Current-conducting member, welding torch, welding system, method for designing current-conducting member, and current contact tip

Abstract

An energizing member provided in a welding torch, the energizing member being provided with at least: a contact tip for supplying power to a welding wire; and a cylindrical nozzle main body that connects a welding torch gun body on the welding torch base end side and the contact tip, the nozzle main body having: an eccentric guide part having a first inner diameter; and a wire pressing part which enables the welding wire inserted into the eccentric guide part to be eccentric in the radial direction, a guide hole which guides the welding wire to the axial direction of an opening part formed in the front end is formed in the contact tip, and the guide hole has a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an energizing member having a mechanism for forcibly contacting a welding wire, a torch having the energizing member, a welding system having the energizing member, a design method for the energizing member, and a contact tip. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a contact tip guides a welding wire toward a welding site and also functions as an energizing member for supplying power to the welding wire. A torch having the contact tip discharges the welding wire from an opening formed on the front end side of the contact tip toward the welding site and supplies power to the welding wire in contact with the contact tip, thereby enabling arc welding of the welding site.

[0003] The welding wire supplied via the contact tip is used in a form wound around a spool or a packaging cylinder, and thus generally has a tendency to bend. Due to this bending tendency, the welding wire comes into contact with the contact tip side, and this contact position becomes a power supply part. The force with which the welding wire contacts the contact tip depends on the bending tendency, and thus varies depending on conditions such as the rigidity of the welding wire, the form of winding around a spool or a packaging cylinder, etc. For example, when used in a form wound around a packaging cylinder, the bending tendency of the wire becomes smaller, and thus the contact force between the welding wire and the contact tip becomes smaller. In the case where this contact force is small, when the opening of the contact tip becomes slightly larger due to tip wear, it is difficult to contact between the welding wire and the contact tip, and it is easy to generate tip welding due to a sharp increase in the resistance of the power supply part, arc instability due to poor power conduction of the power supply part, etc. Therefore, depending on the rigidity and winding method of the welding wire, it is necessary to replace the contact tip earlier under the influence of the contact force. Thus, in order to extend the life of the contact tip and perform stable welding regardless of the rigidity and winding method of the welding wire, it is necessary to use some pressing mechanism to keep the contact force between the welding wire and the contact tip constant.

[0004] On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, a structure is disclosed in which a pressing mechanism for pressing the welding wire against the tip contact surface is provided inside the contact tip, and the pressing force is used to forcibly contact the welding wire with the energizing surface of the contact tip.

[0005] In addition, in Patent Document 2, a structure is disclosed in which an axial torch body through which the welding wire is inserted, a power supply member extending toward the front end side in the axial direction of the torch body, and a pressing mechanism for pressing the torch body in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction are provided, and the pressing mechanism is used to move the entire torch body, thereby pressing the welding wire discharged from the torch body against the power supply member side.

[0006] Prior Art Documents

[0007] Patent Documents

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-34311

[0009] Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-199673 Summary of the Invention

[0010] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0011] Even if the opening of the contact tip described in Patent Document 1 slightly increases due to welding operations, the wire feeding mechanism can press the welding wire against the contact surface of the contact tip with a constant contact force. Therefore, the power supply to the welding wire is stable and the product life is extended. However, comparatively speaking, the structure of the contact tip, which is a consumable with a short product life, becomes complex, so the manufacturing cost becomes high and the cost performance is not sufficient.

[0012] In addition, the torch described in Patent Document 2 can extend the product life of the contact tip without complicating the structure of the contact tip. However, a pressing mechanism for moving the entire torch body is required, so there are problems such as the overall size and complexity of the device increasing and maintenance becoming time-consuming.

[0013] The present invention has been completed in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an energizing component, a torch including the energizing component, a welding system including the energizing component, a design method for the energizing component, and a contact tip that can extend the product life of the contact tip while stabilizing the power supply to the welding wire with a simple and compact structure without providing a pressing mechanism inside the contact tip.

[0014] Means for Solving the Problems

[0015] The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following structure.

[0016] (1) An energizing component that is an energizing component included in a torch for supplying power to a welding wire to perform arc welding, wherein

[0017] the energizing component includes at least: a contact tip that supplies power to the welding wire; and a tip body that connects the torch body at the proximal end side of the torch to the contact tip,

[0018] the tip body has: an eccentric guiding portion having a first inner diameter; and a wire pressing portion that eccentrically moves the welding wire inserted through the eccentric guiding portion in the radial direction,

[0019] a guiding hole that is formed along the axial direction from a front end opening formed at the front end to a rear end opening and guides the welding wire is provided in the contact tip,

[0020] the guiding hole has a second inner diameter that is smaller than the first inner diameter.

[0021] (2) The energizing component according to (1), wherein

[0022] In the nozzle body, a proximal guide portion having a third inner diameter is provided on the proximal end side of the eccentric guide portion.

[0023] The third inner diameter is smaller than the first inner diameter and larger than the second inner diameter.

[0024] (3) The energizing member according to (1), wherein

[0025] The wire pressing portion at least has: a pressing member that contacts the welding wire; and an elastic member that presses the pressing member against the welding wire.

