Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WELDING PROCESS WIRE FEEDER ADAPTER
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No.
14/334,397,
entitled "WELDING PROCESS WIRE FEEDER ADAPTER" and filed on July 17,
2014.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to welding systems, and,
more
particularly, to an adapter for transitioning between various welding
processes while
using a wire feeder to provide power and welding consumables to the various
welding
processes.
[0003] Welding is a process that has increasingly become ubiquitous in
various
industries and applications. While such processes may be automated in certain
contexts, a large number of applications continue to exist for manual welding
operations. Such welding operations rely on a variety of types of equipment to
ensure
that the supply of welding consumables (e.g., wire feed, shielding gas, etc.)
provides
an appropriate amount of the welding consumables at a desired time to the
weld. For
example, a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) system typically relies on a wire
feeder
assembly to ensure a proper wire feed, a proper gas flow, and a stable power
supply
reach a welding gun, while a gas tungsten metal arc welding (GTAVV) system and
a
plasma welding system typically rely on a power supply assembly to ensure a
proper
gas flow and a stable power supply reach a welding torch or a plasma welding
torch.
Further, a shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) system typically relies on a
power
supply assembly to ensure a stable power supply reaches a welding torch.
[0004] The wire feeder of the GMAW system may generally provide the welding
consumables and power from an output of the wire feeder to a GMAW torch or
"gun"
used to create a GMAW weld. It may be advantageous for the wire feeder to
provide
a source of gas flow, power, or both, from the output of the wire feeder to a
GTAW
system and a plasma welding system, and also to provide power from the output
of
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the wire feeder for an SMAW system. However, various welding processes may
have
incompatible devices that may make sharing a common consumable and power
source
difficult.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0005] Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally
claimed
disclosure are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit
the
scope of the claimed disclosure, but rather these embodiments are intended
only to
provide a brief summary of possible forms of the claimed subject matter.
Indeed, the
disclosure may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or
different from
the embodiments set forth below.
100061 In a first embodiment, a welding system may include a wire feeder
configured to receive power from a welding power supply. The wire feeder may
also
be configured to provide wire, gas flow, and electrical current flow for a gas
metal arc
welding (GMAW) process. Further, the welding system may include an adapter
that
couples to the wire feeder to provide the gas flow for an alternative welding
process.
[0007] In a second embodiment, an adapter may include a coupling portion
received in a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) wire drive assembly. The coupling
portion may also receive shielding gas flow from the GMAW wire drive assembly.
Additionally, the adapter may include a receiving portion that couples with a
connector of a welding cable of a non-GMAW torch to provide the gas flow to
the
non-GMAW torch from the GMAW wire drive assembly.
[0008] In a third embodiment, a method for performing a welding operation may
include coupling an alternative welding system adapter to a gas metal arc
welding
(GMAW) wire drive assembly to provide gas flow for an alternative welding
operation. The alternative welding operation may include a gas tungsten arc
welding
(GTAW) operation, a shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) operation, or a plasma
welding operation. Further, the method for performing the welding operation
may
include coupling an alternative welding cable machine connector to the
alternative
welding system adapter.
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DRAWINGS
[0009] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present
disclosure
will become better understood when the following detailed description is read
with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like
parts
throughout the drawings, wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an exemplary welding
system utilizing a wire feeder with the option of coupling a gas metal arc
welding
(GMAW) system, a gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) system, a shielded metal arc
welding (SMAW) system, or a plasma welding system to the wire feeder;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a front view of an exemplary embodiment of certain
components
of the wire feeder of FIG. 1 coupled to the GMAW system of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a partially exploded front view of an exemplary embodiment
of
certain components of the wire feeder of FIG. 1 and the GTAW system of FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary adapter that enables
coupling
of the wire feeder of FIG. 1 to the GTAW system, the SMAW system, or the
plasma
welding system of FIG. 1; and
[0014] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be
described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these
embodiments,
all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the
specification. It
should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual
implementation, as
in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific
decisions
must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance
with
system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one
implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a
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development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless
be
a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of
ordinary
skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
[0016] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the
present
disclosure, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean
that there are
one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having"
are
intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other
than the
listed elements.
