U.S. patent application number 11/083839 was filed with the patent office on 2006-09-21 for interchangeable wire drive for wire feeder and spool gun.
This patent application is currently assigned to Lincoln Global, Inc., a Delaware Corporation. Invention is credited to Craig L. Diekmann, David W. Perrin.
Application Number | 20060207981 11/083839 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37009230 |
Filed Date | 2006-09-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060207981 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Diekmann; Craig L. ; et
al. |
September 21, 2006 |
Interchangeable wire drive for wire feeder and spool gun
Abstract
A modular welding wire feed drive for use in a welding system.
The welding wire feed drive is designed to be detachably connected
to the welding wire feed system of the welding system. The welding
wire feed drive includes a drive housing designed to be detachably
connectable to the welding wire feed system, a wire contact
arrangement designed to controllably feed welding wire through the
welding wire feed drive, and a drive motor that is connected to or
interconnected to the wire contact arrangement to at least
partially drive the wire contact arrangement.
Inventors: |
Diekmann; Craig L.; (Mentor,
OH) ; Perrin; David W.; (Wadsworth, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FAY, SHARPE, FAGAN, MINNICH & MCKEE, LLP
1100 SUPERIOR AVENUE, SEVENTH FLOOR
CLEVELAND
OH
44114
US
|
Assignee: |
Lincoln Global, Inc., a Delaware
Corporation
|
Family ID: |
37009230 |
Appl. No.: |
11/083839 |
Filed: |
March 18, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
219/137.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B23K 9/1336
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
219/137.2 |
International
Class: |
B23K 9/12 20060101
B23K009/12 |
Claims
1. A modular-detachable welding wire feed drive for use in a
welding system, said welding wire feed drive including a drive
housing designed to be detachably connectable to the welding wire
feed system, a wire contact arrangement designed to controllably
feed welding wire through said welding wire feed drive, and a drive
motor that is connected to or interconnected to said wire contact
arrangement to at least partially drive said wire contact
arrangement, said welding system including a wire feed system
selected from the group consisting of a welder wire feeder designed
to push welding wire through a welding cable, a gun wire feeder
designed to be integrated with a welding gun, or combinations
thereof.
2. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, wherein said
wire contact arrangement includes at least one drive roller.
3. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, including a
gear arrangement to interconnect said drive motor to said wire
contact arrangement.
4. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 2, including a
gear arrangement to interconnect said drive motor to said wire
contact arrangement.
5. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, including a
wire guide designed to at least partially guide said welding wire
from said wire contact arrangement to an exterior of said drive
housing.
6. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 4, including a
wire guide designed to at least partially guide said welding wire
from said wire contact arrangement to an exterior of said drive
housing.
7. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, wherein said
drive housing includes a wire spool compartment designed to contain
a spool of welding wire.
8. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 6, wherein said
drive housing includes a wire spool compartment designed to contain
a spool of welding wire.
9. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 7, wherein said
wire spool compartment is designed to enable replacement of said
spool of welding wire.
10. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, wherein said
housing includes a front and back wire opening, at least one of
said openings is designed to be detachably connectable to a welding
cable.
11. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 8, wherein said
housing includes a front and back wire opening, at least one of
said openings is designed to be detachably connectable to a welding
cable.
12. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, including a
wire spool tension arrangement designed to apply tension to said
spool as such spool rotates in said drive housing.
13. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 11, including a
wire spool tension arrangement designed to apply tension to said
spool as such spool rotates in said drive housing.
14. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, including an
identification arrangement at least partially on an exterior of
said housing, said identification arrangement providing information
about at least one component characteristic of said welding wire
feed drive, said component characteristic including characteristic
selected from the group consisting of type of said welding wire to
be used with said welding wire feed drive, type of said welding
wire including in said drive housing, diameter of said welding wire
to be used with said welding wire feed drive, gear ratio of said
gear arrangement in said drive housing, type of motor in said drive
housing, speed or recommended speed of said motor in said drive
housing, wire tension or recommended wire tension associated with
said wire contact arrangement, current or recommended spool break
tension, set or recommended welding wire feed speed, amount of said
welding wire remaining on said wire spool, amount of use of said
welding wire feed drive, model information about said welding wire
feed drive, parts information regarding said welding wire feed
drive, information about when said welding wire feed drive was
used, information about what welding unit said welding wire feed
drive was used, information about the proper welding unit said
welding wire feed drive can be used with, voltage information for
operation of said welding wire feed drive, current information for
the operation of said welding wire feed drive, voltage information
for a welding power wave, current information for a welding power
wave, welding wire polarity information for a welding power wave,
shielding gas information, or combinations thereof.
15. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 13, including
an identification arrangement at least partially on an exterior of
said housing, said identification arrangement providing information
about at least one component characteristic of said welding wire
feed drive, said component characteristic including characteristic
selected from the group consisting of type of said welding wire to
be used with said welding wire feed drive, type of said welding
wire included in said drive housing, diameter of said welding wire
to be used with said welding wire feed drive, gear ratio of said
gear arrangement in said drive housing, type of motor in said drive
housing, speed or recommended speed of said motor in said drive
housing, wire tension or recommended wire tension associated with
said wire contact arrangement, current or recommended spool break
tension, set or recommended welding wire feed speed, amount of said
welding wire remaining on said wire spool, amount of use of said
welding wire feed drive, model information about said welding wire
feed drive, parts information regarding said welding wire feed
drive, information about when said welding wire feed drive was
used, information about what welding unit said welding wire feed
drive was used, information about the proper welding unit said
welding wire feed drive can be used with, voltage information for
operation of said welding wire feed drive, current information for
the operation of said welding wire feed drive, voltage information
for a welding power wave, current information for a welding power
wave, welding wire polarity information for a welding power wave,
shielding gas information, or combinations thereof.
16. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, including a
control interface that provides information between said welding
wire feed drive and said welding system.
17. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 15, including a
control interface that provides information between said welding
wire feed drive and said welding system.
18. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, wherein an
exterior of said drive housing includes a color coding used to
identify at least one characteristic of said welding wire feed
drive.
19. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 17, wherein an
exterior of said drive housing includes a color coding used to
identify at least one characteristic of said welding wire feed
drive.
20. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, wherein said
drive motor and said wire contact arrangement are at least
partially contained in said drive housing.
21. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 19, wherein
said drive motor and said wire contact arrangement are at least
partially contained in said drive housing.
22. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 1, including a
wire spool cartridge detachably connectable to said drive housing,
said wire spool cartridge including a spool cavity to rotatably
secure a spool of wire and said wire contact arrangement.
23. The welding wire feed drive as defined in claim 21, including a
wire spool cartridge detachably connectable to said drive housing,
said wire spool cartridge including a spool cavity to rotatably
secure a spool of wire and said wire contact arrangement.
24. A method of supplying welding wire to a welding system
comprising: a) providing a welding wire feed system, said welding
wire feed system selected from the group consisting of a welder
wire feeder designed to push welding wire through a welding cable,
a gun wire feeder designed to be integrated with a welding gun, or
combinations thereof; b) providing a modular-detachable welding
wire feed drive for use in said welding wire feed system, said
welding wire feed drive including a drive housing designed to be
detachably connectable to the welding wire feed system, a wire
contact arrangement designed to controllably feed welding wire
through said welding wire feed drive, and a drive motor that is
connected to or interconnected to said wire contact arrangement to
at least partially drive said wire contact arrangement; and, c)
detachably connecting said modular-detachable welding wire feed
drive to said welding wire feed system.
25. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein said wire contact
arrangement includes at least one drive roller.
26. The method as defined in claim 24, including a gear arrangement
to interconnect said drive motor to said wire contact
arrangement.
27. The method as defined in claim 25, including a gear arrangement
to interconnect said drive motor to said wire contact
arrangement.
