For Those Wanting to Provide Services with Rhinestone Machines!

Straight Forward NO B.S. Facts on All Machines in the Marketplace

1. Can we provide stock designs?
2. How long do the designs last on the garment?
3. Where do I get the supplies and suppliers?
4. What kinds of artwork can we accept?
5. How do people pay?
6. How much does a design cost?
7. What colors can I get?
8. How long does it take to get the transfers?
9. Can I use other suppliers raw materials on the Libero™ machine?
10. What are the different qualities of stones?
11. How long does it last in the wash?

1. Which machine is right for me?
2. I’m home based, how do I start and with what?
3. I’m and established business how do I start and with what?
4. What machine has the least risk and the most return?
5. Why are your machines better than others?
6. Why is your machine different than the Korean/Chinese machines?
7. Fact and Myth on websites with regards to Libero and CAMS machines!
8. Why should I buy Crystal CAD software when they other guys give out theirs for free?
9. How long is the company in business?
10. How do I get service and support where I live?
11. What are the #1 service issues?
12. How do you handle warranty service?

Can we provide stock designs?
Rule #1. We don’t provide the services we refer you to our machine owners around the country. It would be highly unfair to our machine customers if we offered the service and competed with them. It’s a conflict of interest in our opinion. 100% of all USA contract work is directed to Libero machine owners around the country, period.

Yes, we have CD’s with hundreds of stock designs for you to use on the Libero machine. Please remember that your focus is not to compete with the stock design suppliers out there, your goal is to offer custom designs in short time frames in all kinds of volumes from a few dozen to several thousand. The key is IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. So short in fact, that overseas and out of country can’t compete with this level of service! America is one of the largest instant demand users.

Yes the textile market has died and can’t compete with cheap labor costs in China but that is not your target. It’s the massive demand for custom designs, small and medium production runs & quick turnover. (I.e. Using crystal CAD to create a design and quote in less than 20 minutes, fire it off to your prospect and start production the same day and ship out that day or the next!)

How long do the designs last on the garment?
They generally last the lifetime of the garment, just as long as screen printing or embroidery. It also really depends on who is applying the transfer and if the heat press machine is in good working order or not! If you have a defective or ancient heat press you cannot expect the same long lasting results as with a heat press in perfect working order.

If you are using junk crystals from China from any old supplier don’t dare expect the same results as when you are using Swarovski™ Crystals. You get what you pay for and there are lots of choices. Here is an application troubleshooting guide you can download, print off in color and hang on the wall above your heat press for your staff to use. Application Guide Wall Chart

If you don’t have a heat press, please take a look at these. We use them ourselves and can recommend them with confidence.  Heat Press Info

Where do I get the supplies? (stones and transfer paper)
For stones there is of course Swarovski™ stones. Contact them direct for a dealer located near you to be sure they are authorized. Then there are Czech stones, Korean and Chinese made stones. This is where it gets difficult as there are only few reputable and reliable overseas suppliers of machine cut crystals that have any true shine, washability and lasting adhesion, but they are hard to find. Quite frankly you will only ever need 3 or 4 suppliers in total, problem is that there are 40 plus to choose from. When you have a Permaboss machine we will provide with those resources and contacts.

For transfer paper there are many suppliers but only a few decent ones again. If you go cheap you will fight to remove the backing from the transfer paper. Or it will stick too much to the t-shirt, or it won’t hold the stones etc. Our current Libero clients use massive quantities of stones and transfer paper. (what’s massive how about $5,000-$40,000 a month) Over the last few years we have learned who you can trust, who you can use, what works and what does not. Again, when you have a Permaboss machine we will provide with those resources and contacts.

What kinds of artwork can you accept? (machine users and providers)
The better the original artwork the quicker the results. If there is extensive artwork time required we will typically let the client know before we begin and provide an estimate.

Artwork is usually billed at $55/hr. NOTE: Permaboss does not actually provide the services but we have many machine owners that do and we can refer you to them. Their guidelines may differ!

Artwork Specs for each design:
Ideal: PC Format CDR or EPS.
Tiff, Jpeg or Bitmap (only if Hi Resolution! ie. >= 300dpi).
If Corel or Adobe then convert the text to curves.
Please specify size you want the logo to be Length first then Height.
If you are a MAC user the artwork can only be accepted as a PDF or EPS only.

How do people pay?
If you are a start up business we have all sorts of great resources for you that will help you get setup with merchant accounts. We have the documents you will need to protect yourself from those on the internet that are not 100% legit, from charge backs etc. You should accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex or even Discovery. You should accept payment by check. Accounts need to be established. Our rule is that all your first orders should be COD and a credit card must be on file with authorization for accounts. All the standard forms you can think of are in the startup kit. We have proven this business works and have made a blue print or marketing template for you to follow.