100171 Present embodiments are directed to an adapter for a welding
system that
may enable various welding processes not requiring a wire feed to function
with a
welding wire feeder as a power source or a power and gas source. In typical
wire
feeders, an output may provide welding wire, a gas flow, and power to a gas
metal arc
welding (GMAW) torch or "gun". Further, in multi-process welding machines,
there
may be several different connections for the different welding processes that
the
= machine may perform. To increase the versatility of a GMAW wire feeder,
an
adapter, described in detail below, may be positioned in a wire drive assembly
of the
wire feeder to provide a power source and a gas source to a gas tungsten arc
welding
(GTAW) torch or "gun", to provide a power source for a shielded metal arc
welding
(SMAW) torch or "gun", or to provide a power source for a plasma welding
system.
It may be appreciated that the plasma welding system may include plasma
cutting
operations in some embodiments. In this manner, multiple welding processes may
be
accomplished using the individual wire drive assembly of the wire feeder.
100181 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a welding system
10 in
accordance with the present techniques. The welding system 10 may produce a
welding arc on a workpiece via a welding gun or a welding torch. The welding
arc
may be of any type including a GMAW, a GTAW, an SMAW, plasma welding, and
so forth. Further, the welding system 10 may include a wire feeder 12 coupled
to a
power supply 14 and a gas supply 16. The power supply 14 may receive power
directly from a grid 15. Additionally, the power supply 14 may receive power
from a
generator (not shown) capable of providing adequate power to the power supply
14 to
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. =
power the welding system 10. The gas supply 16 may provide a source of
shielding
gas to the wire feeder 12. Applying the shielding gas to a weld area on a
workpiece
may shield a weld from the surrounding atmosphere that may cause imperfections
during a welding process. Accordingly, the shielding gas may include an inert
or
semi-inert gas. Additionally, when a plasma welding system 25 is coupled to
the wire
feeder 12, the shielding gas may be replaced by compressed air during a plasma
cutting operation, or the plasma welding system 25 may also continue to use
the
shielding gas used for other alternative welding operations. Further, the wire
feeder
12 may include a wire drive which drives wire from a wire spool toward a weld
site
during a GMAW operation.
100191 In
the present embodiment, a wire drive assembly 18 of the wire feeder 12
may be connected to a GMAW system 20 or alternative welding systems such as a
GTAW system 22, an SMAW system 23, or the plasma welding system 25 via
welding cables 24. While the GMAW system 20, the GTAW system 22, the SMAW
system 23, and the plasma welding system 25 are illustrated in FIG. 1, it
should be
noted that other welding systems may also be capable of coupling to the wire
feeder
12 in a similar manner as the GTAW system 22, the SMAW system 23, or the
plasma
welding system 25, as discussed below. It should also be noted that the power
supply
14 may be capable of supplying power for the GMAW system 20, the GTAW system
22, the SMAW system 23, the plasma welding system 25, or any other compatible
welding process.
[0020] For the GMAW system 20, the welding cable 24 may supply a current flow
26, wire 28, and a gas flow 30 to a GMAW welding gun 32 from the wire feeder
12.
Should the GTAW system 22, the SMAW system 23, or the plasma welding system
25 replace the GMAW system 20, the wire feeder 12 may supply only the current
flow 26, the gas flow 30, or both, to a GTAW torch 34, an SMAW electrode
holder
35, or a plasma welding torch 37 via the welding cable 24. Therefore, a wire
supply
system within the wire feeder 12 may be disabled when the GTAW system 22, the
SMAW system 23, or the plasma welding system 25 couples to the wire feeder 12.
Further, as mentioned above, any other welding process may also be coupled to
the
wire feeder 12. When the GTAW system 22 is connected to the wire feeder 12,
the
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wire feeder 12 may supply only the current flow 26, only the gas flow 30, or
both the
current flow 26 and the gas flow 30. Additionally, when the SMAW system 23 is
connected to the wire feeder 12, the wire feeder 12 may supply only the
current flow
26 due to flux coating a consumable electrode in the SMAW system 23. The flux
may create a shielding vapor without the use of the gas supply 16 during an
SMAW
weld. Therefore, when the SMAW system 23 couples to the wire feeder 12, both
the
wire drive system and a gas supply system within the wire feeder 12 may be
disabled.
Further, when the plasma welding system 25 is connected to the wire feeder 12,
the
wire feeder 12 may supply only the current flow 26, only the gas flow 30, or
both the
current flow 26 and the gas flow 30.