28. The method as defined in claim 24, including a wire guide
designed to at least partially guide said welding wire from said
wire contact arrangement to an exterior of said drive housing.
29. The method as defined in claim 27, including a wire guide
designed to at least partially guide said welding wire from said
wire contact arrangement to an exterior of said drive housing.
30. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein said drive housing
includes a wire spool compartment designed to contain a spool of
welding wire.
31. The method as defined in claim 29, wherein said drive housing
includes a wire spool compartment designed to contain a spool of
welding wire.
32. The method as defined in claim 30, including the step of
replacing a spool of welding wire in said drive housing.
33. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein said housing
includes a front and back wire opening, at least one of said
openings is designed to be detachably connectable to a welding
cable.
34. The method as defined in claim 31, wherein said housing
includes a front and back wire opening, at least one of said
openings is designed to be detachably connectable to a welding
cable.
35. The method as defined in claim 24, including a wire spool
tension arrangement designed to apply tension to said spool as such
spool rotates in said drive housing.
36. The method as defined in claim 34, including a wire spool
tension arrangement designed to apply tension to said spool as such
spool rotates in said drive housing.
37. The method as defined in claim 24, including the step of
identifying at least one component characteristic of said welding
wire feed drive by use of an identification arrangement positioned
at least partially on an exterior of said drive housing, said
component characteristic including characteristic selected from the
group consisting of type of said welding wire to be used with said
welding wire feed drive, type of said welding wire included in said
drive housing, diameter of said welding wire to be used with said
welding wire feed drive, gear ratio of said gear arrangement in
said drive housing, type of motor in said drive housing, speed or
recommended speed of said motor in said drive housing, wire tension
or recommended wire tension associated with said wire contact
arrangement, current or recommended spool break tension, set or
recommended welding wire feed speed, amount of said welding wire
remaining on said wire spool, amount of use of said welding wire
feed drive, model information about said welding wire feed drive,
parts information regarding said welding wire feed drive,
information about when said welding wire feed drive was used,
information about what welding unit said welding wire feed drive
was used, information about the proper welding unit said welding
wire feed drive can be used with, voltage information for operation
of said welding wire feed drive, current information for the
operation of said welding wire feed drive, voltage information for
a welding power wave, current information for a welding power wave,
welding wire polarity information for a welding power wave,
shielding gas information, or combinations thereof.
38. The method as defined in claim 36, including the step of
identifying at least one component characteristic of said welding
wire feed drive by use of an identification arrangement positioned
at least partially on an exterior of said drive housing, said
component characteristic including characteristic selected from the
group consisting of type of said welding wire to be used with said
welding wire feed drive, type of said welding wire included in said
drive housing, diameter of said welding wire to be used with said
welding wire feed drive, gear ratio of said gear arrangement in
said drive housing, type of motor in said drive housing, speed or
recommended speed of said motor in said drive housing, wire tension
or recommended wire tension associated with said wire contact
arrangement, current or recommended spool break tension, set or
recommended welding wire feed speed, amount of said welding wire
remaining on said wire spool, amount of use of said welding wire
feed drive, model information about said welding wire feed drive,
parts information regarding said welding wire feed drive,
information about when said welding wire feed drive was used,
information about what welding unit said welding wire feed drive
was used, information about the proper welding unit said welding
wire feed drive can be used with, voltage information for operation
of said welding wire feed drive, current information for the
operation of said welding wire feed drive, voltage information for
a welding power wave, current information for a welding power wave,
welding wire polarity information for a welding power wave,
shielding gas information, or combinations thereof.
39. The method as defined in claim 24, including the step of
providing information between said welding wire feed drive and said
welding system.
40. The method as defined in claim 38, including the step of
providing information between said welding wire feed drive and said
welding system.
41. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein an exterior of said
drive housing includes a color coding to identify at least one
characteristic of said welding wire feed drive.
42. The method as defined in claim 40, wherein an exterior of said
drive housing includes a color coding to identify at least one
characteristic of said welding wire feed drive.
43. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein said drive motor and
said wire contact arrangement are at least partially contained in
said drive housing.
44. The method as defined in claim 42, wherein said drive motor and
said wire contact arrangement are at least partially contained in
said drive housing.
45. The method as defined in claim 24, including the step of
detachably connecting a wire spool cartridge to said drive housing,
said wire spool cartridge including a spool cavity to rotatably
secure a spool of wire and said wire contact arrangement.
46. The method as defined in claim 44, including the step of
detachably connecting a wire spool cartridge to said drive housing,
said wire spool cartridge including a spool cavity to, rotatably
secure a spool of wire and said wire contact arrangement.
Description
[0001] The present invention is related to the art of welding and
more particularly to welders that include the use of wire
feeders.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Wire feeders for electric arc welders typically include a
welding wire drive assembly that pulls welding wire from a welding
wire source (e.g., wire spool, canister of wire, etc.) and then
feeds the welding wire to the welding gun. The wire drive assembly
typically includes one or more drive wheels that pull and push the
welding wire at a desired or controlled wire feed speed so that the
proper amount of molten metal is deposited on a workpiece during
the formation of a weld bead or the like.
[0003] Two general configurations are used to feed welding wire to
the welding gun. In one configuration, the wire feeder is connected
to or integrated with the welder. In this configuration, the wire
feeder includes an integrated motor, drive rollers, gears, and wire
guides designed to draw the welding wire from a welding wire source
and then push the welding wire through a welding cable and through
the welding gun. The length of the welding cable is typically
several feet long (e.g., 10-50 ft.). As such, more rigid welding
wire (e.g., carbon steel based wire, stainless steel based wire,
titanium wire, nickel based wire, etc.) is used in such
configurations. These types of welding wire are less likely to kink
as the wire is pushed from the drive rollers of the wire feeder,
through the welding cable and into and through the welding gun.
Kinking of the welding wire as it is being fed to the welding gun
can result in the welding wire becoming jammed in the welding cable
and/or welding gun, thus requiring the welding process to be
terminated and the jammed welding wire to be freed. Kinking of the
welding wire can also result in erratic and/or improper welding
wire feed rate during a welding operation.
[0004] For welding wire that is more prone to kinking (e.g.,
aluminum based wire, etc.), another configuration is typically used
to feed the welding wire into and through the welding gun. In this
configuration, the wire feeder is positioned on or closely adjacent
to the welding gun. This welding gun is commonly referred to as a
"spool" gun and is typically sold as a separate accessory. The wire
feeder on the spool gun draws the welding wire from a welding wire
source and pushes the welding wire through the welding gun. The
welding wire source typically is a spool of wire connected to the
spool gun, however, the welding wire can be drawn through the
welding cable. The wire feeder on the spool gun also includes a
motor, drive roller, gears and wire guides that draw the welding
wire from a wire source and pushes the welding wire a short
distance through the welding gun. The short distance that the
welding wire is pushed results in a decreased incidence of kinking
of the welding wire during a welding process.
[0005] Many types of welders are designed for use in multiple types
of welding operations that use many types of welding wires. Many
welders come equipped with a wire feeder that is designed to push
the welding wire through a cable to the welding gun. Commonly,
these wire feeders are integrated with the welder; however, the
wire feeder can be a separate device that is used in conjunction
with the welding unit. Theses type of wire feeders are commonly
used in many applications since the welding gun is lighter and
smaller, thereby making the welding gun easier to use. Welding guns
that include or are integrated with a wire feeder are typically
bulkier and heavier. The inconvenience from the weight and
bulkiness the welding gun is further aggravated when a spool of
welding wire is connected to the welding gun or wire feeder on the
welding gun. However, when a welding operation requires the use of
a less rigid wire (e.g., aluminum based wire, etc.), these types of
welding guns are used. When such welding guns are connected to the
welder by a welding cable, two wire feeders typically exist, one on
the welding gun and one on the welding unit or a wire feeder that
is used in conjunction with the welding unit. When the welding wire
is drawn through the welding cable by the wire feeder on the
welding gun, the wire feeder at the welding machine must be
disabled so that the welding wire is only pulled to the welding
gun. The operation of both wire feeders at the same time can result
in improper wire feed rates and/or increased incidence of linking
of the welding wire. The disabling of the wire feeder on the
welding unit or on the separate wire feeder can be both
inconvenient and time consuming.