[0026] The pressing member is a spherical member.

[0027] The elastic member is a leaf spring-shaped member.

[0028] (4) The energizing member according to (3), wherein

[0029] In the wire pressing portion,

[0030] The spherical member is received in a through hole in the radial direction formed on the circumferential surface of the nozzle body.

[0031] The leaf spring-shaped member clamps the circumferential surface of the nozzle body in a manner of pressing the spherical member protruding from the through hole.

[0032] (5) The energizing member according to (2), wherein

[0033] The proximal guide portion has the third inner diameter by being inserted into the inner diameter of a conduit inserted into the rear side of the nozzle body.

[0034] (6) The energizing member according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein

[0035] An adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the position in the longitudinal direction or circumferential direction of the nozzle body is provided in the wire pressing portion.

[0036] (7) A welding torch, wherein

[0037] The welding torch includes the energizing member according to any one of (1) to (5).

[0038] (8) A welding system, wherein

[0039] The welding system includes:

[0040] A welding robot that includes the welding torch according to (7); and

[0041] A welding power source.

[0042] (9) A design method for an energized component, which is the design method for the energized component described in (2), wherein,

[0043] The design method for the energized component has:

[0044] A contact force calculation process, based on the energized component design items, calculates the contact force between the vicinity of the front end position of the conductive tip and the welding wire. The energized component design items are at least composed of a first bending section between the front end position of the base end guiding section and the pressing position of the wire pressing section on the welding wire, a second bending section between the pressing position of the wire pressing section on the welding wire and the rear end opening of the guiding hole, a front end guiding length which is the axial length of the guiding hole, the first inner diameter, the second inner diameter, the third inner diameter, and wire information related to the welding wire used in welding; and

[0045] A design process, which determines the values of the energized component design items in such a way that the contact force calculated by the contact force calculation process becomes a preset design contact force arbitrarily.

[0046] (10) According to the design method for the energized component described in (9), wherein,

[0047] The wire information includes at least one of the wire diameter of the welding wire and the mechanical properties of the welding wire.

[0048] (11) A conductive tip, which is used in a torch for supplying power to a welding wire for arc welding, wherein,

[0049] The inner surface of the conductive tip has:

[0050] A cylindrical connecting portion, which is arranged at the rear end of the inner surface of the conductive tip and is connected to the front end in the axial direction of the tip body;

[0051] A tapered portion, whose diameter becomes smaller from the connecting portion towards the front side in the axial direction; and

[0052] A guiding hole, which is formed along the axial direction from the rear end opening communicated with the front end of the tapered portion to the front end opening formed at the front end of the conductive tip, and guides the welding wire,

[0053] The second inner diameter forming the guiding hole is larger than the wire diameter of the welding wire, and on the other hand, smaller than the first inner diameter of the pressing space where the welding wire is pressed radially at the eccentric guiding portion of the tip body,

[0054] The guiding hole contacts the welding wire at the rear end opening and the front end opening.

[0055] Advantages of the Invention

[0056] According to the present invention, by disposing a wire pressing portion that stabilizes the power supply to the welding wire by using the reaction force of the bending rigidity of the welding wire in the torch body, the entire torch can be compactly configured, and the structure of the consumable tip with a high replacement frequency can be simplified. Therefore, the cost can be suppressed to a low level. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a welding robot according to an embodiment of a torch using the present invention.

[0058] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a side view showing the torch of the embodiment.

[0059] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the energizing member.

[0060] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the energizing member.

[0061] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a central cross-sectional view showing the energizing member.

[0062] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the wire pressing portion.

[0063] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a central cross-sectional view showing the energizing member of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] Hereinafter, the structure of a torch including the energizing member of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the respective drawings are prepared for the description of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the illustrated content.

[0065] First, in order to grasp the overall situation of the torch of the present embodiment, a welding system 1 using the torch will be described.

[0066] The welding system 1 includes a wire spool 2, a welding power source 5, and a welding robot 7 as shown in FIG. 1. The welding robot 7 has a torch cable 3, a wire feeding device 4, a robot arm 6, and a torch 10. It should be noted that the reference numeral A in FIG. 1 is a base material to be welded. Figure 1 The wire spool 2 is a supply source of the welding wire W and stores a predetermined amount of the welding wire W in a form wound around the spool. The welding wire W can be, for example, a copper-plated wire, a non-copper-plated wire, or the like. In addition, the welding wire W has a bent tendency due to being stored in the wire spool 2. Figure 1 The reference numeral A in FIG. 1 is a base material to be welded.

[0067] The wire spool 2 is a supply source of the welding wire W as shown in FIG. 1 and stores a predetermined amount of the welding wire W in a form wound around the spool. Figure 1 The welding wire W can be, for example, a copper-plated wire, a non-copper-plated wire, or the like. In addition, the welding wire W has a bent tendency due to being stored in the wire spool 2.