[0021] When either the
current flow 26 or the gas flow 30 is disabled during
operation of each of the systems 22, 23, and 25, the systems 22, 23, and 25
may
receive the current flow 26 or the gas flow 30 from another source. For
example,
when the current flow 26 is disabled in the wire feeder 12 while the GTAW
system 22
is connected to the wire feeder 12, the GTAW system 22 may receive current
from an
additional power source remote from the wire feeder 12 while the GTAW system
22
receives only the gas flow 30 from the wire feeder 12. Similarly, the plasma
welding
system 25 may receive current from an additional power source remote from the
wire
feeder 12 while the plasma welding system 25 receives only the gas flow 30
from the
wire feeder 12.
[0022] Further, the GMAW system 20, the GTAW system 22, the SMAW system
23, and the plasma welding system 25 may conduct welds or cuts on workpieces
36.
During a welding operation or a cutting operation, grounding clamps 38 may
clamp to
the workpieces 36. The grounding clamps 38, as illustrated, may provide a path
to
ground for the workpieces 36, and the grounding clamps 38 may also complete a
welding or cutting circuit for the GMAW system 20, the GTAW system 22, the
SMAW system 23, and/or the plasma welding system 25. By completing the welding
circuit, the grounding clamps 38 may enable generation of an arc from the GMAW
welding gun 32, the GTAW welding torch 34, an SMAW electrode 39, or the plasma
welding torch 37 to the workpieces 36.
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[0023] Turning now to FIG. 2, a front view of an exemplary embodiment of
certain components of the wire feeder 12 coupled to the GMAW system 20 is
illustrated. Generally, in the GMAW welding system 20, the wire drive system
40 of
the wire feeder 12 may provide a mechanism for feeding the wire 28 toward the
GMAW welding gun 32 from a wire spool 44. A feed motor (not shown) within the
wire drive system 40 may mechanically couple to the drive wheels 46. The drive
wheels 46, in turn, may drive the wire 28 from the wire feeder 12 toward the
GMAW
welding gun 32. Further, the welding cable 24 that may provide the current
flow 26,
the wire 28, and the gas flow 30 to the GMAW welding gun 32 may couple
securely
to the wire feeder 12 via a tightening screw 48. Furthermore, a wire drive
assembly
18 may couple with a machine connector portion of the welding cable 24 at the
wire
feeder 12. The wire drive assembly 18 may provide a location to receive the
machine
connector portion of the welding cable 24 at the wire feeder 12 enabling the
secure
coupling of the welding cable 24 to the wire feeder 12 using the tightening
screw 48.
[0024] Additionally, the GMAW welding gun 32 may include a nozzle 52 that
directs the wire 28 and the gas flow 30 toward the workpiece 36 and
facilitates
generation of the welding arc from the current flow 26. A trigger 54 on the
GMAW
welding gun 32 may instruct the wire feeder 12 to supply the current flow 26,
the wire
28, and the gas flow 30 to the nozzle 52. In this manner, a welding operator
may
manipulate operation of the GMAW system 20 to produce a desired weld on the
workpiece 36.
100251 FIG. 3 is a front view of an exeplary embodiment of certain components
of
the wire feeder 12 coupled to the GTAW system 22. The GTAW system 22 may
couple to the wire feeder 12 at the wire drive assembly 18 via an adapter 56.
During
operation of the GTAW system 22, the adapter 56 may be positioned in the wire
drive
assembly 18 and held in place by the tightening screw 48 to create a secure
connection between the adapter 56 and the wire feeder 12. An opposite end of
the
adapter may receive a cable machine connector 58 coupled to the welding cable
24.
The cable machine connector 58 may provide similar connection capabilities as
a
standard cable machine connector for coupling a welding cable to a standard
GTAW
power source. In this embodiment, only the adapter 56 is used in addition to
the cable
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machine connector 58 when coupling the GTAW system 22 to the wire feeder 12
that
typically provides power and expendables (e.g., gas flow 30 and wire 42) to
the
GMAW system 20.
[0026] Additionally, in some embodiments, the adapter 56 may be permanently
affixed to a welding cable 24. In such an embodiment, the welding cable 24 may
bypass the machine connector 58 and permanently couple with the adapter 56.
The
resulting adapter 56 and welding cable 24 device may provide a mechanism for a
welding operator to efficiently transition between operating the GMAW system
20
and the GTAW system 22. Further, a welding operator welding primarily with the
GMAW system 20, and generally having access to only the wire feeder 12 as a
power
source, may fmd a lesser burden to perform a weld with the GTAW system 22 when
the adapter 56 is permanently affixed to the welding cable 24.
