This special MR needle has a standard round point for sewing woven and knitted fabrics. It is used in industrial chain-stitch and multipurpose sewing machines for general apparel and textile manufacturing.
The difference from standard versions without MR lies in a special modification designed for automated and demanding embroidery and sewing tasks. The abbreviation MR stands for “Multi-Directional Efficiency” (or, in the case of Schmetz, for a special multidirectional geometry). This needle features an extremely deep, specially shaped groove and an asymmetrical thread channel. It was developed to prevent skipped stitches and thread breaks during rapid changes in direction (e.g., on computer-controlled embroidery machines or multi-directional sewing machines), as the thread remains optimally protected in every direction of movement.
Since the shank length, total length, and piston diameter correspond exactly to those of the standard version, an MR needle does not jam the machine. However, if your machine’s manufacturer explicitly requires a 149x3 MR for multidirectional sewing, using a standard 149x3 during rapid direction changes will very likely result in skipped stitches or thread breaks.