[0006] Although the components of wire feeders on a spool gun and
on a welding unit or separate wire feeder used in conjunction with
a welding unit are very similar, the two wire feeders are
separately purchased and their components are not interchangeable.
As such, there are increased costs and inconveniences associated
with having to purchase, maintain, and/or store two separate wire
feeder arrangements. Therefore, there is a demand for a more
versatile wire feeder arrangement that is simpler to use and is
less costly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is directed to an interchangeable
and/or modular welding wire feed drive for welding wire used in a
welding system such as, but not limited to, an electric arc welding
system. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the
welding wire feed drive is designed to be a modular-detachable
unit. The welding wire feed drive system can be designed to be a)
detachably connected to a wire feeder that is integrated in a
welding unit, b) detachably connected to a separate wire feeder
that is used in conjunction with a welding unit, and/or c)
detachably connected to a wire feeder that is on or integrated with
a welding gun. As can be appreciated, the welding wire feed drive
can be designed to be detachably connected in other and/or
additional ways and/or regions of a welding system. The welding
wire feed drive is a versatile system that enables a user to
configure the wire feeding arrangement of a welding system for a
particular operation. When the welding system is to be used with a
more rigid welding wire (e.g., carbon steel based wire, stainless
steel based wire, titanium wire, nickel based wire, etc.), the
welding wire feed drive is typically placed in a wire feeder system
that is integrated in and/or is used in conjunction with a welding
unit. In this configuration, the welding wire feed drive draws
welding wire from a wire source and then pushes the welding wire
through a welding cable that is connected to a welding gun and then
through the welding gun to be deposited in molten form on a
workpiece. When the welding system is to be used with a less rigid
welding wire (e.g., aluminum based wire, etc.), the welding wire
feed drive is typically placed in a wire feeder system that is on
or integrated with a welding gun. In this configuration, the
welding wire feed drive draws the welding wire from a wire source
and then pushes the welding wire through the welding gun to be
deposited in molten form on a workpiece. As can be appreciated, a
more rigid welding wire can also be used in a spool gun, but such a
setup is typically not used due to the disadvantages associated
with the bulkiness and additional weight of a spool gun. The
ability to use the welding wire feed drive in both types of welding
operations reduces the amount of equipment an operator needs for
various types of welding operations, simplifies the setup ofthe
welding system when converting between a welding operation that
uses a more rigid welding wire and a less rigid welding wire,
and/or reduces the equipment cost associated with equipping the
welding system for use in a variety of different welding
operations.
[0008] In accordance with another and/or alternative aspect of the
present invention, the welding wire feed drive includes a drive
housing designed to be detachably connectable to the welding wire
feed system. The drive housing is typically formed of a durable
material (e.g., metal, plastic, reinforced polymers, etc.) so as to
withstand the typical environment of a welding system and/or to
protect one or more components contained within the drive housing.
The drive housing is configured so that it can be both connected to
a drive housing interface on 1) a stand-alone wire feeder and/or a
wire feeder integrated in a welder unit and 2) a welding gun and/or
wire feeder system integrated with a welding gun. In one specific
design, the drive housing interface of a welding gun may merely
constitute a welding gun handle that is connectable to the drive
housing; however, it can be appreciated that the drive housing
interface on a welding gun can be some other and/or additional
component. As can also be appreciated, the drive housing can be
designed to be detachably connected in other and/or additional
regions of a welding system. The configuration of the drive housing
is selected to facilitate in the ease and convenience of connecting
and disconnecting the drive housing from the drive housing
interface. The drive housing can include one or more connectors
(e.g., tabs, latches, clips, quick-connect, etc.) that facilitate
in releasably securing the drive housing to the drive housing
interface.
[0009] In accordance with still another and/or alternative aspect
of the present invention, the welding wire feed drive includes a
wire contact arrangement designed to contact the welding wire and
to drive the welding wire at least partially through the welding
wire feed drive. In one non-limiting embodiment, the wire contact
arrangement includes at least one drive roller. As can be
appreciated, other and/or additional configurations can be used.
The drive roller can include one or more rough surfaces to
facilitate in the gripping of the welding wire so as to reduce
slippage of the welding wire. When two drive rollers are used, the
drive rollers can be positioned adjacent to one another and rotated
in opposite directions to drive the welding wire between the drive
rollers. One or both of the drive rollers can include a groove used
to guide and maintain the welding wire between the drive rollers as
the drive rollers move the welding wire through the welding wire
feed drive. As can be appreciated other and/or additional
arrangements for the wire contact arrangement can be used. The
tension of the wire contact arrangement on the welding wire can be
fixed or adjustable. In one non-limiting design, the tension of the
wire contact arrangement on the welding wire is preset and fixed so
as to ensure that the proper wire tension is applied to the welding
wire.
[0010] The proper tension on the welding wire facilitates in
ensuring that the wire contact arrangement properly engages and
drives the weld wire, thus reducing or preventing incidences of
wire slippage which can adversely affect the feed rate of the
welding wire. If the tension is adjustable, the drive housing can
be designed to enable a user to open and/or access the wire contact
arrangement in the drive housing, and/or include an adjustment
knob, screw, button, etc. that enables a user to adjust the tension
on the welding wire without having to open and/or access the
interior region of the drive housing. In one non-limiting design,
the drive housing allows access to one or more components in the
drive housing to enable the user to adjust, repair, and/or replace
one or more components in the drive housing. The wire contact
arrangement can be partially or fully contained in the drive
housing.
[0011] In accordance with yet another and/or alternative aspect
ofthe present invention, the welding wire feed drive can include
one or more drive motors connected to or interconnected to the wire
contact arrangements which are used to directly or indirectly at
least partially drive the wire contact arrangement. The one or more
motors are typically electrical motors that are powered by their
own power supply (e.g., battery, etc.), from power generated by the
welding system (e.g., electric generator, etc.), and/or from an
external power source (e.g., electric plug, etc.). The one or more
motors can be partially or fully contained in the drive
housing.
[0012] In accordance with still yet another and/or alternative
aspect of the present invention, the welding wire feed drive can
include a gear arrangement used to at least partially interconnect
the one or more drive motors to the wire contact arrangement. The
gear arrangement can include one or more gears. When the wire
contact arrangement includes two drive rollers, the gear
arrangement can be used to at least partially cause the two drive
rollers to rotate at a desired speed with respect to one another.
The gear arrangement can be partially or fully contained in the
drive housing.
[0013] In accordance with still yet another and/or alternative
aspect of the present invention, the welding wire feed drive can
include one or more wire guides designed to at least partially
guide the welding wire within the drive housing. In one
non-limiting arrangement, there is provided a wire guide that at
least partially guides the welding wire from the wire contact
arrangement to an exterior of the drive housing. The wire guide is
typically designed to facilitate in the guiding of the welding wire
through an opening in the drive housing and/or to reduce the
incidence of the welding wire kinking or bending as the welding
wire is pushed from the wire contact arrangement. In another and/or
alternative non-limiting arrangement, there is provided a wire
guide that at least partially guides the welding wire as the
welding wire is fed to the wire contact arrangement. The wire guide
is typically designed to facilitate in the guiding of the welding
wire through an opening in the drive housing and/or from a welding
wire source within the drive housing, and/or to reduce the
incidence of the welding wire kinking or bending as the welding
wire is fed to the wire contact arrangement.
