Storage and supply assembly for welding wires of welding or brazing equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a storage and supply assembly (1) for a welding wire (10) to be supplied to a device, comprising: a drum (2) adapted to store the welding wire (10), extending about a drum axis (Y-Y) between a resting base (21) and an open upper end (23); welding wire handling means (3) positioned between the drum (2) and the apparatus and adapted to draw the welding wire (10) from the drum (2) to feed the welding wire to the apparatus; the invention relates to a welding machine (1) comprising a drum (2), a cover (5) arranged above the drum (2) in which an outlet channel (5 ') of the welding wire (10) is obtained at the top of the cover, and a spacer (4) adapted to be releasably positioned between the cover (5) and an upper end (23) of the drum (2) to act as an extension of the drum (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of welding wire for welding or brazing equipment, and in particular to a storage and supply assembly for welding wire for welding or brazing equipment. Background Art

[0002] However, the invention can be used for any type of wire that has to be stored in drums and supplied to equipment located downstream of the assembly.

[0003] As is known, some welding or brazing devices use welding wire stored in a drum. The welding wire is gradually drawn out of the drum and supplied to the welding device, such as a welding torch that is moved by a robot or manually.

[0004] Figure 1 An embodiment of a typical storage and supply assembly of the prior art is shown in , in which the welding wire wound into a coil is stored in a cylindrical drum closed by a conical cover. The conical cover with a welding wire outlet channel at its top also has the function of guiding the welding wire towards the outlet channel to limit the formation of kinks. The welding wire is pulled out of the drum by a wire pulling device and fed to the welding device. In some embodiments, such as the type described in WO2018167806A1 of the same applicant, the wire pulling device is also associated with a wire straightening device, which is suitable for eliminating or at least reducing the tendency of the welding wire to twist due to its long-term storage in the form of a coil in the drum.

[0005] In known solutions, usually the wire bundle does not occupy all the available volume of the drum, due to the need to position an unwinding attachment on top of the wire bundle to facilitate unwinding the wire towards the exit channel, and also to avoid forcing the wire to bend too sharply upwards ( Figure 1 The outlet angle α in the figure may facilitate the formation of a kink when unwinding the wire. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to propose a storage and supply assembly for welding wire, in which the welding wire is wound into coils and stored in a drum, making it possible to store a larger amount of welding wire in the drum, thereby reducing the frequency of drum replacement and improving productivity.

[0007] This object is achieved by the storage and supply assembly according to the invention. The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Features and advantages of the storage and supply assembly according to the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment thereof, provided by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1A storage and supply assembly according to a typical embodiment of the prior art is shown;

[0010] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a storage and supply assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A view viewed from above the components in the ;

[0012] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A view from above of a separated portion and partial cross-section of the storage and supply assembly is shown;

[0013] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 an enlarged view of a portion of a cross section of an assembly in FIG.

[0014] Figure 6 (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) show a storage and supply assembly including a welding wire unwinding accessory in five different embodiments;

[0015] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a processing device according to one embodiment;

[0016] Figure 8a and Figure 8b They are Figure 6 Front and side views of a processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In said figures, numeral 1 has been used to indicate as a whole a storage and feed assembly according to the invention for a welding wire to be supplied to a device, such as a welding torch.The storage and feed assembly 1 extends along an assembly axis XX.

[0018] According to the invention, the storage and supply assembly 1 comprises a drum 2, for example cylindrical or with a polygonal cross section, suitable for storing welding wire 10 wound into coils 10' forming a welding wire bundle. In particular, the coils 10' of the welding wire 10 are kept in an orderly overlapping relationship, which allows the welding wire 10 to be correctly drawn out from the drum 2.

[0019] The drum extends between a resting base 21 and an open upper end 23 about a drum axis YY.

[0020] Preferably, the assembly axis XX and the drum axis YY are aligned.

[0021] The ratio between the longitudinal dimension of the drum 2 and the longitudinal dimension of the wire bundle is between 70% and 100%, preferably 85%.

[0022] The term "longitudinal dimension" refers to the dimension along the drum axis YY.

[0023] Furthermore, the storage and supply assembly 1 comprises a wire handling device 3, which is positioned between the drum 2 and the equipment and is suitable for extracting the welding wire from the drum 2 in order to supply it to a welding or brazing equipment (not shown).

[0024] According to one embodiment (in Figure 7 , Figure 8a and Figure 8b As shown in FIG. ), the welding wire processing device 3 includes a welding wire straightening group 50 and / or a welding wire pulling group 60.