[0068] The torch cable 3 supplies the welding current supplied from the welding power source 5, the welding wire W stored in the wire packing cylinder 2, and the shielding gas supplied from a shielding gas storage device (not shown) to the torch 10. One end of the torch cable 3 is connected to the wire feeding device 4, and the other end is connected to the torch 10.

[0069] The wire feeding device 4 pays out the welding wire W via the torch cable 3 using rollers or the like and feeds it to the torch 10. And by providing this wire feeding device 4, the welding wire W is automatically supplied to the torch 10.

[0070] The welding power source 5 is a supply source of the welding current, and supplies the welding current to the torch 10 via the wire feeding device 4 and the torch cable 3.

[0071] The robot manipulator 6 is an articulated robot having a torch 10 attached to its tip, and its operation is controlled by a robot control device (not shown).

[0072] Figure 2 It is a side view of the torch showing the embodiment. The torch 10 includes a torch body 11, a nozzle 12, and an energizing member 20, and performs gas shielded arc welding.

[0073] The torch body 11 is a metal cylindrical member, and the energizing member 20 and the nozzle 12 are detachably attached to the front end side. An internal thread portion (not shown) for attaching the energizing member 20 and a cap nut 14 for attaching the nozzle 12 are provided on the front end side of the torch body 11.

[0074] In addition, the torch body 11 includes a conduit 13 for guiding the welding wire W. The conduit 13 is provided to protrude from the front end of the torch body 11, and the protruding portion is inserted into the nozzle body 30 constituting the energizing member 20.

[0075] In addition, the torch body 11 supplies the welding wire W, the welding current supplied from the welding power source 5, and the shielding gas supplied from a shielding gas storage device (not shown) toward the energizing member 20.

[0076] The nozzle 12 is a cylindrical member with open front and rear ends, and houses the energizing member 20 provided on the front end side of the torch body 11 and a throttle member (not shown) externally inserted into the energizing member 20. The shielding gas that has been ejected from the circumferential surface of the energizing member 20 and rectified by the throttle member is supplied from the opening portion at the front end of the nozzle 12.

[0077] Next, based on Figures 3 to 6 the structure of the energizing member will be described. Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing the energizing member, Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the energizing member, Figure 5 is a central cross-sectional view showing the energizing member, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the wire pressing portion.

[0078] The energized component 20 includes a nozzle body 30 installed on the front end side of the torch body 11 and a contact tip 40 installed on the front end of the nozzle body 30.

[0079] The nozzle body 30 is a cylindrical member extending along the axial direction, and guides the welding wire W supplied from the rear torch body 11 side toward the front contact tip 40. The nozzle body 30 is formed of an electrically conductive metal material such as copper.

[0080] The nozzle body 30 includes a wire pressing portion 33 that eccentrically presses the inserted welding wire W, an eccentric guiding portion 31 that forms a cylindrical space (hereinafter referred to as a pressing space) for the welding wire W to be eccentric, and a base end guiding portion 32 that forms a cylindrical space and is disposed on the rear side of the eccentric guiding portion 31. This structure can be referred to Figure 5 .

[0081] On the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle body 30, an external thread portion 34 for installing the contact tip 40 is formed on the front end side, and an external thread portion 35 for installing on the front end side of the torch body 11 is formed on the rear end side.

[0082] A pressing space generated by the eccentric guiding portion 31 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle body 30. The eccentric guiding portion 31 is disposed in the front half of the nozzle body 30, and a wire pressing portion 33 is provided in the middle portion in the axial direction. The pressing space in the eccentric guiding portion 31 has a pre-designed first inner diameter R1.

[0083] The wire pressing portion 33 includes: a spherical pressing member 36 that presses the welding wire W inserted into the eccentric guiding portion 31; a biasing member 37 that biases the pressing member 36 toward the radially outer side; a holding portion 38 that is provided on the nozzle body 30 to hold the pressing member 36 and the biasing member 37; and a cover 39 that covers the pressing member 36 and the biasing member 37 along the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle body 30. This structure can be referred to Figure 4 and Figure 5 .

[0084] The holding portion 38 has, as Figures 4 to 6 shown: a groove portion 38A that is recessed in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the eccentric guiding portion 31; a pair of cut surfaces 38B, 38B that are formed at 180° symmetric positions on the cylindrical bottom surface of the groove portion 38A; and a through hole 38C that penetrates radially between one cut surface 38B and the pressing space. The diameter of the through hole 38C is slightly larger than the width direction of the cut surface 38B. This structure can be referred to Figure 4 .

[0085] The pressing member 36 is a steel ball fitted and received in the through hole 38C, and is held so as to be able to move radially along the through hole 38C. The diameter of the pressing member 36 is larger than the first inner diameter R1 of the eccentric guiding portion 31 and smaller than the outer diameter of the eccentric guiding portion 31. Therefore, the steel ball serving as the pressing member 36 can be prevented from entering the eccentric guiding portion 31.