[0027] Furthermore, the adapter 56 may be made from a conductive material
(e.g.,
brass) to conduct the current flowing from the power supply 14 through the
wire
feeder 12 and provide the current to the GTAW torch 34 to generate an arc at
the
workpiece 36. A suitable conductive material may carry a current desired for
the
GTAW system 22. Therefore, the adapter 56 may generally consist of a metallic
material. Further, a single piece of the suitable conductive material may form
the
adapter 56.
[0028] Moreover, the adapter 56 may include o-rings (or other suitable
sealed
connectors) 60 positioned on the body of the adapter. The o-rings 60
positioned on
one or both sides of gas through-ports 62 may prevent shielding gas leakage
from the
gas supply 16 as the shielding gas flows through the wire drive assembly 18
toward
the GTAW torch 34. Preventing the shielding gas leakage may heighten the gas
flow
and reduce consumables cost during a welding operation. Further, a recess 64
that
encircles the adapter 56 may provide stability for the adapter 56. The
tightening
screw 48 may interact with the recess 64 during tightening of the tightening
screw 48.
With this interaction, the tightening screw 48 may secure the adapter 56 in a
position
coupled to the wire drive assembly 50. Upon tightening the tightening screw
48, the
screw may fit within the recess 64 and apply pressure against an inner surface
of the
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recess 64. The applied pressure may render the adapter 56 substantially secure
within
the wire drive assembly 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 64
encircles the
entire adapter 56. However, it may be appreciated that in some embodiments the
recess 64 may be a single location on the adapter 56 that receives the
tightening screw
48. In this situation, the recess 64 may be designed to couple with specific
wire drive
assemblies 50 or tightening screws 48.
[0029] Upon coupling the welding cable 24 to the power supply 14 via the
wire
feeder 12, the GTAW torch 34 may operate in a desired manner. For example, the
adapter 56 may electrically couple with the wire drive assembly 18 to provide
adequate power through the welding cable 24 and toward a nozzle 66. The power
supplied at the nozzle 66 may enable arcing at the work piece interacting with
a filler
rod to create a desired weld bead. Further, shielding gas may flow from the
gas
supply 16 to the GTAW torch 34 via a gas output of the wire drive assembly 18.
The
shielding gas may flow from the gas output, through the gas through-ports 62
of the
adapter 56 into the welding cable 24, and, ultimately, out of the nozzle 66 to
shield
the weld produced by the GTAW torch 34. The adapter 56 may contain one or more
of the gas throughports 62 to help facilitate the gas flow from the wire
feeder 12 to a
GTAW torch 34. Furthermore, the GTAW torch 34 may have a trigger 68 or a pedal
(not shown) to control the current flow and the gas flow through the torch and
toward
the workpiece 36. In this manner, a welding operator may adjust welding
parameters
output by the wire feeder 12 in a similar manner to a traditional GTAW power
and
gas source.
[0030] Further, to couple the adapter 56 to the wire drive assembly 18, a
machine
connector portion of the welding cable 24 of the GMAW system 20 may first be
removed from the wire drive assembly 18 by loosening the tightening screw 48
and
pulling the welding cable 24 away from the wire drive assembly 18.
Subsequently,
the wire drive assembly 18 may receive the adapter 56 with or without the
machine
connector 58 already coupled to the adapter 56. Once the adapter 56 is in
place, the
tightening screw 48 may securely hold the adapter 56 in position within the
wire drive
assembly 18. Additionally, it may be appreciated that while FIG. 3 depicts the
GTAW system 22 coupled to the adapter 56, the adapter 56 may similarly couple
the
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SMAW system 23 or the plasma welding system 25 to the wire feeder 12 to
provide
the current flow 26, the gas flow 30, or both, to the SMAW system 23 or the
plasma
welding system 25.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the adapter 56. In the illustrated
embodiment of the adapter 56, o-ring recesses 70 are shown on either side of
the gas
through-ports 62. The o-ring recesses 70 may be formed in the body of the
adapter 56
to secure positioning of the o-rings 60 shown in FIG. 4. By inserting the o-
rings 60
into the o-ring recesses 70, the o-rings 60 may remain substantially
stationary when
inserting or removing the adapter 56 from the wire drive assembly 18. In this
manner,
the o-rings 60 may maintain a seal between the adapter 56 and the gas output
of the
wire drive assembly 18 to prevent any substantial leakage of the shielding
gas. As
mentioned above, this may reduce costs associated with welding consumables
during
a welding operation.