[0025] The wire pulling group 60 includes two opposing driving belts 12, 12'. The two driving belts form two corresponding straight belt sections 14 facing each other to receive the welding wire 10 leaving the drum 2 therebetween and move the welding wire.

[0026] In other words, each drive belt 12; 12' is returned through a respective stretching roller 13; 13' to form a closed loop. One of such stretching rollers 13, 13' is a drive roller adapted to produce a rotation of the respective drive belt 12; 12'.

[0027] In one embodiment, the drive roller is keyed to the shaft of an actuator 17, such as a pneumatic actuator or an electric actuator.

[0028] In one embodiment, each drive belt 12; 12' returns over three stretching rollers 13; 13'.

[0029] In one embodiment, the extension of the straight section 14 is at least equal to the diameter of the stretching roller 13; 13', ie it is of the order of tens of millimeters, or preferably hundreds of millimeters.

[0030] In fact, compared to the prior art drive rollers which are in precise contact with the welding wire and exert a high specific pressure on said welding wire, the drive belt 12; 12' has a much larger contact surface with the welding wire than the rollers and exerts a lower specific pressure.

[0031] Therefore, the welding wire 10 will not be deformed by passing between the driving belts 12; 12', and any dust or other foreign medium deposited on the driving belts will have no effect on the surface of the welding wire.

[0032] Furthermore, since the drive belt 12; 12' can be made of a softer material than the material from which the drive rollers are usually made, the welding wire can be handled more easily without deforming or altering the welding wire.

[0033] In one embodiment, the stretching rollers 13 ; 13 ′ of two opposing drive belts 12 ; 12 ′ are supported by respective drive plates 120 ; 120 ′, which may be spaced apart from each other, for example by micrometer screws 122 , which are associated with the diameter of the welding wire 1 .

[0034] According to another embodiment (not shown), the wire pulling group 60 comprises a plurality of motorized wire pulling rollers facing each other to receive and move the welding wire 10 between them leaving the drum 2. Preferably, there are two or four wire pulling rollers.

[0035] The straightening group 50, which may be positioned downstream or upstream of the wire pulling group 60 as described above, includes at least two roller straightening units 52, 52a arranged in series with each other along the advancing direction of the welding wire.

[0036] Each straightening unit 52; 52a comprises at least two opposing straightening rollers 54, 54'; 54a, 54a', between which the welding wire 10 moved by the wire pulling group 60 passes.

[0037] The suitably shaped straightening rollers 54, 54' of one straightening unit 52 are oriented perpendicularly to the straightening rollers 54a, 54a' of at least one other straightening unit 52a. However, the respective axes of rotation of all straightening rollers 54, 54'; 54a, 54a' are perpendicular to the advancing direction of the welding wire 10, i.e. perpendicular to the straight sections 14 of the drive belts 12, 12'.

[0038] By this arrangement of the straightening rollers, it has been experimentally verified that the memory of the welding wire 10 emerging from the drum 2 is completely eliminated. Therefore, the welding wire 10 emerging from the straightening group 50 is completely neutral.

[0039] In one embodiment, the straightening rollers 54, 54'; 54a, 54a' are mounted idlingly on the respective roller support plates 56, 56a. Therefore, the straightening rollers effectively only perform the function of straightening the welding wire 10. By not applying any torque on the welding wire, the welding wire is straightened, but its cross section is not deformed and its surface is not changed.

[0040] According to one embodiment, each straightening unit 52, 52a is provided with at least five straightening rollers 54, 54'; 54a, 54a': at least two first rollers 54; 54a, arranged side by side along the advancing direction of the welding wire, relative to and offset from at least three second rollers 54'; 54a', and the at least three second rollers are arranged side by side along the advancing direction of the welding wire.

[0041] In one embodiment, each straightening unit has seven straightening rollers: three first rollers 54; 54a, arranged side by side along the advancing direction of the welding wire, relative to and offset from four second rollers 54'; 54a', which are arranged side by side along the advancing direction of the welding wire.

[0042] In one embodiment, the distance between the first and second straightening rollers 54, 54'; 54a, 54a' can be adjusted according to the diameter of the welding wire 10 after necessary deformation.