How much does a design cost?
There is no single answer to this as the cost of any design will vary depending on size, type of stone used, number of stones in the design, and quantity of designs. A small design could be anywhere for $0.80 to $3.00. Large, complex designs can be over $20.00 each if made in the highest quality Swarovski™ brand crystals. The most important point to understand is that you have an average of a 321% markup on the goods. This is not pulled out of a hat, this is a fact. The kit we provide shows you what your competitors are charging for their services. You can also mystery shop them and find out for yourself, that’s how we did it!

What colors can I get?
There are many different colors available in rhinestones, rhinestuds and nailheads. The rhinestones are translucent and the rhinestuds nailheads are shiny and opaque. All of the basic commonly used colors are available such as red, blue, pink, white, black, green, yellow, silver and gold. There is also a selection of more unusual colors. You should consult a color chart before choosing the colors you would like to use. You can use us or you can find your own suppliers for the raw materials. Download our color catalogue here!

How long does it take to get the transfers?
On an average sized order, the turnaround is 5-7 business days. A rush 48 hour service is available for a 30% surcharge. On large orders over or ones with 500 pieces, please contact us for a time estimation as it fluctuates based on current production volume.

Can I use other suppliers raw materials on the Libero™ machine?
Short answer is yes of course you can. Just remember that the Libero is like a race car. Put contaminated fuel from the cheapest bargain basement no name gas station in the gas tank and let me know if you win any races? Put in premium race fuel and win the race. Remember, at the end of the day you get what you pay for. If you put garbage product in your machine you will get those kinds of results trying to run it. Think of it this way, if you try to nickel and dime here and there and buy from a cheaper supplier then they money you save will be the fact that they are selling inferior product, often not proven for machine use only for hand use. There are not short cuts here. In the end spending a bit more on higher quality product will only cost you pennies per design. If you make $1.50 or $2.00 profit then why cheat your customers to save a few pennies. The big savings will be in the fact that you will have less quality control and labor if you use better supplier’s products. Save here and spend their, just don’t forget our goal is to reduce the labor cost by using the Libero™ like a robot, faster than any human, more accurate and more reliable!

What are the different qualities of stones?
In Rhinestones, you have three different qualities to choose from. The first is Korean stones, which are very economical for a budget conscious order. Next are the Czech stones, which are better quality, more consistent and sparkly. The price is slightly higher. The best quality is the Swarovski™ brand crystals, which look almost like real diamonds. The shape of each stone is near perfect and they sparkle the most.

Rhinestuds are the shape of rhinestones but made out of aluminum and therefore opaque (they are made to resemble rhinestones at a more economical price). Nailheads are flat and also made out of aluminum.
Download our color catalogue here!

How long does it last in the wash?
Provided that the proper application instructions and washing instructions are followed, the stones will last the life of the garment. If you are applying the transfers, please request a transfer guide. The care instructions are cold wash inside out and lay flat to dry. Most people don't follow that rule any ways but not to worry, the proper application will endure the worst of habits!
For an even more extensive list of confidential questions and answers please request the kit here

If you want to provide a service to others or you want to decorate clothing with rhinestone, rhinestud, or nailhead designs and logos then either one of the Libero Machines or the new Permaboss Motif Maker is for you.

If you are a dance or costume maker who wants add embellishment in the form of Rhinestones be it Swarovski® or Korean or other crystals to your garments then the Bosmatic or Variomats are for you.

I’m home based, how do I start and with what?
The Permaboss Motif Maker is roughly half the price of the Korean made CAMS machine. There are over 2800 units sold in the last 12 years around the world. It is also made in Austria where the best crystals come from as well as the best crystal related robotic setting machines.

For the record we have had several businesses start with a Libero machine in their garage and in less than 18 months move to a larger location purchase a second machine and then in less than 28 months purchase a 3rd machine and just recently order a 4th machine only because the business demands it.

There are other stories where 1 machine was just fine, especially now that the Libero Endless has been released because you don’t need to stand beside it all day long!

It’s really a question of what you want to invest. $20,000 range for an Austrian made motif maker 12 years in the market place or $40,000 range for a Korean machine with 3.5 years in the market or a Libero which is more but has 23 years of production history in the market! It’s your call.

Remember that when you start with the small machine from Permaboss you can easily trade up to a Libero. If you have a non Austrian made machine you don’t have that opportunity.

