Coupling structure and method for feeding compressed air to welding device using same

• US 10,449,618 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fronius International GmbH (G&K Privatstiftung)
• Original Assignee: Fronius International GmbH (G&K Privatstiftung)
• Inventors: Resch, Christian, Bruckner, Manfred, Preundler, Anton, Platzer, Stefan, Radinger, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Abraham, Ibrahime A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bae, Gyounghyun
• Application Number:
  US14/430,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20150251266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,232 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1336 Driving means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/323 Combined coupling means, e.g. gas, electricity, water or the like electrical only H01R
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/325 Devices for supplying or evacuating shielding gas
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/328 Cleaning of weld torches, i.e. removing weld-spatter; Preventing weld-spatter, e.g. applying anti-adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/06 using a magnet , e.g. diaphragm valves, cutting off by means of a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes

Abstract

Device and method for welding a workpiece (2) having a welding torch (3) which can be mechanically coupled by a coupling element (4) to a hose bundle (5) for supplying the welding torch (3) at least with compressed air or with a protective gas, wherein compressed air applied to the coupling element (4) can be diverted by a diverting valve (10) provided in the coupling element (4) for actuating an actuator (7).

Claims

1. A coupling structure of a welding device (1) for welding a workpiece (2) having a welding torch (3), a coupling element (4) and a welding wire stop (7), wherein the welding torch (3) is mechanically coupled by the coupling element (4) to a hose bundle (5) for supplying the welding torch (3) at least with compressed air or with a protective gas, wherein the compressed air applied to the coupling element (4) is diverted by a diverting valve (10) provided in the coupling element (4) for actuating the welding wire stop (7), said welding wire stop (7) being adapted to clamp a welding wire (6) supplied in the welding wire guide and wherein the diverting valve (10) provided in the coupling element (4) is switchable between two valve positions by a controllable electromagnet (30), wherein in a first valve position of the diverting valve (10) the compressed air applied to the coupling element (4) is fed to the welding torch (3), and wherein in a second valve position of the diverting valve (10), the compressed air applied to the coupling element (4) is diverted to the welding wire stop (7) within the coupling element (4), wherein the controllable electromagnet (30) is activated such that a mechanical latching component (24) engagable with an annular recess (23) in an outer surface of a hollow cylindrical control slide (22) of the diverting valve (10) is released and the diverting valve (10) is moved from the first valve position to the second valve position to divert the compressed air.

2. The coupling structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coupling element (4) of the welding device (1) has a gas spigot (8) for attachment to the hose bundle (5) of the welding device (1), wherein the gas spigot (8) is connected to a gas switch-over valve (15) which can be actuated and which can be switched over between a compressed air source (20) and a protective gas source (18) for supplying the welding torch (3) with compressed air or protective gas.

3. The coupling structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein, during welding operation of the welding device (1), the gas switch-over valve (15) is switched in such a way that protective gas from the protective gas source (18) is applied to the gas spigot (8) of the coupling element (4) through a line (16) of the hose bundle (5), and the diverting valve (10) within the coupling element (4) is switched to the first valve position.

4. The coupling structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claim 2 or 3, wherein, during blow-out operation of the welding device (1), the gas switch-over valve (15) is switched in such a way that compressed air from the compressed air source (20) is applied to the gas spigot (8) of the coupling element (4) through a line (16) of the hose bundle (5), and the diverting valve (10) within the coupling element (4) is switched to the first valve position.

5. The coupling structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claim 2 or 3, wherein, during actuator-actuating operation of the welding device (1), the gas switch-over valve (15) is switched in such a way that compressed air from the compressed air source (20) is applied to the gas spigot (8) of the coupling element (4) through a line of the hose bundle (5), and the switch-over valve (10) within the coupling element (4) is switched to the second valve position, wherein the applied compressed air is diverted to actuate the welding wire stop within the coupling element (4).

6. The coupling structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the compressed air diverted during actuator-actuating operation of the welding device (1) is diverted to the welding wire stop within the coupling element (4) through a bore (29) in the housing (21) of the coupling element (4).

7. The coupling structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, wherein an integrated valve control (13) is provided in the coupling element (4) for controlling the electromagnet (30) of the diverting valve (10), wherein the integrated valve control (13) for diverting the compressed air during actuator-actuating operation of the welding device (1) activates the electromagnet (30) provided in the coupling element (4) such that the mechanical latching component (24) is released and the diverting valve (10) is moved from the first valve position to the second valve position to divert the compressed air.

8. The coupling structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mechanical latching component (24) is a ball which, when the diverting valve (10) is in the first valve position, engages with the annular recess (23) in an outer surface of the hollow cylindrical control slide (22) of the diverting valve (10) and is fixed by a movable armature (32) which is connected to the gas spigot (8) of the coupling element (4) such that, during welding operation of the welding device (1), the applied protective gas and, during blow-out operation of the welding device (1), the applied compressed air pass through the hollow cylindrical control slide (22) via an opening (27) provided in the hollow cylindrical control slide (22) and an outlet opening (12) to the welding torch (3) of the welding device (1).

9. The coupling structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein, during activation of the electromagnet (30) of the diverting valve (10) for a transition to actuator-actuating operation of the welding device (1), the ball (24) falls into an annular groove (35) in a cylinder head (34) of the movable armature (32) of the electromagnet (30) such that the ball (24) no longer engages with the annular recess (23) in the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical control slide (22), and the hollow cylindrical control slide (22) of the diverting valve (10) is moved by the pressure of the compressed air from the first valve position to the second valve position of the diverting valve (10) for diverting the compressed air.

10. The coupling structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, wherein a valve control (13) integrated in the coupling element (4) is connected to a control (14).

11. Method for welding a workpiece (2) by means of a welding torch (3), comprising the steps of:

mechanically coupling the welding torch (3) by a coupling element (4) to a hose bundle (5) for supplying the welding torch (2) at least with compressed air or with a protective gas;

guiding compressed air applied to the coupling element (4) by controlling a controllable electromagnet (30) to switch a diverting valve (10) between first and second valve positions, wherein, in the first valve position, the compressed air is fed to a gas outlet (12) of the coupling element (4) and, in the second valve position, the compressed air is fed to a welding wire stop (7) within the coupling element (4);

wherein controlling the controllable electromagnet (30) includes activating the controllable electromagnet (30) such that a mechanical latching component (24) engagable with an annular recess (23) in an outer surface of a hollow cylindrical control slide (22) of the diverting valve (10) is released and the diverting valve (10) is moved from the first valve position to the second valve position to feed the compressed air to the welding wire stop (7);

clamping a welding wire (6) supplied in a welding wire guide using the welding wire stop (7) when the diverting valve (10) is in the second valve position; and

using the compressed air applied to the coupling element to the welding torch (3) for removal of welding residues when the diverting valve (10) is in the first valve position.