[0043] The storage and supply assembly 1 comprises a substantially conical cover 5, wherein an outlet channel 5' for the welding wire 10 is obtained at the top of the cover.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the cover side wall 55 is at least partially made of a transparent material to allow visual inspection of the processing device 3 through the cover side wall.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the cover side wall 55 is completely made of a transparent material. Preferably, the entire cover 5 is made of a transparent material.

[0046] According to one embodiment, the cover 5 is made of a plastic material.

[0047] According to the invention, the storage and supply assembly 1 comprises a spacer 4 adapted to be releasably positioned between the cover 5 and the upper end 23 of the drum 2 .

[0048] The spacer comprises a spacer body 40 defining a spacer housing 400 delimited by an annular side wall 42 to act as an extension of the drum 2 .

[0049] According to one embodiment, the annular side wall 42 is at least partially made of a transparent material to allow visual inspection of the spacer receiving portion 400 through the annular side wall 42 .

[0050] According to one embodiment, the annular side wall 42 is completely made of a transparent material. Preferably, the entire spacer 40 is made of a transparent material.

[0051] According to a preferred embodiment, the spacer body 40 is made of a plastic material.

[0052] According to one embodiment, a spacer 4 is placed at the end of the drum 2. Preferably, a spacer outlet opening 4' is obtained in the spacer 4, through which the welding wire 10 originating from the drum 2 emerges.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the spacer body 40 further comprises an upper base 44 connected to the annular side wall 42. In other words, the annular side wall 42 and the upper base 44 define a spacer housing 400. Preferably, the spacer outlet opening 4' is obtained in the upper base 44.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the wire handling device 3 is integrally fastened to the upper base 44 , in particular externally with respect to the spacer receiving portion 400 .

[0055] According to one embodiment, the wire handling device 3 is screwable to the spacer 4 , preferably to the upper base 44 .

[0056] According to another embodiment, the welding wire handling device 3 comprises a supporting base 30 adapted to be supportingly engaged and fastened to the spacer 4 , preferably to the upper base 44 .

[0057] Figure 3 The storage and supply assembly 1 is schematically shown, wherein the welding wire 10 of the upper coil emerging from the drum outlet opening 2 ′ passes through the spacer receiving portion 400 and exits from the spacer outlet opening 4 ′ preferably obtained in the upper base 44 and is engaged by the welding wire handling device 3 .

[0058] According to one embodiment, the annular side wall 42 includes plate-like elements 42a and vertical supports 42b interposed between the plate-like elements.

[0059] According to one embodiment, in the annular side wall 42, preferably in the plate-like element 42a, a spacer opening 42' is obtained for access to the spacer accommodation 400 when the spacer 4 engages the drum 2. Preferably, such opening 42' can be opened and closed by a door 42".

[0060] According to one embodiment, the door 42 ″ is made of a transparent material.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the annular side wall 42 has an adjustable axial extension. "Axial extension" means the extension along the assembly axis XX. Preferably, the annular side wall 42 is adjustable; for example, it is a telescopic wall.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the spacer body 40 comprises a lower flange 46 for engagement with the drum 2. In particular, the lower flange 46 rests against the upper edge 20 of the drum 2.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the annular side wall 42, preferably the vertical support 42b, comprises an upper longitudinal hole 48' and a lower longitudinal hole 48", for respectively engaging with the upper base 44 and the lower flange 46 by screws 49. In other words, the annular side wall 42 and the upper base 44 and the annular side wall 42 and the lower flange 46 are mechanically engaged with each other.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the storage and supply assembly 1 comprises first coupling means 15 for releasably coupling the spacer 4 to the drum 2. Preferably, the first coupling means 15 comprises: a first releasable clamping ring 16 coupling the drum 2 and the adjacent end of the annular side wall 42. Preferably, the first clamping ring 16 has a C-shaped cross section.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the first clamping ring 16 comprises first handling means 160 suitable for configuring the first clamping ring 16 from an open configuration to a closed configuration, wherein the first clamping ring engages the drum 2 and the adjacent ends of the annular side wall 42 so as to fasten them to each other in a stable manner.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the lower end portion of the annular side wall 42 comprises a lower circumferential groove 14 for engagement with the first clamping ring 16. Preferably, the lower circumferential groove 14 is obtained only at the vertical support 42b.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the upper end 23 of the drum 2 comprises a circumferential drum groove 22 for engagement with the first clamping ring 16 .

[0068] According to one embodiment, the first clamping ring 16 is partially inserted into the lower circumferential groove 14 of the annular side wall 42 and into the circumferential drum groove 22 of the drum 2 .