[0014] In one non-limiting design of the wire guide, the wire guide
includes a cylindrically shaped passageway that has an inner
diameter that is a little larger than the diameter of the welding
wire so as to allow the welding wire to pass through the
cylindrically shaped passageway while inhibiting or preventing the
welding wire from kinking as it passes through the cylindrically
shaped passageway. As can be appreciated, other and/or additional
designs of the wire guide can be used.
[0015] The one or more wire guides can be partially or fully
contained in the drive housing.
[0016] In accordance with a further and/or alternative aspect of
the present invention, the welding wire feed drive can include a
drive housing that includes a wire spool compartment designed to
contain a spool of welding wire. The wire spool compartment can
include a spool mount designed to support the wire spool in a
certain position in the wire spool compartment and to enable the
wire spool to rotate as the welding wire is unwound from the wire
spool. In one non-limiting arrangement, the drive housing can be
opened, and/or include an opening and/or openable access to the
wire spool compartment to enable the wire spool to be replaced;
however, this is not required. As can be appreciated, many other
and/or additional configurations of the wire spool compartment in
the drive housing can be used. In another and/or alternative
non-limiting arrangement, a wire spool tension arrangement is
provided to at least partially provide tension to the wire spool in
the wire spool compartment. When the wire spool is freely
rotatable, the welding wire on the wire spool can partially unravel
or unwind from the spool, thereby resulting in entanglement of the
welding wire and/or kinking of the welding wire. The wire spool
tension arrangement inhibits or prevents the wire spool from freely
rotating thereby maintaining a tension on the welding wire as the
welding wire is fed through the welding wire feed drive. The
tension on the wire spool inhibits or prevents undesired unwinding
or unraveling of the welding wire from the wire spool. The wire
spool tension arrangement can provide an adjustable or fixed
tension to the wire spool. The wire spool tension arrangement can
be partially or fully contained in the drive housing. In still
another and/or alternative non-limiting arrangement, the welding
wire source is fed to the wire contact arrangement so as to
facilitate in the proper feeding of the welding wire from the
welding wire feed drive. In one non-limiting design, when the drive
housing includes a spool of welding wire, the maximum angle that
the welding wire is fed to the wire contact arrangement from the
wire spool relative to a feed axis is less than about 50.degree.,
and typically less about 45.degree.. The feed axis is defined as
the axis at which the wire is fed through the wire contact
arrangement. As such, when the wire contact arrangement includes
two drive rollers, the feed axis is along the plane that divides
the two drive rollers. When the angle of the welding wire from the
wire spool relative to the feed axis is too great, the incidence of
wire slippage through the wire contact arrangement can increase
and/or the desired welding wire feed rates cannot be properly
maintained. In another and/or alternative non-limiting design, the
wire spool is oriented in the spool compartment of the drive
housing such that when the wire spool is about half depleted, the
angle that the welding wire is fed to the wire contact arrangement
from the wire spool relative to a feed axis is about 0-20.degree.,
and typically about 0-15.degree., and even more typically about
0-10.degree.. In still another and/or alternative non-limiting
design, when the welding wire is fed from a source external to the
drive housing, the maximum angle that the welding wire is fed to
the wire contact arrangement from the external welding wire source
relative to the feed axis is less than about 50.degree., and
typically less than about 45.degree.. In one particular
non-limiting design, the welding wire, that is supplied from a
source external to the drive housing, has an angle to the feed axis
from the point the welding wire enters the drive housing to the
wire contact arrangement of about 0-20.degree., and typically about
0-15.degree., and even more typically about 0-10.degree..
[0017] In accordance with still a further and/or alternative aspect
of the present invention, the welding wire feed drive can include a
drive housing that has a front and back wire opening. At least one
of the wire openings can be designed to be detachably connectable
to a welding cable. In one non-limiting arrangement, the back wire
opening is designed to be connectable to a welding cable. This
arrangement can exist when the welding wire feed drive is connected
to a welding gun. The welding cable is typically used to provide
current from the welding unit to the welding gun. A welding wire
can also be fed through the cable or be fed from a welding wire
source inside the drive housing. In another and/or alternative
non-limiting arrangement, two back wire opening are included on the
drive housing. The first wire opening can be designed to be
connectable to a welding cable. This arrangement can also exist
when the welding wire feed drive is connected to a welding gun. The
welding cable is typically used to provide current from the welding
unit to the welding gun. The second wire opening can be designed to
receive welding wire, such as from a spool of wire connected to the
welding gun. When the welding wire feed drive is used on a welding
gun, the front wire opening can be designed to be connected to the
front portion or barrel ofthe welding gun. The front opening
enables the welding wire to pass through the barrel of the gun and
then through the tip of the welding gun. The connection arrangement
for the welding cable and/or the front portion ofthe welding gun
can be a threaded connection or some other or additional connection
that enables an operator to detachably connect such components to
the welding wire feed drive. In still another and/or alternative
non-limiting arrangement, the front wire opening is designed to be
connectable to a welding cable. This arrangement can exist when the
welding wire feed drive is connected to a separate wire feeder used
in conjunction with a welding unit or a wire feeder integrated in a
welding unit. The welding cable is typically used to provide
current from the welding unit to the welding gun and to also
provide a pathway for the welding wire to the welding gun. The back
wire opening can be used to provide an access to the welding wire
into the drive housing from a source of welding wire (e.g., drum of
welding wire, spool of welding wire, package of welding wire,
etc.); however, the back wire opening may not be used when the
source of welding wire is contained within the drive housing. The
connection arrangement for the welding cable and/or guide for an
external welding wire source can be a threaded connection or some
other or additional connection that enables an operator to
detachably connect such components to the welding wire feed
drive.
[0018] In accordance with yet a further and/or alternative aspect
of the present invention, the welding wire feed drive can include
an identification arrangement that provides information about the
welding wire feed drive. Many types of information can be provided
by the identification arrangement. Such information can include,
but is not limited to, the type of welding wire to be used with the
welding wire feed drive, the type of welding wire included in the
drive housing, the diameter of welding wire to be used with the
welding wire feed drive, the gear ratio of the gear arrangement in
the drive housing, the type of motor in the drive housing, the
speed and/or recommended speed of the motor in the drive housing,
the wire tension and/or recommended tension associated with the
wire contact arrangement, the current and/or recommended spool
break tension, the set and/or recommended welding wire feed speed,
the amount of welding wire remaining on the wire spool, the amount
and/or time of use of the welding wire feed drive, model
information about the welding wire feed drive, parts information
regarding the welding wire feed drive, information about when
and/or in what welding unit the welding wire feed drive was used,
information about the proper welding unit the welding wire feed
drive can be used with, voltage information for operation of the
welding wire feed drive, current information for the operation of
the welding wire feed drive, voltage information for the welding
power wave, current information for the welding power wave, welding
wire polarity information for the welding power wave and/or
shielding gas information.
[0019] The identification arrangement can provide information to
the welding system (e.g., welding unit, welding gun, stand alone
wire feeder unit used in conjunction with a welding unit, wire
feeder integrated in a welding unit, etc.) mechanically (e.g., one
or more ridges and/or indents that contact a surface that detects
the ridges and/or indents, etc.), visually (e.g., bar code, etc.),
electromagnetically (e.g., radio waves, infrared light, lasers,
etc.) and/or electronically (e.g., information chip, electrical
circuit, certain pattern of electrical contacts, etc.). As can be
appreciated, many different arrangements can be used to convey
information about the welding wire feed drive to the welding
system. In one non-limiting arrangement, at least a portion of the
identification arrangement is located on the exterior surface of
the drive housing so as to facilitate in the transfer of
information between the welding wire feed drive and the welding
system; however, this is not required.
[0020] In accordance with still yet a further and/or alternative
aspect of the present invention, the welding wire feed drive can
include a control interface that provides information between the
welding wire feed drive and the welding system (e.g., welding unit,
welding gun, stand alone wire feeder unit used in conjunction with
a welding unit, wire feeder integrated in a welding unit,
etc.).