[0086] The biasing member 37 is a leaf spring formed in a C shape along the groove portion 38A, and has a pair of clamping portions 37B, 37C that clamp a pair of cut surfaces 38B, 38B, and a connecting portion 37A that extends in an arc shape along the groove portion 38A and connects the pair of clamping portions 37B, 37C. It should be noted that, as an example of the leaf spring formed in a C shape, a rod clamp can be cited. One side clamping portion 37C is bent inward so as to press the spherical pressing member 36 in the direction of pressing it into the through hole 38C. The other side clamping portion 37B has an abutting surface 37B1 that abuts against the entire width direction of the cut surface 38B, and a locking portion 37B2 formed by bending the end portion of the clamping portion 37B along the groove portion 38A with respect to the abutting surface 37B1. This structure can be referred to Figure 6 。

[0087] The cover 39 is a cylindrical member that is axially formed longer than the groove portion 38A and is installed so as to cover the groove portion 38A. By covering the outer peripheral side of the groove portion 38A where the pressing member 36 and the biasing member 37 are provided with the cover 39, it is possible to reliably prevent the pressing member 36 from coming out of the through hole 38C during the welding operation.

[0088] The cover 39 is formed of a thin plate spring-like member, and is formed to have an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the nozzle body 30 before elastic deformation. Thus, by elastically deforming the cover 39 in the direction of increasing the diameter, the cover 39 can be easily installed at a specified position covering the groove portion 38A. In addition, since the cover 39 can be formed of a thin member, the nozzle body 30 can be formed compactly in the radial direction.

[0089] The proximal end guiding portion 32 is disposed in the rear half portion of the nozzle body 30, and its inner peripheral surface is constituted by the front end portion of the conduit 13 inserted into the torch body 11. Specifically, inside the proximal end guiding portion 32 of the nozzle body 30, the front end of the conduit 13 extending from the torch body 11 abuts against a step 31a provided at the rear end of the pressing space and is received. And the inner diameter of the conduit 13 defines the third inner diameter of the proximal end guiding portion 32. As Figure 5 shown, the third inner diameter R3 is smaller than the first inner diameter R1.

[0090] The contact tip 40 is a cylindrical member extending axially, and the front half portion is formed in a frustoconical shape with a diameter decreasing towards the front end. A front end opening 42a for discharging the welding wire W is formed at the front end of the contact tip 40. The contact tip 40 is formed of a metal material having electrical conductivity such as copper, and supplies welding current to the welding wire W.

[0091] The inner surface of the contact tip 40 has: a cylindrical connecting portion 44 disposed at the rear end and formed with an internal thread portion 44a for tightly connecting to the external thread portion 34 at the front end in the axial direction of the tip body 30; a tapered portion 43 whose diameter decreases from the front end of the connecting portion 44 towards the front side in the axial direction; and a guide hole 42 formed axially from a rear end opening 42b communicating with the front end of the tapered portion 43 to the front end opening 42a to guide the welding wire W.

[0092] The guide hole 42 is formed along the central axis of the energizing member 20 and has a front end guide length T which is the axial length from the front end opening 42a to the rear end opening 42b and a second inner diameter R2. The second inner diameter R2 is smaller than the first inner diameter R1 and the third inner diameter R3 and larger than the wire diameter of the welding wire W.

[0093] The front end guide length T and the second inner diameter R2 are set such that the welding wire W eccentric from the central axis of the energizing member 20 by the wire pressing portion 33 can contact the rear end opening 42b and the front end opening 42a located at the front and rear ends of the guide hole 42. This structure can be referred to Figure 5 . Specifically, it is desirable that the second inner diameter is set to 1.05 to 1.35 times the wire diameter of the welding wire W.

[0094] The connecting portion 44 is formed with an internal thread portion 44a for connecting to the front end side of the tip body 30 at the rear end side. Thus, the connecting portion 44 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an inner diameter equal to or larger than the first inner diameter R1 from the rear end side to the front end side communicating with the tapered portion 43.

[0095] The tapered portion 43 is formed such that its diameter gradually decreases from the rear end towards the front end. In the illustrated example, the rear end of the tapered portion 43 communicates with the front end side of the connecting portion 44 having a diameter larger than the first inner diameter R1, and the front end of the tapered portion 43 communicates with the rear end opening 42b of the guide hole 42 having the second inner diameter R2.

[0096] The tapered portion 43 and the connecting portion 44 may have a structure such that the welding wire W bent by the wire pressing portion 33 does not contact the energizing member 20 side between the pressing position of the welding wire W by the pressing member 36 and the rear end opening 42b of the guide hole 42, and is not limited to the above shape.

[0097] According to the above structure, the first inner diameter R1, the second inner diameter R2, and the third inner diameter R3 of the energizing member 20 are arranged coaxially, with the second inner diameter R2 being the smallest and the first inner diameter R1 being the largest. Additionally, the front end opening 42a and the rear end opening 42b are approximately the same size as the second inner diameter R2.

[0098] Hereinafter, the functions and effects of the above-described energizing member 20 will be described.

[0099] The welding wire W supplied from the torch body 11 to the energizing member 20 is eccentric by the wire pressing portion 33 and contacts the energizing member 20 side at the third contact position X3 located at the front end position of the base end guiding portion 32 (the conduit 13) having the third inner diameter R3, the first contact position X1 pressed by the pressing member 36 within the eccentric guiding portion 31 having the first inner diameter R1, the second contact position X2 near the rear end opening 42b of the guiding hole 42, and the front end contact position X0 near the front end opening 42a of the guiding hole 42.