[0069] According to one embodiment, the cover 5 positioned on the spacer 4 , preferably on the upper base 44 , defines a cover volume 500 .

[0070] According to one embodiment, the cover 5 comprises a cover upper wall 50 in which the outlet channel 5 ′ is obtained and a cover side wall 55 .

[0071] According to one embodiment, the handling device 3 extends into the cover volume 500 substantially coaxially with the drum axis YY.

[0072] In another embodiment (not shown), the wire handling device 3 is located downstream of the cover 5 in the feeding direction of the wire to the device. In other words, the wire handling device 3 is located outside the cover 5, for example it is integrally fastened to the cover upper wall 50 outside relative to the cover volume 500.

[0073] According to one embodiment, a cover opening 55' is obtained in the cover side wall 55 to access the cover volume 500 when the cover 5 is engaged with the spacer 4. Preferably, such an opening 55' can be opened and closed by a door 55".

[0074] According to one embodiment, the door 55 ″ is made of a transparent material.

[0075] According to one embodiment, the storage and supply assembly 1 comprises second coupling means 25 for coupling the cover 5 to the spacer 4. Preferably, the second coupling means 25 comprises a second releasable clamping ring 26 coupling the annular side wall 42 and the adjacent end of the cover 5. Preferably, the second clamping ring 26 has a C-shaped cross section.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the second clamping ring 26 comprises second handling means 260 suitable for configuring the second clamping ring 26 from an open configuration to a closed configuration, wherein the second clamping ring engages the annular side wall 42 and the adjacent end of the cover 5 so as to fasten them to each other in a stable manner.

[0077] According to one embodiment, the upper end portion of the annular body 40 comprises an upper circumferential groove 24 for engagement with the second clamping ring 26. Preferably, the circumferential groove 24 is obtained only at the vertical support 42b.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the second clamping ring 26 engages the annular side wall 42 , preferably the vertical support 42 b and the cover 5 , preferably the cover side wall 55 .

[0079] According to one embodiment, the second clamping ring 26 is partially inserted into the upper circumferential groove 24 of the annular side wall 42 .

[0080] According to one embodiment, the storage and supply assembly 1 comprises at least one wire end sensor, which can be positioned downstream and / or upstream of the wire handling device 3 with respect to the wire feeding direction.

[0081] In particular, in an embodiment where the wire processing device 3 includes a straightening group and a wire pulling group, the at least one wire end sensor can be positioned between the straightening group and the wire pulling group, or before and / or after each of the straightening group and the wire pulling group.

[0082] According to one embodiment (in Figure 6 ), the storage and supply assembly 1 includes at least one welding wire unwinding accessory 100 at least partially positioned in the spacer receiving portion 400.

[0083] For example, the accessory 100 is a welding wire guide 110 ( Figure 6 (d)), also called "pay-off system" in professional terminology, allows the welding wire 10 to correctly leave the drum 2. Such a wire guide device generally has a conical shape and comprises a base resting above the coil 10' of welding wire and a rotating tubular element guiding the upper coil of welding wire towards the drum outlet opening 2'.

[0084] Figure 1A typical prior art storage and supply assembly is schematically shown, wherein the cover is directly engaged with the drum and the wire handling device is external to the cover. In particular, the wire from the upper coil towards the wire handling device forms an angle α with an axis transverse to the axis of the assembly.

[0085] on the other hand, Figure 3 The storage and supply assembly 1 of the invention is shown, comprising a spacer 4 arranged between a drum 2 and a cover 5, and wherein a wire handling device 3 is preferably inserted into the cover 5. In particular, the welding wire 10 from the upper coil towards the wire handling device 3 forms an angle β with an axis transverse to the assembly axis XX. This angle β is greater than the angle α, so that in the storage and supply assembly of the invention, the welding wire has a lower probability of tangling and deformation than the welding wire of the storage and supply assembly of the prior art.

[0086] In other words, the use of spacers allows the wire to exit the drum at a greater angle, thereby reducing tangling and deformation of the wire.

[0087] The upper base of the spacer, to which the wire handling device is secured, prevents debris such as dust from entering the drum to damage the stored wire.

[0088] The use of a cover makes it possible to protect the wire handling device and moreover prevents the operator from being exposed to accidental injuries, for example injuries caused by electric shock due to an unexpected voltage loss.

[0089] The opening obtained in the spacer and in the cover can be secured in such a way that only specialized personnel can access the opening, thereby avoiding tampering and / or accidental injuries by operators.