[0021] This information can include, but is not limited to, control
information to control the operation of the welding wire feed drive
(e.g., control motor speed, adjust welding wire tension, adjust
wire spool tension, change gearing of gear arrangement, etc.)
and/or the information can include current operating conditions of
the welding wire feed drive (e.g., speed of motor, wire feed speed,
amount of welding wire remaining on wire spool, welding wire
tension, wire spool tension, etc.). The control interface can
transfer such information electronically (e.g., via electrical
contacts); however;
[0022] the information can alternatively or additionally be
transferred by various types of electromagnetic waves (e.g., radio
waves, infrared light, lasers, etc.) and/or other and/or additional
means. In one non-limiting arrangement, at least a portion of the
control interface is located-on the exterior surface of the drive
housing so as to facilitate the transfer of information between the
welding wire feed drive and the welding system; however, this is
not required. When a control interface and an identification
arrangement are included with the welding wire feed drive, the
control interface and the identification arrangement can be
integrated together; however, this is not required.
[0023] In accordance with another and/or alternative aspect of the
present invention, the welding wire feed drive can include a visual
identifier to enable a user to easily and/or conveniently identify
at least one characteristic ofthe welding wire feed drive. In one
non-limiting arrangement, the visual identifier includes one or
more colors on the welding wire feed drive and/or packaging for the
welding wire feed drive. The color coding on the welding wire feed
drive and/or packaging for the welding wire feed drive can be
representative of the type of welding unit the welding wire feed
drive can be used in and/or the type of welding wire that is to be
used with and/or is contained in the welding wire feed drive. As
can be appreciated, the color coding can be representative of other
and/or additional characteristics of the welding wire feed drive
(e.g., diameter of the welding wire in the welding wire feed drive,
amount of welding wire in the welding wire feed drive, shielding
gas to be used with the welding wire in the welding wire feed
drive, type of welding gun that can be used with the welding wire
feed drive, the type of welding operations recommended for use with
the welding wire feed drive, etc.). As can also be appreciated,
other and/or additional visual identifiers (e.g., model numbers,
model names, etc.) can be used on the welding wire feed drive
and/or packaging for the welding wire feed drive to provide a user
with easy and/or convenient information about at least one
characteristic of the welding wire feed drive.
[0024] In accordance with another and/or alternative aspect of the
present invention, the welding wire feed drive can include a drive
housing that is conveniently detachably connectable to a gun handle
of a welding gun to facilitate in the use of the welding wire feed
drive with the welding gun.
[0025] The gun handle can be designed so that when it is connected
to the welding wire feed drive, an operator can more conveniently
handle and/or use the welding gun. In one non-limiting gun handle
configuration, the gun handle is designed so as to protect and/or
house one or more regions of the welding wire feed drive so as to
provide protection to the welding wire feed drive. As can be
appreciated, many different gun handle designs can be used. The
handle can also be designed to include a trigger that is used to
activate the welding wire feed drive so as to cause the welding
wire to advance from the tip of the welding gun. In such a design,
the handle can include mechanical connections, electrical
connections, etc., to enable the trigger to activate the welding
wire feed drive.
[0026] As can be appreciated, the handle can include other and/or
additional controls to control and/or operate other features ofthe
welding wire feed drive and/or other components ofthe welding
system.
[0027] In accordance with still another and/or alternative aspect
ofthe present invention, the welding wire feed drive can include a
wire spool cartridge detachably connectable to the drive housing.
The wire spool cartridge can include a cartridge housing designed
to at least partially house the components of the wire spool
cartridge. The cartridge housing can be formed of a durable
material (e.g., metal, plastic, reinforced polymers, etc.) so as to
withstand the typical environment of a welding system and/or to
protect one or more components contained within the cartridge
housing. The cartridgehousing can include one or more connector
arrangements (e.g., tabs, latches, clips, etc.) that facilitate in
releasably securing the cartridge housing to the drive housing of
the welding wire feed drive. The wire spool cartridge can also
include a spool of welding wire and a wire contact arrangement
designed to contact the welding wire and drive the welding wire at
least partially through the wire spool cartridge. In one
non-limiting embodiment, the wire contact arrangement includes at
least one drive roller. As can be appreciated, other and/or
additional configurations can be used. The drive roller can include
one or more rough surfaces to facilitate in the gripping of the
welding wire so as to reduce slippage of the welding wire. When two
drive rollers are used, the drive rollers can be positioned
adjacent to one another and rotated in opposite directions to drive
the welding wire between the drive rollers. One or both of the
drive rollers can include a groove used to guide and maintain the
welding wire between the drive rollers as the drive rollers move
the welding wire through the welding wire feed drive. As can be
appreciated other and/or additional arrangements for the wire
contact arrangement can be used. The spool of welding wire can be
rotatably secured in the cartridge housing. A tension arrangement
can be provided to create tension on the spool and/or tension on
the wire by the wire contact arrangement so that a desired proper
welding wire tension exists without any intervention by the user.
As such, the drive roll tension and the spool break tension can be
preset and need not be adjusted by the user; however, this is not
required. The cartridge housing can be configured so as not to be
easily opened by a user. In such a configuration, the cartridge
housing is designed to be disposable after the welding wire on the
spool within the cartridge housing is expended. As can be
appreciated, the cartridge housing can be designed to allow access
to the wire spool to enable a user to replace the wire spool. The
wire contact arrangement and the wire spool are partially or fully
contained in the cartridge housing. The wire spool cartridge can
include a gear arrangement used to at least partially interconnect
the one or more drive motors to the wire contact arrangement. The
wire spool cartridge can be absent one or more drive motors that
are used to drive the wire contact arrangement; however, this is
not required. These one or more motors are typically located on
other regions of the welding wire feed drive and/or on a wire
feeder or in the welding unit. The gear arrangement can include one
or more gears. When the wire contact arrangement includes two drive
rollers, the gear arrangement can be used to at least partially
cause the two drive rollers to rotate at a desired speed with
respect to one another. The gear arrangement can be partially or
fully contained in the cartridge housing. The wire spool cartridge
can include one or more wire guides designed to at least partially
guide the welding wire within the cartridge housing. In one
non-limiting arrangement, there is provided a wire guide that at
least partially guides the welding wire from the wire contact
arrangement to an exterior of the cartridge housing. The wire guide
can be designed to facilitate in the guiding of the welding wire
through an opening in the cartridge housing and/or to reduce the
incidence of the welding wire kinking or bending as the welding
wire is pushed from the wire contact arrangement. In another and/or
alternative non-limiting arrangement, there is provided a wire
guide that at least partially guides the welding wire as the
welding wire is fed to the wire contact arrangement. The wire guide
can be designed to facilitate in the guiding of the welding wire
from the wire spool within the cartridge housing to the wire
contact arrangement to reduce the incidence of the welding wire
kinking or bending as the welding wire is fed to the wire contact
arrangement. In one non-limiting design ofthe wire guide, the wire
guide includes a cylindrically shaped passageway that has an inner
diameter that is a little larger than the diameter of the welding
wire so as to allow the welding wire to pass through the
cylindrically shaped passageway while inhibiting or preventing the
welding wire from kinking as it passes through the cylindrically
shaped passageway. As can be appreciated, other and/or additional
designs of the wire guide can be used. The one or more wire guides
can be partially or fully contained in the cartridge housing. The
wire spool cartridge can include a cartridge identification
arrangement that provides information about the wire spool
cartridge. Many types of information can be provided by the
cartridge identification arrangement. Such information can include,
but is not limited to, the type of welding wire in the cartridge
housing, the diameter of welding wire in the cartridge housing, the
gear ratio of the gear arrangement in the cartridge housing, the
wire tension associated with the wire contact arrangement, the
spool break tension of the wire spool in the cartridge housing,
welding wire feed speed setting, the amount of welding wire
remaining on the wire spool, model information about the wire spool
cartridge, parts information regarding the wire spool cartridge,
information about the proper welding unit the wire spool cartridge
can be used with, voltage information for the welding power wave,
current information for the welding power wave, welding wire
polarity information for the welding power wave and/or shielding
gas information. The cartridge identification arrangement can
provide information about the wire spool cartridge mechanically
(e.g., one or more ridges and/or indents that contact a surface
that detects the ridges and/or indents, etc.), visually (e.g., bar
code, etc.), electromagnetically (e.g., radio waves, infrared
light, lasers, etc.) and/or electronically (e.g., information chip,
electrical circuit, certain pattern of electrical contacts, etc.).