[0100] Therefore, the welding wire W guided to the tip body 30 side within the torch 10 is pressed by the wire pressing portion 33 so as to be largely eccentric radially outward in the first bending section L1 and have a smaller amount of bending in the second bending section L2. Additionally, the welding wire W is guided in such a manner as to contact both the second contact position X2 and the front end contact position X0 in the section of the front end guiding length T formed by the guiding hole 42. At this time, in the axial direction of the energizing member 20, the section between the third contact position X3 and the first contact position X1 is defined as the first bending section L1, and the section between the first contact position X1 and the second contact position X2 is defined as the second bending section L2. Figure 5 As shown,

[0101] Based on the above, it is possible to forcibly contact the welding wire W with a specified contact force near the front end position of the contact tip 40 regardless of the presence or absence of the bending tendency of the welding wire W. In other words, it is possible to forcibly supply power to the welding wire W. As a result, even when the front end opening 2a of the contact tip 40 expands due to welding operations, the power supply to the welding wire W can be maintained, and thus the life of the contact tip 40 can be extended.

[0102] It should be noted that each inner diameter of the inner periphery of the energizing member 20 in the present embodiment is set as the first inner diameter R1 > the third inner diameter R3 > the second inner diameter R2, but it may also be structured to have only the first inner diameter R1 > the second inner diameter R2. In this case, the third inner diameter R3, which is the inner diameter of the conduit 13, has the same dimension as the first inner diameter R1 of the pressing space.

[0103] In addition, by disposing the wire pressing portion 33 that causes the wire electrode W to be eccentric on the side of the nozzle body 30, the tip nozzle 40, which has a higher replacement frequency than the nozzle body 30, can be made into a simple structure. Therefore, the manufacturing cost and maintenance cost of the entire energizing member 20 can be suppressed.

[0104] In addition, by adopting a spherical pressing member 36 in the wire pressing portion 33, the pressing member 36 that causes the wire electrode W to be eccentric makes point contact with the fed wire electrode W and rotates, thereby reducing the frictional force in the feeding direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the supply resistance of the wire electrode W from increasing more than necessary.

[0105] Next, a design method for the energizing member 20 will be described. The design method for the energizing member 20 having the wire pressing portion 33 includes a contact force calculation process and a design process.

[0106] The contact force calculation process calculates the contact force at which the wire electrode W contacts the vicinity of the tip of the tip nozzle 40, specifically, the second contact position X2, based on information related to various design items. As design items, at least the first bending section L1, the second bending section L2, the tip guiding length T, the first inner diameter R1, the second inner diameter R2, the third inner diameter R3, and information related to the wire electrode W are used.

[0107] As information related to the wire electrode W, it includes at least one of the wire diameter of the wire electrode W, information related to the mechanical properties of the wire electrode W, and information related to the bending tendency of the wire electrode W. The information related to the mechanical properties of the wire electrode W is information related to rigidity and the like, and Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio are used.

[0108] As the above-mentioned other design items, it is also possible to assume the pressing force of the wire pressing portion 33 on the wire electrode W or the amount of eccentricity of the wire electrode W generated by the wire pressing portion 33.

[0109] Regarding the contact force of the wire electrode W on the vicinity of the tip of the tip nozzle 40, the shorter the first bending section L1 and the second bending section L2, the stronger it is. The greater the difference between the first inner diameter R1 and the third inner diameter R3 and the difference between the first inner diameter R1 and the second inner diameter R2, the stronger it is. The higher the rigidity of the wire electrode W, the stronger it is.

[0110] The design process determines the values of the respective design items when the contact force calculated by the contact force calculation process becomes a contact force arbitrarily predetermined in advance. It should be noted that the respective design items can be designed such that the design contact force at which the wire electrode W contacts the second contact position X2 on the tip nozzle 40 side is in the range of 1 N to 15 N.

[0111] According to the above design method, it is possible to design the energizing member 20 in which the wire electrode W contacts the vicinity of the tip position of the tip nozzle 40 with an appropriate contact force according to the wire electrode W of different types and the wire electrode W having different bending tendencies due to the housing method.

[0112] Next, a second embodiment of the wire pressing portion will be described based on Figure 7 FIG. Figure 7 FIG. 5 is a central cross-sectional view of the energizing member showing the second embodiment. The wire pressing portion 50 includes: a pressing bolt 51 that serves as a pressing member; a through hole 53 that is a screw hole penetrating from the circumferential surface of the eccentric guide portion 31 in the radial direction to the pressing space; and adjustment mechanisms 53A1, 53A2, 53B1, and 53B2 that can adjust the pressing position of the pressing bolt 51 against the welding wire W in the axial and circumferential directions.

[0113] The pressing bolt 51 can press the welding wire W inserted into the eccentric guide portion 31 radially outward by being fastened and connected to the through hole 53. By adjusting the fastening amount to the through hole 53, the length of the shaft portion of the pressing bolt 51 protruding into the eccentric guide portion 31 can be adjusted steplessly.

