MIG welder attachment for an electric hand drill

• US 4,801,780 A
• Filed: 10/14/1987
• Issued: 01/31/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omniverse Research Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Omniverse Research Incorporated
• Inventors: Hayes, Peter F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Clifford C.
• Application Number:
  US07/108,347
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 219/130.1, 219/132, 219/133, 219/134, 219/137 RS, 219/137.2, 219/136
• US Class Current: 219/130.1
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1336 Driving means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/295 using consumable electrode-wire

Abstract

A dielectric cover is detachably coupled, in enveloping fashion, about the motor casing portion of an electric hand drill of pistol form with a front portion extending beyond the drill shaft projecting from the front end of the drill casing. The cover acts as a torque tube to support a right angle drive reduction gear mechanism which terminates in a drive wheel rotating about an axis perpendicular to the drill shaft axis and within a friction drive mechanism, completed by spring biased idler wheel pressing sidewise against the drive wheel. Metal blocks mounted to the cover connect to one side of a DC source and mount a wire guide for guiding a thin wire first electrode into contact with and between the drive wheel and the idler wheel. The wire electrode which is frictionally pulled from a spool borne by the cover feeds through a conductor tube of an electrode nozzle assembly. The conductor tube receives an inert shielding gas which flows about the thin wire first electrode and the arc. The variable speed drill uses the trigger mechanism to control wire electrode feed speed and thus the amperage of the weld arc, with workpiece functioning as the second electrode. Owing to the inherently stable arc as derived from storage batteries, arc and drive power sources require no stabilizing interlock and may thus be entirely separate or identical, as convenience may dictate, without affecting either arc or drive either benficially or adversely.

Claims

1. A consumable wire electrode welding system including:

a metal workpiece acting as a first electrode, a consumable fine wire second electrode, means for feeding said consumable fine wire second electrode towards said metal workpiece for initiating and maintaining an electrical arc therebetween, said feeding means including an electric drive motor, a first arc power means connected between said electrodes for creating an electrical welding arc therebetween, second electrical drive power means for energizing said electric drive motor, control means for selectively connecting said second electrical drive power means to said electric motor and for varying the power supply thereto for the purpose of varying the speed of the consumable wire electrode feed, the improvement wherein said first arc power means and said second electrical drive power means comprises at least one storage battery, and wherein separate circuits are defined by said at least one storage battery and said electrodes, and said at least one storage battery and said electric drive motor, which separate circuits are substantially electrically unaffected by each other such that there is no appreciable drop in arc voltage resulting from variation in drive speed of said motor or vice versa, with said first arc power means at least one battery constituting an inherently stable, totally unregulated welding arc power supply.

2. The consumable wire electrode welding system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one storage battery comprises a pair of DC batteries in series, and wherein said second electrical drive power means comprises one of said DC batteries with said electric drive motor connected across said one DC battery, forming one of said separate circuits.

3. A consumable wire electrode welding system including:

a metal workpiece acting as s first electrode, a consumable fine wire second electrode, means for feeding said consumable fine wire second electrode towards said metal workpiece for initiating and maintaining an electrical arc therebetween, said feeding means including an electric drive motor, at least one source of electrical power, means for connecting said at least one source of electrical power between said electrodes, control means for selectively connecting said at least one source of electrical power to said electric drive motor and for varying the power supply thereto for the purpose of varying the speed of the consumable wire electrode feed, the improvement wherein said at least one source of electrical power comprises at least one storage battery, and wherein, separate, parallel circuits are defined by said at least one storage battery and said electrodes and by said at least one storage battery and said electric drive motor, which circuits are substantially electrically unaffected by each other such that there is no appreciable drop in arc voltage from operation of said electric drive motor or from variation in drive speed of the feed of said consumable fine wire second electrode towards said metal workpiece with said circuit defined by said at least one storage battery and said electrode constituting an inherently stable, totally unregulated welding arc circuit.