As can be appreciated, many different arrangements can be used to
convey information about the wire spool cartridge. In one
non-limiting arrangement, at least a portion of the cartridge
identification arrangement is located on the exterior surface of
the cartridge housing so as to facilitate the transfer of
information between the wire spool cartridge and the welding wire
feed drive and/or the welding system; however, this is not
required. The wire spool cartridge can include a cartridge control
interface that provides information between the wire spool
cartridge and the welding wire feed drive and/or the welding
system. This information can include, but is not limited to,
information about the current operating conditions of the wire
spool cartridge (e.g., wire feed speed, amount of welding wire
remaining on wire spool, welding wire tension, wire spool tension,
gearing ratio, etc.). As can be appreciated other and/or additional
information can be transferred between the cartridge control
interface. The cartridge control interface can transfer such
information electronically (e.g., via electrical contacts);
however; the information can alternatively or additionally be
transferred by various types of electromagnetic waves (e.g., radio
waves, infrared light, lasers, etc.), and/or by other and/or
additional means. In one non-limiting arrangement, at least a
portion of the cartridge control interface is located on the
exterior surface of the cartridge housing so as to facilitate the
transfer of information between the wire spool cartridge and the
welding wire feed drive and/or the welding system; however, this is
not required. As can be appreciated, the cartridge control
interface and the cartridge identification arrangement can be
integrated together; however, this is not required. The wire spool
cartridge can include a visual identifier to enable a user to
easily and/or conveniently identify at least one characteristic of
the wire spool cartridge. In one non-limiting arrangement, the
visual identifier includes one or more colors on the wire spool
cartridge and/or packaging for the wire spool cartridge. The color
coding can be representative of the type of welding unit and/or the
type of welding wire feed drive the wire spool cartridge can be
used in and/or the type of welding wire that is contained in the
cartridge housing of the wire spool cartridge. As can be
appreciated, the color coding can be representative of other and/or
additional characteristics ofthe wire spool cartridge. As can also
be appreciated, other and/or additional visual identifiers (e.g.,
model numbers, model names, etc.) can be used on the wire spool
cartridge and/or packaging for the wire spool cartridge to provide
a user with easy and/or convenient information about at least one
characteristic of the wire spool cartridge.
[0028] One object of the present invention is to provide an
interchangeable and/or modular welding wire feed drive for use in a
welding system.
[0029] Another and/or alternative object of the present invention
is the provision of a welding wire feed drive that can be
detachably connected to a wire feeder system that is connected to
and/or integrated with a welding gun, and/or a wire feeder system
that is integrated in and/or is used in conjunction with a welding
unit.
[0030] Still another and/or alternative object of the present
invention is the provision of a welding wire feed drive that
includes a drive housing, a wire contact arrangement, a drive
motor, a gear arrangement, a wire guide, a wire spool compartment,
and/or a spool of welding wire.
[0031] Yet another and/or alternative object of the present
invention is the provision of a welding wire feed drive that can
include an identification arrangement that provides information
about the welding wire feed drive.
[0032] Still yet another and/or alternative object of the present
invention is the provision of a welding wire feed drive that can
include a control interface that provides information between the
welding wire feed drive and the welding system.
[0033] A further and/or alternative object of the present invention
is the provision of a welding wire feed drive that can include a
visual identifier to enable a user to easily and/or conveniently
identify at least one characteristic of the welding wire feed
drive.
[0034] Still a further and/or alternative object of the present
invention is the provision of a welding wire feed drive that can
include a wire spool cartridge that is detachably connectable to
the drive housing.
[0035] These and other objects and advantages of the invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and
following this description taken together with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0036] Reference may now be made to the drawings which illustrate
various embodiments that the invention may take in physical form
and certain parts and arrangements of parts wherein:
[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art wire feeder that
feeds welding wire into a welding gun;
[0038] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art spool gun having
a wire feeder integrated in the welding gun;
[0039] FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a wire feeder that feeds
welding wire into a welding gun in accordance with the present
invention;
[0040] FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view of the wire feeder
illustrated in FIG. 3;
[0041] FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a spool gun in
accordance with the present invention;
[0042] FIG. 6 is a front view of the modular wire feed drive that
is positioned in a wire feeder in accordance with the present
invention;
[0043] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the modular wire feed
drive that is positioned on a wire feeder in accordance with the
present invention;
[0044] FIG. 7 is a front view ofthe modular wire feed drive removed
from a wire and connected to a welding gun in accordance with the
present invention;
[0045] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view alone lines 8-8 of FIG.
6;
[0046] FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of the modular wire feed
drive of FIG. 8; and,
[0047] FIG. 10 is across-sectional view alone lines 10-10 of FIG.
9.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0048] Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for
the purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the
invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the same, FIGS.
1 and 2 illustrate a prior art wire feeder 20 and a prior art
welding gun 100, respectively. Prior art wire feeder 20 is
representative of a wire feeder integrated in a welding unit, not
shown, such as, but not limited to, the Power MIG 225 offered by
The Lincoln Electric Company, or a stand alone wire feeder that is
used in conjunction with a welding unit, not shown, such as, but
not limited to, the LF 72 Wire Feeder offered by The Lincoln
Electric Company; however, the wire feeder is not limited to these
two models of welding units or stand-alone wire feeders.
[0049] Stand-alone or integrated wire feeder 20 includes a reel or
spool 30 of welding wire 32 rotatably positioned on a spindle 34.
The welding wire 32 is feed into a wire guide 40 that directs the
welding wire to drive rollers 50, 52. A motor 60 causes the drive
rollers to rotate in opposite directions by the use of a gear
arrangement 70. The rotation of the drive rollers causes the
welding wire to be drawn from reel 30 at a controlled rate and to
push the welding wire through a second wire guide 42. The welding
wire continues to be pushed by the drive rollers into a welding
cable 80 that is connected to the wire feeder. The welding wire
passes through the welding cable and into a welding gun 90, and
then through the tip 92 of the welding gun to be deposited in
molten form on workpiece W. An electric arc A is used to melt the
advancing welding wire. The welding gun includes a trigger 94 to
send a signal to the wire feeder and/or welding unit to control the
operation of motor 60.
[0050] Prior art spool gun 100 is representative ofthe MAGNUM SG
spool gun or the PRINCE XL spool gun offered by The Lincoln
Electric Company; however, spool gun 100 is not limited to these
two models of spool guns. The prior art spool gun includes a handle
110 and a body 112. Connected to the body is a bracket 114 that
supports a wire. spool 120. Wire spool 120 includes welding wire
122. Connected to the rear of body 112 are one or more cables 130,
132, 134. These cables typically provide a welding current to the
spool gun, and transfer one or more control signals between the
spool gun and the welding unit and/or some other component of the
welding system, not shown. One of the cables can also be connected
to a wire feeder that is integrated in a welding unit or is a stand
alone wire feeder that is designed to supply welding wire from the
wire feeder to the spool gun. Welding wire is typically not
supplied by the cable when the wire spool 120 is used to provide
welding wire to the spool gun. The spool gun also includes drive
rollers, not shown, in the body of the spool gun. A motor, not
shown, is typically positioned in the handle 100 and is connected
to the drive roller by gears, not shown. A trigger 114 is used to
control the operation of the motor to cause the welding wire to be
advanced by the drive rollers. A gun barrel 140 is connected to the
front end of body 112 and a welding tip 142 is connected to the
front end of gun barrel 140. The welding wire that is pushed
through the gun barrel and welding tip by the drive rollers is
melted by an electric arc A and the molten metal is deposited on
workpiece W.