[0114] The adjustment mechanisms 53A1, 53A2, 53B1, and 53B2 are configured as shown in Figure 7 FIG. 6 by arranging a plurality of through holes 53 along the axial and circumferential directions of the eccentric guide portion 31. Specifically, the adjustment mechanisms 53A1, 53A2, 53B1, and 53B2 are composed of a first front through hole 53A1 and a first rear through hole 53A2 arranged along the axial direction of the eccentric guide portion 31, a second front through hole 53B1 arranged circumferentially with respect to the first front through hole 53A1 along the eccentric guide portion 31, and a second rear through hole 53B2 arranged circumferentially with respect to the first rear through hole 53A2 along the eccentric guide portion 31.

[0115] According to the above-described wire pressing portion 50, by adjusting the fastening amount tightened by the pressing bolt 51, the displacement amount of the welding wire W can be finely adjusted. Thus, for example, when the front end opening portion 42a expands due to welding work and the contact force of the welding wire W with the nozzle 40 becomes weak, the contact force of the welding wire W with the nozzle 40 can be returned to an appropriate value by increasing the fastening amount of the pressing bolt 51. Therefore, the life of the nozzle can be further extended.

[0116] According to the above-described adjustment mechanisms 53A1, 53A2, 53B1, and 53B2, by fastening and connecting the pressing bolt 51 to the through holes 53 that are different in the axial direction, the axial position that makes the welding wire W eccentric can be adjusted. In other words, the position of the first contact position X1 can be simply changed along the length direction of the energizing member 20 without changing the structure of the energizing member 20, so the versatility is improved.

[0117] In addition, according to the adjustment mechanisms 53A1, 53A2, 53B1, and 53B2, by fastening and connecting the pressing bolt 51 to through-holes 53 that are different in the circumferential direction, it is possible to change the radial orientation that causes the wire electrode W to be eccentric without changing the axial position of the first contact position X1. In other words, it is possible to change the orientation of pressing the wire electrode W along the circumferential direction of the eccentric guide portion 31 according to the bending tendency of the wire electrode W, and thus the versatility is improved.

[0118] It should be noted that the adjustment mechanisms 53A1, 53A2, 53B1, and 53B2 may be configured to be able to adjust the position of the pressing member 36 (pressing bolt 51) that causes the wire electrode W to be eccentric in the axial direction and / or the circumferential direction of the nozzle body 30, and are not limited to the structure in which a plurality of through-holes 53 are arranged in the axial direction and the circumferential direction. For example, the adjustment mechanism may be configured to support the pressing member mounted on the nozzle body 30 so as to be able to slide and move in the axial direction and the circumferential direction.

[0119] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Combining the structures of the embodiments, making changes and applications by those skilled in the art based on the descriptions in the specification and well-known technologies are also contemplated by the present invention and are included in the scope of protection claimed.

[0120] As described above, the following matters are disclosed in this specification.

[0121] (1) An energizing member, which is an energizing member included in a torch for supplying power to a wire electrode to perform arc welding, wherein,

[0122] the energizing member includes at least: a conducting nozzle that supplies power to the wire electrode; and a nozzle body that connects the torch gun body on the proximal end side of the torch to the conducting nozzle,

[0123] the nozzle body has: an eccentric guide portion having a first inner diameter; and a wire pressing portion that causes the wire electrode inserted into the eccentric guide portion to be eccentric in the radial direction,

[0124] a guiding hole that is formed from a front end opening formed at the front end along the axial direction to a rear end opening and guides the wire electrode is provided in the conducting nozzle,

[0125] the guiding hole has a second inner diameter that is smaller than the first inner diameter.

[0126] According to this structure, by disposing the wire pressing portion that stably contacts the conducting nozzle by the reaction force of the bending rigidity of the wire electrode in the nozzle body, it is possible to compactly configure the entire torch, and it is possible to simplify the structure of the conducting nozzle with a relatively high replacement frequency, and thus the cost can be suppressed to a low level.

[0127] (2) The energizing member according to (1), wherein,

[0128] In the nozzle body, a proximal end guide portion having a third inner diameter is provided on the proximal end side of the eccentric guide portion.

[0129] The third inner diameter is smaller than the first inner diameter and larger than the second inner diameter.

[0130] According to this structure, the welding wire pressed against by the wire pressing portion can be deformed into a mountain shape, so that the force of the welding wire contacting the tip of the nozzle is more stable, and the design of the energizing member is also easier.

[0131] (3) The energizing member according to (1) or (2), wherein

[0132] The wire pressing portion at least has: a pressing member that contacts the welding wire; and an elastic member that presses the pressing member against the welding wire.

[0133] The pressing member is a spherical member.

[0134] The elastic member is a leaf spring-shaped member.

[0135] According to this structure, the pressing member pressing against the welding wire is formed into a spherical shape, so that the wire pressing portion can prevent the force required to send the welding wire out of the opening of the nozzle from becoming larger than necessary while making the welding wire eccentric in the radial direction.

