I have a 4-needle machine and it does FSL excellently, even when I make combinations to fill the largest hoop. Special needle designs (twin or sword) can't be used because of the hole in the stitch plate, everything else works perfectly.
I do everything that has 4 or less colour changes on that machine - more colours and I use my Ruby.

I have made many FSL designs on my 6 needle machine. What I cannot do is to match the bobbin thread if I choose to use colors other than white

My Amaya XT 16 needle does FSL just fine. I suspect the problem for some is matching the bobbin thread. Most of mine have been white or silver so I can use all white bobbins. You would need to wind bobbins to match the top thread and put in a stop for each color change so the machine would stop and wait for you to change the bobbin. If you don't put in stops you would need to sit with it and stop the machine manually when you needed to change the bobbin color. Marcelle

I do not have a commercial embroidery machine, but my Dealer - Bernina has a six needle which embroiders FSL beautifully. Just a matching of the bobbin thread, which she does somehow - I do not know what she does, but it works lovely.

I do not have a commercial machine - wonder if any of the CUTE family does?

I would imagine the only reason or trouble with making FSL on a commercial machine - would have to do with the bobbin thread matching the top thread.

Miems at Stitch Delight who digitzes free standing lace has a commercial machine and she test stitches her designs on it.

I think now there are more digitzers that design lace and have commercial machines.

Suz at BFC has an Amaya and even used rayon thread in that machine for lace and she said that she just adjusted the tension for it.
Now she sells and use poly for her designs.

I don't know of any problem running FSL on a Commercial machine.
I think they can adjust the bobbin case for running the same weight of thread in the bobbin.

I have a 15 needle commercial machine. I have done FSL with no problem. No different than any other kind of design.

Mary Ann

I have a Brother PR600II which has 6 needles and I have done tons of FSL and match the color of the bobbin to the top thread. I can do several different designs in the same hoop and if I want the same color thread on both sides I just wind them all to begin with and change when the machine stops to go to the next color. I will post some pictures.

Wow, I wish I had the money to buy a commercial machine and a place to put it and a truck to haul it into service. 3 reasons why I don't have one. Lucky ladies who have one. I just dream. Kay

you can do FSL on a multi needle why couldn't you, I did a bunch of multi colored angels and just put stops in to change the bobbin to match the top, same as you would with a single needle. Changing bobbin was actually easier since I didn't have to take my hoop off to change the bobbin