Welding system and method of welding

• US 9,855,620 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kooken, Todd E., Luo, Lifeng, Krueger, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIK, SANG YEOP
• Application Number:
  US14/505,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20150014290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 2191301-13051, 219136, 219137 R, 219137 PS
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/09 Arrangements or circuits for arc welding with pulsed current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/091 characterised by the circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/093 the frequency of the pulses produced being modulatable
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1043 characterised by the electric circuit B23K9/1012 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1075 Parallel power supply, i.e. multiple power supplies or multiple inverters supplying a single arc or welding current
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/173 and of a consumable electrode

Abstract

A three stage power source for an electric arc welding process comprising an input stage having an AC input and a first DC output signal; a second stage in the form of an unregulated DC to DC converter having an input connected to the first DC output signal and converts the first DC output signal to a second DC output signal of the second stage; and a third stage to convert the second DC output signal to a welding output for welding wherein the input stage and the second stage are assembled into a first module within a first housing structure and the third stage is assembled into a second module having a separate housing structure connectable to the first module with long power cables. The second module also includes wire feeding systems and electronics.

Claims

1. A power supply system for an electric arc welding process, said power supply system comprising:

a first power supply component comprising;

an input stage having an AC input and a first fixed DC output signal;

a second stage in the form of an unregulated DC to DC converter, unregulated by a feedback signal from the electric arc welding process, having an input connected to said first fixed DC output signal, a network of switches switched at a high frequency with a given duty cycle to convert said input into a first internal AC signal, an isolation transformer with a primary winding driven by said first internal AC signal and a secondary winding for creating a second internal AC signal; and

a smoothing choke and a rectifier to convert said second internal AC signal into a second fixed DC output signal of said second stage with a magnitude related to said duty cycle of said switches; and

a second power supply component mounted in a wire feeder housing and comprising;

a power conversion module to convert said second fixed DC output signal to a welding output for welding in said process, wherein the power conversion module in the wire feeder housing is operatively connected to receive at least one of a voltage feedback signal of the welding output and a current feedback signal of the welding output at the wire feeder housing, and regulate the welding output based on the at least one of a voltage feedback signal of the welding output and a current feedback signal of the welding output, and

a wire feeding module which controls the operation of a wire feeder mechanism within the wire feeder housing;

wherein each of said first and second power supply component have a separate housing structure,

wherein said second power supply component is positioned remote from said first power supply component and said second fixed DC output signal of said second stage is maintained over a set of power cables which couples said first power supply component to said second power supply component.

2. The power supply system of claim 1, wherein said set of power cables have a length in the range of 100 to 500 feet.

3. The power supply system of claim 1, wherein said input stage includes a rectifier and a power factor correcting converter.

4. The power supply system of claim 1, wherein said power conversion module includes a chopper with a power switch operated at a given frequency.

5. The power supply system of claim 4, wherein said chopper is a dual mode chopper with a first polarity path with a first power switch and a first polarity switch and a second polarity path with a second power switch and a second polarity switch, wherein the first polarity path and the second polarity path are opposite polarity paths between an electrode and a workpiece, and the dual mode chopper is selectively operable in any one of an AC mode, a DC positive mode, and a DC negative mode.

6. The power supply system of claim 5, including a controller within said second power supply component with a first mode alternately operating said chopper between first and second polarity paths and a second mode operating said chopper in only one of said polarity paths.

7. The power supply system of claim 1, wherein said power conversion module includes a circuit, located in the wire feeder housing, with a power switch to perform an STT welding process.

8. The power supply system of claim 1, wherein said wire feeding module receives power from said second fixed DC output signal.

9. A power supply system for an electric arc welding process, said power supply system comprising:

a first module including;

an input stage having an AC input and a first fixed DC output signal;

a second stage in the form of an unregulated DC to DC converter, unregulated by a feedback signal from the electric arc welding process, having an input connected to said first fixed DC output signal, a network of switches switched at a high frequency with a given duty cycle to convert said input into a first internal high frequency AC signal, an isolation transformer with a primary winding driven by said first internal high frequency AC signal and a secondary winding for creating a second internal high frequency AC signal; and

a smoothing choke and a rectifier to convert said second internal high frequency AC signal into a second fixed DC output signal of said second stage, said second stage having a fixed relationship between input and output voltages of the second stage; and

a second power supply component mounted in a wire feeder housing and comprising;

a power conversion module to convert said second fixed DC output signal to a welding output for welding in said process, wherein the power conversion module in the wire feeder housing is operatively connected to receive at least one of a voltage feedback signal of the welding output and a current feedback signal of the welding output at the wire feeder housing, and regulate the welding output based on the at least one of a voltage feedback signal of the welding output and a current feedback signal of the welding output, and

a wire feeding module which controls the operation of a wire feeder mechanism within the wire feeder housing;

wherein each of said first module and said second power supply component have a separate housing structure,

wherein said second power supply component is positioned remote from said first module and said second fixed DC output signal of said second stage is maintained over a set of power cables which couples said first module to said second power supply component.

10. The power supply system of claim 9, wherein said set of power cables have a length in the range of 100 to 500 feet.

11. The power supply system of claim 9, wherein said input stage includes a rectifier and a power factor correcting converter.

12. The power supply system of claim 9, wherein said power conversion module includes a chopper with a power switch operated at a given frequency.

13. The power supply system of claim 12, wherein said chopper is a dual mode chopper with a first polarity path with a first power switch and a first polarity switch and a second polarity path with a second power switch and a second polarity switch, wherein the first polarity path and the second polarity path are opposite polarity paths between an electrode and a workpiece, and the dual mode chopper is selectively operable in any one of an AC mode, a DC positive mode, and a DC negative mode.

14. The power supply system of claim 13, including a controller within said second power supply component with a first mode alternately operating said chopper between first and second polarity paths and a second mode operating said chopper in only one of said polarity paths.

15. The power supply system of claim 9, wherein said power conversion module includes a circuit, located in the wire feeder housing, with a power switch to perform an STT welding process.

16. The power supply system of claim 9, wherein said given duty cycle is adjustable.

17. The power supply system of claim 9, wherein said input stage has a power factor correcting converter which is a buck+boost converter.

18. The power supply system of claim 9, wherein said wire feeding module receives power from said second fixed DC output signal.