[0051] The configuration of the MAGNUM SG spool gun and the PRINCE
XL spool gun are such as to enable a user to modify the welding
guns and to use these welding guns both as a spool gun and as
welding gun without a spool wire. The modification of the welding
gun from a spool gun to a welding gun without a spool typically
requires the removal of the spindle and wire spool from the welding
gun, the disengagement of the motor in the welding gun and the
disengagement of the drive rollers from the welding wire in the
welding gun. The weight of the welding gun is reduced by the
removal of the spindle and wire spool, but the added weight
associated with the drive rollers, gears and motor remain. When the
welding gun is converted back into a spool gun, the spindle and
wire spool are reconnected to the welding gun and the motor and
drive roller are reengaged. The components and operation of prior
art wire feeders and spool guns are well known in the art, thus a
detailed description of such operation and components will not be
further discussed.
[0052] The current configuration of spool guns requires the welding
gun to be reconfigured or substituted for another welding gun when
converted for use between a welding operation that uses rigid
welding wire and a welding operation that uses less rigid welding
wire. Welding guns such as the MAGNUM SG spool gun and the PRINCE
XL spool gun can be converted for use in both types of operations;
however some welding guns are designed to be dedicated for a single
use. As such, additional welding guns may have to be purchased for
use in various types of welding operations. When the welding gun is
a spool gun or converted into a spool gun so that the welding wire
is supplied through a welding cable to the welding gun, the wire
feed arrangement on the wire feeder that is integrated with a
welding unit or on a stand-alone unit must be partially or fully
disengaged; other wise increased incident ofkinking ofthe welding
wire will occur and/or increased incidence of improper wire feed
rates will occur. For instance, a welding unit such as the Power
MIG 255 can be used with or without a spool gun. The welding unit
includes a wire feeder integrated in the welding unit. A spool of
welding wire is also housed within the welding unit. When a spool
gun is used on such a welding unit and the welding wire is to be
supplied from the welding unit, the drive rollers on the wire
feeder in the welding unit are required to be adjusted or
disengaged from the welding wire so that only the drive wheels on
the spool gun cause the welding wire to be drawn to the welding gun
through a welding cable without the drive roller in the welding
unit simultaneously pushing the welding wire through the welding
cable to the welding gun. This adjustment is time consuming and/or
can increase incidence of damage to the drive roller arrangement in
the welding unit and/or cause the drive roller arrangement to
become misaligned, etc. Similarly, when the welding procedure does
not require the use of a spool gun, the spool gun is required to be
converted into a non-spooling arrangement or replaced with a
welding gun that is not a spool gun. The conversion of the spool
gun to a non-spooling arrangement can be time consuming and/or can
increase incidence of damage to the drive roller arrangement in the
welding gun and/or cause the drive roller to become misaligned,
etc. Furthermore, the drive rollers in the welding unit must now be
reengaged and the tension on the drive roller arrangement and the
wire spool properly adjusted.
[0053] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a wire feeder
200 which includes a housing 210 with a handle 212. Connected to
the wire feeder is a welding cable 280. One end ofthe welding cable
is positioned in front opening 216 of housing 210. The other end of
the welding cable is connected to welding gun 290. The welding gun
includes a body 292 and a trigger 294 to control the advancement of
welding wire through the welding gun. The welding gun also includes
a barrel 296 that is connected at one end to body 292 and at the
other end to welding tip 298. Positioned inside a side cavity 214
of the housing of the wire feeder is a welding wire feed drive 300.
The welding wire feed drive is detachably connected to a drive
housing interface 220 that is positioned in the side cavity of the
housing. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the drive interface 220 has a
shape that enables the welding wire feed drive to be easily
connected and disconnected from the housing. The drive interface
can have a shape that only allows the welding wire feed drive to be
oriented and connected in a certain manner to ensure that the
welding wire feed drive has been properly connected to the
housing.
[0054] Welding wire feed drive 300 includes a housing 310 that has
a front opening 312 and a rear opening 314. As shown in FIG. 3, the
front opening is adapted to be connected to one end of welding
cable 280. The front opening can include a connection arrangement
(e.g., threaded connection, clamp connection, quick-release
connector, etc.) to facilitate in securing the end of the welding
cable to the front opening. The rear opening can be adapted to 1)
receive a welding wire 400 that is provided from an external
welding wire source, 2) provide access to one or more electrical
connections to provide power to one or more components in the
welding wire feed drive, 3) provide communication and/or control
signals between the welding wire feed drive and the wire feeder
and/or welding gun, and/or 4) facilitate in the connection of the
welding wire feed drive to the wire feeder. Alternatively, the rear
opening could be plugged closed when the welding wire feed drive is
detachably connected to a drive housing interface 220 of housing
210. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a dotted line represents welding
wire 400 that is being provided from an external source 410 (e.g.,
wire spool, wire drum, wire package, etc.). Housing 210 can include
a rear opening 218 that enables an external source of welding wire
to enter the housing of the wire feeder. As can be appreciated, the
external source of welding wire can be positioned in cavity 214 of
the house, thus eliminating the need for rear opening 218. When an
external source of welding wire is used, an opening 242 is located
in interface block 240 that is positioned in cavity 214. Interface
block 240 can be adapted to 1) enable rear opening 314 of housing
310 of the welding wire feed drive to be detachably secured so as
to facilitate in connecting and securing the welding wire feed
drive to the wire feeder, 2) provide an electrical interface
between the wire feeder and the welding wire feed drive so as to
enable communication and/or control between the welding wire feed
drive and the wire feeder and/or welding gun, 3) provide an
electrical interface between the wire feeder and the welding wire
feed drive so as to supply power to the welding wire feed drive,
and/or 4) guide an external welding wire source into the rear
opening 314 of the welding wire feed drive. The welding wire feed
drive, when connected to the drive housing interface 220, is
designed to push welding wire through welding cable 280 and into
and through welding gun 290.
[0055] Referring now to FIG. 5, welding wire feed drive is shown to
be disconnected from drive housing interface 220 of housing 210 and
connected to the welding gun. One end of welding cable 280 is
connected to interface block 240. The front of the drive interface
can include a connection arrangement (e.g., threaded connection,
clamp connection, quick-release connector, etc.) to facilitate in
securing the end of the welding cable to the interface block. In
this configuration, interface block 240 can be adapted to 1)
provide an electrical interface between the wire feeder and the
welding gun via the welding cable so as to enable communication
and/or control between the welding wire feed drive and the welding
gun, 2) provide an electrical interface between the wire feeder and
the welding gun via the welding cable so as to supply power to the
welding wire feed drive and/or welding gun, and/or 3) guide an
external welding wire source into the welding cable. As illustrated
in FIG. 5, a dotted line represents welding wire 400 that is being
provided from an external source 410 (e.g., wire spool, wire drum,
wire package, etc.). Housing 210 can include a rear opening 218
that enables an external source of welding wire to enter the
housing of the wire feeder. As can be appreciated, the external
source of welding wire can be positioned in cavity 214 of the
housing, thus eliminating the need for rear opening 218. When an
external source of welding wire is used, an opening 242 is located
in interface block 240.