I’m and established business how do I start and with what?
If you are an existing embroidery business or screen printing business or have a business related to clothing like ASI, or dance wear or similar you can start with a Libero. If you have customers already who are buying some sort of wearables from you already then a Libero is the best overall productive transfer making machine on the market today. It costs twice as much as a Korean machine for example but it does not require a person at $25,000 a year to stand beside it. Plus if you are producing any sort of quantity on the CAMS machine from Korea you need at least 2 people correcting the stones and doing QC on the output of the Korean machine.  

Plus if you are producing any sort of quantity on the CAMS machine from Korea you need at least 2 people correcting the stones and doing QC on the output of the Korean machine.  

In USA or Canada you can’t really afford to have a robot and then have to correct sheet after sheet after sheet with tweezers! You may as well use the Permaboss Motif Maker if that’s the case and touch it once instead of twice, and that machine is half the price!

The Libero endless on the other hand can run more accurate stone for stone and without constant attendance. Best of all it’s so darn accurate that you have very little quality control work after the fact. The point is that with a Libero you pay for the labor one time up front. With the CAMS machine you pay for 2-3 people each and every year for the life of the machine. It’s actually cheaper to buy but 3 times more costly to run per year!

We know from people that started with the Korean machines that you need to stand beside it because it just can’t run without operator intervention constantly. I.e. pressing the reset button every 18-20 stones. Sorry to be blunt but we have never had a Libero customer buy a Korean machine after owning a Libero, but we have several people who have purchased or leased a Libero out of pure frustration of the CAMS machine. See below for the exact reasons why! (Fact and Myth)

What machine has the least risk and the most return?
The PMM5432 was created specifically for those who want the most bang for their buck and the least risk. Some people purchased the cheaper Korean machine instead of the Libero and when we asked why the answer was always the same. “We were not 100% sure if the business would take off like you said so we just bought the less expensive machine.”

If that is similar to your feelings or reasoning then the Permaboss Motif Maker is the perfect answer because its half the price of the Korean machine, easier to learn, easier to use, produces more perfect designs in less time with more colors.

The labor is actually just a little less because you can produce more with similar labor costs. Both are no as cheap as the Libero Endless in terms of labor but there is nothing that beets the security of a machine that is tried, tested and proven the marketplace to the tune of 2800 machines world wide, mostly in Europe, Asia and Middle Eastern countries. It was released for sale in USA & Canada in Aug of 2006

Why are your machines better than others?
In exactly the same way a Porsche is different than a Hyundai. Both can get you to the 7-11 but only one can truly perform under race conditions. One has a history of innovation, development and a winning track record the other is a new comer on the block always following the leader’s innovations but a few years behind. In this case the Libero was a 100% production machine for almost 13 years before it was ever thought of as a machine to sell into the market for people like you. The innovations started 23 years ago in Austria and at that time there were only the Swarovski® crystals.

Find me one single Korean machine that can run 20-24 hours a day for 18 months without a service call? There is a multitude of Libero owners who did just that in the USA since 2002!

A Libero has more parts, yes it true. A machine made 100% in Europe with Bosch and Siemens parts made in Germany etc is simply more expensive than a machine that has no CSA UL certified parts or name brand made in Germany parts.

If you are only going to own one machine and you are going to be 100% dependant on it. Do you want one that is capable of performing night and day and having any part on hand in 24 hours or less, comes with a complete technical manual, schematics, user description, training DVD and on site technician to setup and train you and provide know how?

Why is your machine different than the Korean/Chinese machines?
The number one main difference is that all the Permaboss Rhinestone machines use a vacuum pump to suck up the crystals and the Korean/Chinese made machine skip this expensive cost of having one or more pumps because they only used compressed air.

It’s called the Venturi Principle. The suction is created by pushing air from one side of the nozzle to the other. In this wind flow air is pulled from the opening into the streaming rush of air. In the case of the Korean CAMS machine it is supposed to suck the stone up and hold it long enough to put it to the transfer paper.

The problem is that this is about 12 times less suction than using a dedicated vacuum pump. All the Libero machines specifically use two vacuum pumps. One large one just to collect the stone from the stations and the other smaller one is used to pick the stones from the hopper. This is the trick to 100% collection of stones! It adds several thousand dollars to the cost of building a machine but you just can’t compare the performance.

Large Vacuum pump for header

Small Vacuum pump for picker station

Fact and Myth on websites with regards to Libero and CAMS machines!
Speed: The CAMS machine spec is rated at: “max working speed 70 stones per minute” The Libero is rated at 92 stones per minute BUT at 4 colors. The CAMS will not operate at 70 stones per minute in the best of conditions and especially not when more than one color is being used.

The reason is that with the Libero each station is waiting and ready with a stone and the header moves to get it.

With the CAMS machine header needs to wait until the hopper moves into position.