[0032] Additionally, the adapter 56, as illustrated in FIG. 4, has a
coupling portion
72 that may comprise a solid portion of the conductive material that makes up
the
adapter 56. The coupling portion 72 may have a generally cylindrical shape and
function as a male configuration of a size that would enable a close fit
within walls of
the wire drive assembly 18. Contact between the wire drive assembly 18 and the
coupling portion 72 may result in the efficient transfer of current from the
wire feeder
12 to the GTAW system 22. Additionally, to enhance contact between the wire
drive
assembly 18 and the coupling portion 72, the recess 64 may receive the
tightening
screw 48 to press the adapter 56 into the walls of the wire drive assembly 18
and
enhance a secure electrical connection between the wire drive assembly 18 and
the
coupling portion 72.
[0033] Upon establishing the secure electrical connection between the wire
drive
assembly 18 and the coupling portion 72, the electrical current and the gas
flow may
travel toward a receiving portion 74 of the adapter 56. The receiving portion
74 may
generally comprise a larger diameter than the coupling portion 72 and also
comprise a
female configuration via a receiving aperture 76. Further, the receiving
aperture 76
positioned within the receiving portion 74 may receive the machine connector
58.
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The machine connector 58 may couple the adapter to the welding cable 24 to
transmit
the current and gas flow toward the GTAW torch 34. It may be appreciated that
while
the adapter 56 is described as having a male configuration that couples with
the wire
drive assembly 18 and a female configuration that couples to the machine
connector
58, in some embodiments, the adapter 56 may include a female configuration
that
couples with the wire drive assembly 18 and a male configuration that couples
with
the machine connector 58.
[0034] Further, as mentioned above, the receiving portion 74 may also
remain
permanently affixed directly to the welding cable 24. In this embodiment, the
welding cable 24 may functionally operate as the receiving portion 74 of the
adapter
56. Instead of coupling the machine connector 58 to the receiving portion 74,
the
GTAW torch 34 may couple directly to the receiving portion 74 of the adapter
56.
This embodiment may enable an increase in efficiency in transitioning between
the
GMAW system 20 and the GTAW system 22 by eliminating a step to couple the
welding cable 24 to the machine connector 48. Further, such an embodiment may
be
attractive to a welding operator that only owns a GMAW welding machine and has
little need for the welding cable 24 capable of coupling to a GTAW welding
machine.
[0035] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter 56. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the receiving aperture 76 is in fluid communication with the gas
through-ports 62 by way of an inner gas flow path 78. The gas through-ports
62, in
the illustrated embodiment, are positioned radially in relation to a central
axis 80 of
the adapter 56. It may be noted, however, that the gas through-ports 62 may
also
intersect the central axis 80 at a non-perpendicular angle so long as
resulting angle
does not impede the gas flow. Further, the inner gas flow path 78, in the
present
embodiment, is positioned along the central axis 80 within the adapter 56.
Similarly
to the gas through-ports 62, the inner gas flow path 78 may also be placed
within the
adapter 56 at any angle relative to the central axis 80 (i.e., not simply
parallel to the
central axis 80) of the adapter 56 so long as a resulting position of the
inner gas flow
path 78 does not impede the gas flow.
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[0036] Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, arrows 82 and 84 represent the
flow
direction of the gas from the wire drive assembly 18 toward the welding cable
24.
The shielding gas may flow from the wire drive assembly 18 through the gas
through-
ports 62 in the direction of arrow 82 toward the central axis 80. Upon
reaching the
inner gas flow path 78, the shielding gas may flow along the central axis 80
in the
direction of arrow 84 toward the receiving aperture 76. The shielding gas may
then
flow into the welding cable 24 before the GTAW torch 34 applies the shielding
gas at
the site of a weld.
[0037] Additionally, in some embodiments, the gas through-ports 62 and the
inner
gas flow path 78 may not be present. Such an embodiment may be used with an
SMAW system or any other welding system that may not use shielding gas from
the
gas supply 16. For example, in the SMAW system, the flux coating the
consumable
electrode creates the shielding gas during welding. Because of this, the SMAW
torch
does not provide the shielding gas during a weld. This may result in disabling
both
the gas source 16 and the wire drive system 40 while the SMAW system is in
place.
Further, coupling the SMAW system to the wire drive assembly 18 may allow the
adapter 56 to operate without the gas through-ports 62 and the inner gas flow
path 78.
Instead, the adapter 56 may comprise a single, solid piece of brass or other
conductive
material throughout with a recess for the receiving aperture 76.
[0038] While only certain features of the present disclosure have been
illustrated
and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those
skilled in
the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are
intended to
cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the
present
disclosure.
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