[0090] Those skilled in the art may change or replace the components with other functionally equivalent components in the embodiments of the storage and supply assembly to meet specific needs. These variations are also included in the scope of protection defined by the appended claims. In addition, each variation described as belonging to a possible embodiment can be implemented independently of the other variations described.

Claims

1. A storage and supply assembly (1) for welding wire (10) to be supplied to a device, such as welding wire to be supplied to a welding torch, the storage and supply assembly comprising: - a drum (2) suitable for storing the welding wire (10) wound into a coil (10'), the drum (2) extending about a drum axis (YY) between a resting base (21) and an open upper end (23); - a wire handling device (3) positioned between the drum (2) and the apparatus and adapted to extract the welding wire (10) from the drum (2) in order to feed the welding wire to the apparatus; - a cover (5) arranged above the drum (2), wherein an outlet channel (5') for the welding wire (10) is obtained in the top of the cover (5); Characterized in that the storage and supply assembly (1) also includes a spacer (4), which is suitable for being releasably positioned between the cover (5) and the upper end (23) of the drum (2), wherein the spacer (4) includes a spacer body (40), which defines a spacer receiving portion (400) defined by an annular side wall (42) to serve as an extension of the drum (2).

2. The storage and supply assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein: The spacer body (40) also includes an upper base (44) connected to the annular sidewall (42).

3. The storage and supply assembly (1) according to claim 2, wherein: The welding wire handling device (3) is integrally fixed to the upper base (44), and wherein the cover (5) defines a cover volume (500), in which the welding wire handling device (3) extends substantially coaxially with the drum axis (YY).

4. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The wire handling device (3) is positioned downstream of the cover (5) along the feeding direction of the welding wire to the apparatus.

5. The storage and supply assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one welding wire unwinding accessory (100) positioned at least partially in the spacer receiving portion (400).

6. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising first coupling means (15) for releasably fastening the spacer (4) to the drum (2), wherein The first coupling means (15) comprises a first releasable clamping ring (16) coupling the drum (2) and adjacent ends of the annular side wall (42).

7. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: At least one spacer opening (42') is obtained in the annular side wall (42) of the spacer for access to the spacer receiving portion (400).

8. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising second coupling means (25) for releasably fastening the cover (5) to the spacer (4), wherein The second coupling means comprises a second releasable clamping ring (26) coupling the annular side wall (42) and an adjacent end of the cover (5).

9. The storage and supply assembly (1) according to claim 3, wherein: The cover (5) comprises a cover side wall (55) in which at least one cover opening (55') is obtained for access to the cover volume (500).

10. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The annular side wall (42) has an adjustable axial extension.

11. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to claim 10, wherein: The annular side wall (42) of the cover is a telescopic wall.

12. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The welding wire processing device (3) comprises a correction group (50) and / or a welding wire pulling group (60).

13. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to claim 12, wherein: The straightening group (50) comprises at least two roller straightening units (52, 52a) arranged in series with each other along a feeding direction of the welding wire (10).

14. Storage and supply assembly (1) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The welding wire pulling group (60) comprises two opposing driving belts (12, 12'), wherein the two driving belts are formed with two corresponding straight belt sections (14) facing each other, so as to receive the welding wire (10) leaving the drum (2) between the two straight belt sections and move the welding wire, or wherein, The welding wire pulling group (60) includes a plurality of motorized welding wire pulling rollers facing each other so as to receive the welding wire (10) leaving the drum (2) between the plurality of motorized welding wire pulling rollers and move the welding wire.

15. A storage and supply assembly (1) for welding wire (10) for a welding or brazing system, comprising: - a drum (2) in which the welding wire (10) wound into a coil (10') is stored, the coiled welding wire forming a welding wire bundle, the drum extending about a drum axis (YY) between a resting base (21) and an open upper end (23); - a welding wire processing device (3) positioned between the drum (2) and the device and adapted to extract the welding wire (10) from the drum (2) in order to feed the welding wire to the device; - a cover (5) arranged above the drum (2), the cover comprising a top in which an outlet channel (5') for the welding wire (10) is obtained; - a spacer (4) adapted to be releasably positioned between the cover (5) and the upper end (23) of the drum (2) so as to act as an extension of the drum (2); Characterized in that the ratio between the longitudinal dimension of the drum (2) and the longitudinal dimension of the welding wire bundle is between 70% and 100%, preferably 85%.

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