WELDING MACHINE AND PROCEDURE FOR WELDING ATTACHMENTS TO BASE MEMBERS AND HAVING PROVISION FOR CHECKING FOR THE PRESENCE OF A WELDED ATTACHMENT AND THE ADEQUACY OF THE WELD

• US 3,553,418 A
• Filed: 11/08/1967
• Issued: 01/05/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1967
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Grotnes Metalforming Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Christian H. Stettler, Frederick E. Ullman, Hans W. Kopp, Oscar W. Garver
• Inventors: Garver, Oscar W., Ullman, Frederick E., Stettler, Christian H., Kopp, Hans W.
• Application Number:
  US04/681,405
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• US Class Current: 219/79
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/0033 Welding locally a thin plate to a large piece
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2203/0296 Welds
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 3/00 Investigating strength properties of solid materials by application of mechanical stress

Abstract

A welding machine and procedure for welding attachments to base members wherein provision is made for checking the products discharged from the welding station both for the presence of a welded attachment and the adequacy of the weld, and for signalling the detection of a defective condition.

Claims

1. In a machine for welding an ear having a welding surface and a central bail opening to a metal pail, the combination comprising a frame providing a plurality of welding stations, transfer and positioning means for indexing a series of pails from one station to the next, the first station having means for orienting a pail in a desired position about its axis and relative to the machine, means in a subsequent one of the stations for feeding an ear to a position contacting the wall of the pail and for welding the ear to the pail, means in a final one of the stations for checking the presence or absence of an ear, means associated with the orienting means for detecting misorientation, means for coupling the detecting means to the ear feeding means so that no ear is fed when the misoriented pail moves into the welding station, and means responsive to the checking means for notifying the operator of the machine when a predetermined number of pails without ears have passed through the machine.

2. In a system for welding one or more attachments to a base member, the method of checking to determine the presence of an attachment welded to the base member and/or the adequacy of the weld created comprising the steps of:

a. establishing a path of movement for the base member and any attachment welded thereto;

b. interposing a feeler member in said path of movement in obstructing relation to any attachment welded to the base member;

c. biasing said feeler member by a predetermined force;

d. coupling said feeler member to force responsive means adapted to create a control signal for indicating the absence of a properly welded attachment upon sensing a force less than the predetermined force; and

, e. shifting the base member relative to the feeler member so as to cause the latter to engage any attachment welded to the base member and thus apply a force to the attachment, whereupon the presence of a properly welded attachment will cause the creation of a force sufficiently great to overcome the biasing force and thus preclude the creation of a control signal, whereas the absence of an attachment and the presence of a defectively welded attachment will be incapable of causing the creation of a force sufficient to overcome the biasing force.

3. The method as set fortH in claim 2 further including the steps of:

f. counting the control signals produced by said force responsive means; and

, g. producing an output signal upon counting n control signals (where n is any preselected integer) indicative of the detection of n base members devoid of a properly welded attachment.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 further including the step of restoring the count accumulated during step F to zero upon detection of a base member having an attachment properly welded thereto so that said output signal produced during step G is produced only upon detection of n consecutive defective base members.

5. The method as set forth in claim 3 further characterized in that the output signal produced during step G is used to interrupt the normal operation of the welding system.