WELDING DEVICE

• US 20150251266A1
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Published: 09/10/2015
• 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, Platzer, Stefan, Preundler, Anton, Radinger, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 10,449,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. Welding device (1) 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).

2. Welding device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diverting valve (10) provided in the coupling element (4) can be switched over 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), wherein in a second valve position of the diverting valve (10), the compressed air applied to the coupling element (4) is diverted to the actuator (7).

3. Welding device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the coupling element (4) 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.

4. Welding device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, wherein, during welding operation of the welding device (1), the gas switch-over valve (15) is switched such 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.

5. Welding device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, 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.

6. Welding device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, 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, that the applied compressed air is diverted to actuate the actuator (7) within or outside the coupling element (4).

7. Welding device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, wherein the actuator (7) which is actuated using the compressed air diverted during actuator-actuating operation of the welding device (1) is a welding wire stop which is provided to clamp the welding wire (6) supplied in a welding wire guide.

8. Welding device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, wherein the compressed air diverted during actuator-actuating operation of the welding device (1) is diverted to the actuator (7) through a bore (29) in the housing (21) of the coupling element (4).

9. Welding device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, wherein an integrated valve control (13) is provided in the coupling element (4) to control 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 a mechanical latching component (24) is released and the diverting valve (10) is moved from the first valve position to the second valve position for diverting the compressed air to the actuator (7).

10. Welding device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mechanical latching component (24) is a ball which, when the diverting valve (10) is in the first valve position, engages with an annular recess (23) in an outer surface of a hollow cylindrical control slide (22) of the diverting valve (10) and is fixed by the 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 control slide (22) via an opening (27) provided in the control slide (22) and an outlet opening (12) to the welding torch (3) of the welding device (1).

11. Welding device as claimed in claim 10, wherein, during activation of the electromagnet (30) of the diverting valve (10) for the 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 a 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) to divert the compressed air to the actuator (7).

12. Welding device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 11, wherein the valve control (13) integrated in the coupling element (4) is connected to a control (14).

13. Method for providing compressed air for at least one actuator (7), wherein compressed air applied to a welding torch (3) via a mechanical coupling element (4) is diverted to the actuator (7) by activation of a diverting valve (10) provided in the mechanical coupling element (4).