[0056] When the welding wire feed drive is incorporated into the
welding gun as shown in FIG. 5, the body 292 of the welding gun is
replaced with welding wire feed drive 300. The barrel 296 of the
welding gun is disconnected from body 292 and connected to front
opening 312 in housing 310 of the welding wire feed drive. Front
opening 312 can include a connection arrangement (e.g., threaded
connection, clamp connection, quick-release connector, etc.) to
facilitate in securing the barrel to housing 310. The end of
welding cable 280 is also disconnected from body 292 and connected
to rear opening 314 of housing 310. Rear opening 314 can include a
connection arrangement (e.g., threaded connection, clamp
connection, quick-release connector, etc.) to facilitate in
securing the welding cable to housing 310. A handle 430 can be
connected to the welding wire feed drive to provide protection to
one or more regions of the welding wire feed drive, to facilitate
in the handling and/or operating of the welding gun that includes
the welding wire feed drive, and/or to provide one or more control
elements (e.g., control trigger, etc.) What are used to facilitate
in the operation of the welding gun, wire feeder and/or welding
unit. The welding wire feed drive, when connected to the welding
gun, is designed to push welding wire a short distance through the
welding gun 290. This configuration is commonly used for less rigid
welding wire such as, but not limited to, aluminum welding
wire.
[0057] As represented in FIGS. 3-5, thewelding wire feed drive of
the present invention enables an operator to easily convert and
rather quickly modify the welding gun for use with a particular
welding wire and/or welding operation. The welding wire feed drive
can be positioned in the wire feeder when using a more rigid
welding wire that can be pushed through a welding cable and into a
welding gun. In such a configuration, the welding gun does not
include the unneeded drive rollers and motor as existing in prior
art welding guns such as MAGNUM SG spool gun and the PRINCE XL
spool gun. When a welding operation requires the use of a less
rigid welding wire, the welding wire feed drive can be easily and
quickly detached from the wire feeder and connected to the welding
gun. In this configuration, only a single motor arrangement and
drive roller mechanism exists on the welding gun, thus the need to
disable a welding wire feed drive arrangement on the wire feeders,
as required in past welding units, is eliminated.
[0058] Referring now to FIGS. 6-10, several detailed views of a few
of the many embodiments of the welding wire feed drive arrangement
are illustrated. FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the
welding wire feed drive arrangement 300 while connected in cavity
214 of the wire feeder. The housing 310 of the welding wire feed
drive includes three principle compartments, namely, 1) a wire
spool compartment 320, 2) a drive roller compartment 330, and 3) a
motor compartment 340. The wire spool compartment is adapted to
rotatably secure a spool 420 of welding wire. A central mount 322
can be used to rotatably mount the spindle of the wire spool in the
wire spool compartment. As can be appreciated, a spool of wire need
not be used when the welding wire feed drive is secured in the wire
feeder. An external source of welding wire can be fed into the wire
spool compartment via rear opening 314. When a wire spool is used,
the wire spool maintains its tension to inhibit or prevent the
welding wire from uncontrollably unraveling from the wire spool.
The amount of tension applied to the wire spool can be fixed or
adjustable. The tension mechanism can be part of the central mount
322 or be provided by another or additional arrangement.
[0059] The welding wire 400 from the wire spool or external source
is adapted to move from the wire spool compartment 320 to drive
roller compartment 330. Drive roller compartment 330 includes two
drive rollers 440,442. As can be appreciated, a greater or lesser
number of drive rollers can be used. The drive rollers are
positioned adjacent to one another such that the welding wire
passes between the drive rollers. The wire spool is positioned in
the wire spool compartment such that the welding wire fed from the
wire spool has a maximum feed angle a relative to the feed axis (as
indicated by a dotted line) from the drive roller of less than
about 50.degree.. The drive rollers can each include a guide groove
444, 446 as illustrated in FIG. 10 to facilitate in the feeding of
the welding wire between the drive rollers when the drive rollers
are rotating. The drive rollers are connected to a gear arrangement
that includes gears 450, 452, 454, 456. As can be appreciated, many
types of gear arrangements can be used which include the same,
less, or more gears. The gear arrangement is designed to cause the
two drive rollers to rotate in opposite directions. The gear
arrangement is also designed to rotate the two drive rollers at a
proper speed relative to one another to achieve the desired welding
wire feed rate. Typically when the drive rollers are the same size,
the gear arrangement rotates the drive rollers at substantially the
same speed; however, when the drive rollers are a different size,
the speed of rotation of the two drive rollers may be different. As
illustrated in FIG. 10, the gears of the gear arrangement are
located in the drive roller compartment and the motor compartment.
As can be appreciated, the gears can be positioned in other ways
(e.g., all gears in the drive roller compartment, all gears in the
motor compartment, most gears in the drive roller compartment, most
gears in the motor compartment, gears in the wire spool
compartment, etc.).
[0060] A motor 450 is used to rotate the gears of the gear
arrangement. The motor is typically an electrical motor located in
the motor compartment 340. The motor is typically powered by the
wire feeder or welding unit; however, a motor battery, not shown,
can be used to power the motor.
[0061] Referring again to FIG. 6, the welding gun includes a
trigger 294 that is activated by a user to control the advancement
of the welding wire by the welding wire feed drive arrangement
which is positioned in the wire feeder. A control cable or wire,
not shown, is connected between the welding gun and the wire feeder
via the welding cable 280. As the welding wire is advanced by the
welding wire feed drive arrangement, the welding wire is pushed
through the welding gun and out from welding tip 298. An electric
arc A melts a portion of the welding wire and the molten metal is
deposited on workpiece W. The welding cable is designed to provide
power from the wire feeder to the welding gun to generate electric
arc A.
[0062] Referring to FIG. 7, the welding wire feed drive 300 is
disconnected from drive housing interface 220 of wire feeder 200
and forms part of welding gun 290. As shown in FIG. 7, the drive
housing interface 220 includes a circular opening 222 that is
adapted to receive the portion of housing 310 that includes the
motor compartment 340. The drive housing interface 220 also
includes a longitudinal slot 224 that can be used to facilitate in
the connection of the welding wire feed drive to the drive housing
interface 220. As can be appreciated, the drive housing interface
220 can have many other configurations. One end of the welding
cable 280 is connected to interface block 240. The other end of the
welding cable is connected to rear opening 314 in the housing of
welding wire feed drive. A detachable handle 430 is connected to
the housing of the welding wire feed drive. The handle is used by
the operator of the welding gun to facilitate in the use of the
welding gun. The handle can include a trigger 432 that is used to
control the operation of the welding wire feed drive to advance the
welding wire through the welding gun. The handle can include other
or additional controls to monitor and/or control other features of
the welding gun, wire feeder and/or welding unit.
[0063] Referring now to FIG. 8, the welding wire feed drive can
include an interface that is used to send and/or receive
information between a reader 500. The reader can be part of handle
430 and/or can be part of drive housing interface 220. The
information sent and/or received can be information to control
and/or monitor one or more components of the welding system. As
shown in FIG. 8, the information transferred to and/or from the
reader 500 is monitored and/or received by a welder 600 that is
connected to the wire feeder and/or integrated with the wire
feeder. The welder in turn can be designed to send and/or receive
information to the reader. The reader can obtain information
mechanically, electrically, electromagnetically, etc.
[0064] Referring now to FIG. 4, the housing of the welding wire
feed drive can include one or more visual identifiers 700 that can
be used to provide information about one or more characteristics of
the welding wire feed drive. The drive housing can include one or
more transparent and/or semi-transparent regions to enable a user
to view inside the drive housing to obtain information about the
welding wire feed drive (e.g., amount of welding wire remaining on
the spool, etc.).
[0065] The invention has been described with reference to a
preferred embodiment and alternates thereof. It is believed that
many modifications, alterations to the embodiments disclosed
readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art upon reading
and understanding the detailed description of the invention. It is
intended to include all such modifications and alterations
in-so-far as they come within the scope of the present
invention.
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