimmer and a 6.0 mm gauge | Flat seams on light to medium knits |
How to read a Shing Ling model number
The codes look cryptic, but Shing Ling's catalog documents most of them. Here is what the ones on our machines mean.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| VG | Cylinder-bed interlock machine, 3 needles, 5 threads |
| FG | Flat-bed interlock machine, 3 needles, 5 threads |
| SL-70x | Feed-off-the-arm flatseamer, 4 needles, 6 threads |
| 356 | 3 needles, 5.6 mm needle gauge |
| 452 / 460 | 4 needles, 5.2 mm / 6.0 mm needle gauge |
| AST | Pneumatic top and under thread trimmer |
| DS | Direct-drive servo motor |
| S | Small cylinder bed |
| N600, N700, N800 | Versions with a left-hand knife fabric trimmer |
| WB | Uncurling device that flattens a curling fabric edge |
| G1 / G2N | One-side / both-side fabric trimmer on the flatseamers |
| GX | Dual differential feed regulator |
| PLA | Automatic presser-foot lifter, operated by air |
| VD | Venturi device that sucks away the trimmed fabric waste |
How to choose
- Start with the shape of the work. Tubes (sleeves, cuffs, leg openings) call for a cylinder bed, flat panels and binding for a flat bed, and flat seams on activewear for a flatseamer.
- Match the cylinder to the tube. The standard cylinder suits ordinary sleeves and hems. For narrow sleeves and cuffs, look at the small-cylinder versions.
- Decide how you want the fabric edge handled. A left-hand knife trims the edge as you sew, and the uncurling device (WB) helps with knits that roll.
- Choose the needle gauge for the seam you need. The VG and FG data sheets list 4.0, 4.8, 5.6 and 6.4 mm gauges, with 5.6 mm as the standard. The two flatseamers come in 5.2 mm (SL-701P) and 6.0 mm (SL-703P).
- Plan for compressed air. The pneumatic thread trimmers and presser-foot lifter spare the operator from reaching for scissors at every seam end, and they need an air supply at the table.
Read also: How to Hem a T-Shirt Like a Professional: A Complete Guide
Read also: Need a Reliable Setup for Knitwear or T-Shirt Production?
Questions
Where are Shing Ling machines made?
Shing Ling is a Taiwanese company with its head office in the Linkou Industrial Zone, New Taipei City, and it states that its machines are 100% made in Taiwan.
How long has Shing Ling been making sewing machines?
The company was incorporated in Taiwan in October 1989, according to the Taiwanese company registry.
What is the difference between an interlock machine and a flatseamer?
An interlock (coverstitch) machine sews hems and covers edges: rows of stitching on one side and a looper chain on the other. A flatseamer joins two pieces of fabric edge to edge so that the seam lies flat. The first is the hemming machine of a T-shirt line, the second the seaming machine of an activewear line. See the 3-needle coverstitch machines and the machines for knitwear for more.
Are manuals available?
Yes. Each product page has a Downloads section, and Shing Ling publishes instruction books and parts catalogs for most of its series.
See also: the Shing Ling collection, industrial coverstitch machines and underwear sewing machines.
