Endless wire container and method of using the same

Abstract

A container for packaging and unwinding a coil of welding wire to allow an uninterrupted flow of the welding wire from one the container to another the container. The coil of welding wire including a coiled portion having a top and a bottom, a first extension of the wire extending from the coil near the coil top to a feeding end and a second extension of the wire extending from the coil near the bottom to a transfer end. The transfer end of the one container being joinable to the feeding end of the another container. The container including an outer packaging with at least one vertically extending side wall, a closed bottom, a top opening for removing the welding wire and a wire coil receiving cavity within the outer packaging for receiving the wire coil. The feeding end and the transfer end being positionable near the top opening; the container further including a transfer sleeve having a first end, a second end and a wire passage extending along a sleeve axis longitudinally between the first and second ends, the wire passage being sized to allow the welding wire to travel axially through the passage. The sleeve further including a separable release slot extending between the first and second ends and the slot having a substantially closed position to maintain the welding wire in the passage. The slot also including a separated position to allow a length of the wire in the passage to pass transversely through the slot.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to welding wire packaging and more particularly to welding wire package for use as an endless wire container such that the welding wire of multiple containers can be linked together to produce an uninterrupted flow of welding wire to a welding operation. INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE [0002] Welding wire used in high production operations, such as robotic welding stations, is provided in a large package having over 200 pounds of wire. The welding wire, in these packages, is looped into convolutions of wire loops forming a wire coil extending around a central core or a central clearance bore. One such winding technique is shown in Cooper U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,303 which discloses a method and apparatus for packing wire in a storage drum and which is incorporated by reference herein as background material showing the same. [0003] However, even the use of large packaging does not eliminate down-time for the welding operation when the welding wire of the pa...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] More particularly, the container houses a coil of welding wire including a coiled portion having a top and a bottom, a first extension of the wire extending from the coil near the coil top to a feeding end and a second extension of the wire extending from the coil near the coil bottom to a transfer end. The transfer end of the one container being joinable to the feeding end of another container. The container can include an outer packaging with at least one vertically extending side wall, a closed bottom, a top opening for removing the welding wire and a wire coil receiving cavity within the outer packaging for receiving the wire coil. The feeding end and the transfer end are positionable near the top opening to allow easy access to both.

Problems solved by technology

However, as can be appreciated, there is a limit to the size of the welding wire package.

If the package or containers are too large, they become difficult to transport, are very costly which can be a factor if the container is damaged, and the containers consume a large portion of floor space near the welding operation.

As a result, even when large containers of welding wire are utilized, down time is inevitable when the wire is exhausted from the container.

In view of the new high tech and costly robotic welding systems, a short down time can be very costly.

As can be appreciated, a tangled welding wire can be a worse condition than an exhausted container of welding wire and can create greater amounts of down time.

However, the runner disclosed in Jensen has many flaws.

Further, the weight of the runner can negatively produce significant downward force in the welding wire when the first container is exhausted.

For these reasons and other reasons, the Jensen device fails to effectively overcome the problems with creating an endless wire system.

It is well known that wire has a tendency to seek a predetermined natural condition which can adversely affect the welding process.

To help in this respect, the manufacturers of welding wire produce a wire having natural cast, wherein, if a segment of the wire was laid on the floor, the natural shape of the wire would be essentially a straight line; however, in order to package large quantities of the wire, the wire is coiled into the package which can produce a significant amount of wire distortion and tangling as the wire is dispensed from the package.

Both tangling or breaking of the welding wire can cause significant down time while the damaged wire is removed and the wire is re-fed into the wire feeder.

However, when the welding wire is paid out of the package, the walls of the package lose their influence on the wire and the wire will move toward its natural cast.

This causes the portion of the wire which is being withdrawn from the package to loosen and tend to spring back into the package thereby interfering and possibly becoming tangled with other convolutions of wire.

However, the braking device must descend within the package as the wire in unwound from the wire coil.

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