[0136] (4) The energizing member according to (3), wherein

[0137] In the wire pressing portion,

[0138] The spherical member is received in a through hole in the radial direction formed on the circumferential surface of the nozzle body.

[0139] The leaf spring-shaped member clamps the circumferential surface of the nozzle body in such a way as to press the spherical member protruding from the through hole.

[0140] According to this structure, the structure of the wire pressing portion can be simplified, so that the cost can be suppressed to a lower level, and the assembly operation of the components constituting the wire pressing portion is also made easy, so that the ease of maintenance is also improved.

[0141] (5) The energizing member according to any one of (2) to (4), wherein

[0142] The proximal end guide portion has the third inner diameter by being inserted into the inner diameter of a catheter inserted into the rear side of the nozzle body.

[0143] According to this structure, by changing the catheter or adjusting the length, the size of the third inner diameter and the front end position of the proximal end guide portion having the third inner diameter can be easily set and changed.

[0144] The energizing component according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein,

[0145] An adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the position in the longitudinal direction or the circumferential direction of the nozzle body is provided at the wire pressing portion.

[0146] According to this structure, it is possible to change and adjust the pressing position of the welding wire without changing the nozzle body and the contact tip, so the versatility is improved.

[0147] (7) A welding torch, wherein,

[0148] The welding torch includes the energizing component according to any one of (1) to (6).

[0149] According to this structure, by using the reaction force of the bending rigidity of the welding wire to bring the welding wire into contact with the contact tip, it is possible to compactly and inexpensively configure a welding torch capable of stabilizing the power supply to the welding wire.

[0150] (8) A welding system, wherein,

[0151] The welding system includes:

[0152] A welding robot having the welding torch according to (7); and

[0153] A welding power source.

[0154] According to this structure, by using the reaction force of the bending rigidity of the welding wire to bring the welding wire into contact with the contact tip, it is possible to inexpensively configure a welding system having a welding torch capable of stabilizing the power supply to the welding wire.

[0155] (9) A design method of an energizing component, which is the design method of the energizing component according to (2), wherein,

[0156] The design method of the energizing component has:

[0157] A contact force calculation step of calculating a contact force between the vicinity of the front end position of the contact tip and the welding wire based on the energizing component design items, the energizing component design items being at least composed of a first bending section between the front end position of the base end guiding portion and the pressing position of the wire pressing portion on the welding wire, a second bending section between the pressing position of the wire pressing portion on the welding wire and the rear end opening of the guiding hole, a front end guiding length which is the axial length of the guiding hole, the first inner diameter, the second inner diameter, the third inner diameter, and wire information related to the welding wire used in welding; and

[0158] A design step of determining the values of the energizing component design items so that the contact force calculated by the contact force calculation step becomes a preset design contact force arbitrarily.

[0159] According to this structure, an energizing member that can smoothly and easily design to forcibly contact the contact tip and the welding wire with an appropriate contact force can be obtained.

[0160] (10) The method for designing an energizing member according to (9), wherein,

[0161] The welding wire information includes at least one of the wire diameter of the welding wire and the mechanical properties of the welding wire.

[0162] According to this structure, even when the wire diameters and mechanical properties of the welding wires supplied by the torch are different, an energizing member that can smoothly and easily design to forcibly contact the contact tip and the welding wire with an appropriate contact force can be obtained.

[0163] (11) A contact tip used in a torch for arc welding to supply power to a welding wire, wherein,

[0164] The inner surface of the contact tip has:

[0165] A cylindrical connecting portion disposed at the rear end of the inner surface of the contact tip and connected to the front end in the axial direction of the tip body;

[0166] A tapered portion whose diameter becomes smaller from the connecting portion toward the front side in the axial direction; and

[0167] A guiding hole formed along the axial direction from a rear end opening portion communicating with the front end of the tapered portion to a front end opening portion formed at the front end of the contact tip to guide the welding wire,

[0168] The second inner diameter forming the guiding hole is larger than the wire diameter of the welding wire, and on the other hand, smaller than the first inner diameter of a pressing space where the welding wire is pressed in the radial direction at the eccentric guiding portion of the tip body,

[0169] The guiding hole contacts the welding wire at the rear end opening portion and the front end opening portion.

[0170] According to this structure, a contact tip with which the welding wire contacts with an appropriate contact force can be obtained.