Find one customer who can really truly run at 70 stones per minute and I will show you a Libero customer who runs at 92-108 stones per minute for each one!

Smell: The Libero smells of oil the CAMS has no odors. The Libero’s large vacuum pump does use hydraulic oil. The window needs to be checked every week and it needs to be at half way.

If you add an ounce of the oil during the day and one tiny drop touches the warm body of the motor there can be smell for 15 -20 minutes. But NO it does not leak or smell.
We have many clients who have 1,2,3, or even 4 Libero machines. If you ask one of them they will tell you its the smell of money being made and laugh, but the reality is that there is no smoke, no odor to talk of other than the competitions sales talk to avoid discussing the issue of dropped stones on their machines.

6 colors is better than 4 colors: Today after 4 years of selling the Libero I have found out from our clients that more than 85% of jobs are 1 color. Almost 99% of jobs are either 3 sizes or 3 colors OR LESS. Less than 1% of jobs for the US market are 4 colors or more! Period. Get what you need not what sounds good on paper. The more you have the more that can go wrong!

Why should I buy Crystal CAD software when they other guys give out theirs for free?
Crystal CAD is a product that was developed by Permaboss and independently of the Austrian machine maker. It is actually coming from an $18,000 jewelry design CAD CAM program but because we only need the 2D and not the 2.5D and 3D and milling options and we are able to buy bulk we get it for 10% of that price. It is customized with an incredible library of artwork. It has the most practical tools you could ever imagine and you can do things that are impossible with the free GemMaster let alone do it in minutes rather than in hours! Take a close look at the Crystal CAD software and compare notes carefully. There is a detailed comparison of both at the bottom of the page!

How long has the company been in business?
The manufactures of the Libero have been in business more than 23 years, the Motif Maker more than 14 years but they also sold more than 2800 units in that time (for a metal cutting application that is much tougher than motif making on the machine) And Permaboss has been in business since 1999. All companies have had double digit growth in each of those years and the market for BLING does not seem to be shrinking at all. It’s under serviced and in high demand, exactly the opposite of embroidery and screen printing which is over serviced and saturated with too many providers.

How do I get service and support where I live?
The Libero uses the same system for 18 years, it’s totally proven, reliable and fool proof. There is nothing on the Libero robots that is inherently weak besides the fact that some preventative maintenance on the hydraulic oil of the vacuum pumps should be checked and replaced periodically according to schedule but this is the same as brakes and oil on a car. If you do this regularly you won’t have problems. In all the machines In the last 4 years there has not been a single catastrophic failure in the delivery of the stones, in any capacity other than user error or software error created by the user or in one case faulty electrical supply at the facility where the machine was. As soon as this was corrected the machine was running. It was not the machines fault.  

Our technicians can see and control the machine remotely from our office upon your request and 92% of all issues were solved is less than 20 minutes on the phone! That’s a fact. We have machines from Dubai to Mexico City, all over north America, south America and Europe, Asia, Middle East etc. Every single one of the machines sold 13 years ago is still in operation today!

What are the #1 service issues?
Do your preventative maintenance! Do your visual checks as described in your manuals. If we can go to a restroom at a gas station and see a checklist on the bathroom door on the way out, why can’t you follow a 5 minute checklist once a week!

The # 1 service issue is in the first 2 weeks of owning the machine. It takes a little patience to setup the machine. If you try to rush it and do it in 5 minutes you will get poor output results. After a few weeks it will become totally second nature and instead of taking you 10-15 minutes a job it will take you 5 minutes or less to make complete total change over’s.

#2 is that people can’t resist sticking their hand in the machine to remove a fallen stone and they get hit and need to reset the calibration file.

#3 is that people can’t resist changing the computer to USA settings instead of German/Austrian settings as they watch and wait for the machine to finish that job. Instead of doing something else they come up with the great idea to change the screen saver, make the clock match their wrist watch etc But when they discover the PC is set to Europe they just can’t resist. This changes the date format and causes an error in the software. Is the first question we ask, no one admits it, no one did it but it’s changed. We don’t point fingers but we change it back and everything is fine.

These are true stories; it happens to 9 out of 10 machines!

How do you handle warranty service?
As mentioned above, we have an extensive manual. We fly out and train you or your people in person. We take the machine apart (almost) and you put it back together. You have a detailed manual, training checklist we cover in person and you are comfortable, independent and have documentation, DVD’s and experience before we go. There is nothing you can’t change or replace on your own when we leave. If you are not technical have a spouse, neighbor, best friend or someone join the training session. There is no cost to have more than one person there. We suggest that no more than three people in your company join so that the technician and give each one personal time.