[0171] As described above, various embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is of course not limited to this example. As long as a person skilled in the art, various modification examples or correction examples can obviously be conceived within the scope described in the patent technical solution, and these are of course also understood to belong to the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the respective constituent elements in the above-described embodiments can be arbitrarily combined without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0172] It should be noted that this application is based on the Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-201382) filed on December 16, 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0173] Description of Reference Numerals

[0174] 1 Welding system

[0175] 2 Wire packaging cylinder

[0176] 3 Torch cable

[0177] 4 Wire feeding device

[0178] 5 Welding power source

[0179] 6 Manipulator

[0180] 7 Welding robot

[0181] 10 Welding torch

[0182] 11 Welding torch body

[0183] 12 Nozzle

[0184] 13 Duct

[0185] 14 Cap nut

[0186] 20 Energizing component

[0187] 30 Nozzle body

[0188] 31 Eccentric guiding portion

[0189] 31a Step

[0190] 32 Base-end guiding portion

[0191] 33 Wire pressing portion

[0192] 34, 35 External thread portions

[0193] 36 Pressing member, steel ball (spherical member)

[0194] 37 Biasing member, leaf spring (elastic member)

[0195] 38 Holding portion

[0196] 38A Groove portion

[0197] 38B Cutting surface

[0198] 38B1 Contact surface

[0199] 38B2 Locking portion

[0200] 38C Through hole

[0201] 39 Shield body

[0202] 40 Conductive nozzle

[0203] 42 Guide hole

[0204] 42a Front end opening

[0205] 42b Rear end opening

[0206] 43 Tapered part

[0207] 44 Connecting part

[0208] 44a Internal thread part

[0209] 50 Wire pressing part

[0210] 51 Pressing bolt

[0211] 53 Through hole

[0212] 53A1 First front through hole (adjustment mechanism)

[0213] 53A2 First rear through hole (adjustment mechanism)

[0214] 53B1 Second front through hole (adjustment mechanism)

[0215] 53B2 Second rear through hole (adjustment mechanism)

[0216] W Welding wire

[0217] R1 First inner diameter

[0218] R2 Second inner diameter

[0219] R3 Third inner diameter

[0220] L1 First bending section

[0221] L2 Second bending section

[0222] X0 Front end contact position

[0223] X1 First contact position

[0224] X2 Second contact position

[0225] X3 Third contact position

[0226] T Front end guiding length

Claims

1. An energized component, which is an energized component of a torch used to supply power to a welding wire for arc welding, wherein, The energized component at least includes: a contact tip that supplies power to the welding wire; and a tip body that connects the torch body on the base end side of the torch to the contact tip, The tip body has: an eccentric guiding portion having a first inner diameter; and a wire pressing portion that eccentrically biases the welding wire inserted through the eccentric guiding portion in the radial direction, A guiding hole is provided in the contact tip, which is formed from a front end opening formed at the front end along the axial direction to a rear end opening and guides the welding wire, The guiding hole has a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter.

2. The energized component according to claim 1, wherein, In the tip body, a base end guiding portion having a third inner diameter is provided on the base end side of the eccentric guiding portion, The third inner diameter is smaller than the first inner diameter and larger than the second inner diameter.

3. The energized component according to claim 1, wherein, The wire pressing portion at least includes: a pressing member that contacts the welding wire; and an elastic member that presses the pressing member against the welding wire, The pressing member is a spherical member, The elastic member is a leaf spring-like member.

4. The energized component according to claim 3, wherein, In the wire pressing portion, The spherical member is received in a radial through hole formed in the circumferential surface of the tip body, The leaf spring-like member clamps the circumferential surface of the tip body in a manner of pressing the spherical member protruding from the through hole.

5. The energized component according to claim 2, wherein, The base end guiding portion has the third inner diameter by being inserted into the inner diameter of a conduit on the rear portion side of the tip body.

6. The energized component according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, An adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the position in the length direction or circumferential direction of the tip body is provided in the wire pressing portion.

7. A torch, wherein, The torch includes the energized component according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. A welding system, wherein, The welding system includes: A welding robot that includes the torch according to claim 7; and A welding power source.

9. A design method of an energized component, which is a design method of the energized component according to claim 2, wherein, The design method of the energized component has: A contact force calculation step of calculating the contact force between the vicinity of the front end position of the contact tip and the welding wire based on the energized component design items, and the energized component design items are at least composed of a first bending section between the front end position of the base end guiding portion and the pressing position of the wire pressing portion on the welding wire, a second bending section between the pressing position of the wire pressing portion on the welding wire and the rear end opening of the guiding hole, a front end guiding length which is the axial length of the guiding hole, the first inner diameter, the second inner diameter, the third inner diameter, and wire information related to the welding wire used in welding; and Design the process to determine the value of the energized component design item in such a way that the contact force calculated by the contact force calculation process becomes a preset design contact force arbitrarily.

10. The design method of the energized component according to claim 9, wherein the wire information includes at least one of the wire diameter of the wire and the mechanical properties of the wire.

11. A contact tip used in a torch for arc welding by supplying power to a wire, wherein the inner surface of the contact tip has: a cylindrical connecting portion disposed at the rear end of the inner surface of the contact tip and connected to the front end in the axial direction of the tip body; a tapered portion whose diameter decreases toward the front side in the axial direction from the connecting portion; and a guiding hole formed axially from a rear end opening communicating with the front end of the tapered portion to a front end opening formed at the front end of the contact tip to guide the wire, a second inner diameter forming the guiding hole is larger than the wire diameter of the wire, and on the other hand, smaller than a first inner diameter of a pressing space where the wire is pressed in the radial direction at an eccentric guiding portion of the tip body, the guiding hole contacts the wire at the rear end opening and the front end opening.

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