Welding wire correcting device

Abstract

The welding wire straightening device (11) straightens the bending of the welding wire (1) by passing the welding wire (1) between a plurality of straightening rollers (63, 65), the plurality of straightening rollers (63, 65) are arranged along the passing direction of the welding wire (1) in a manner of clamping a passage (55) through which the welding wire (1) passes and being separated by a specified interval, and the specified interval is configured to be adjustable by at least one plate member (69).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a welding wire straightening device. BACKGROUND

[0002] A welding wire straightening device is disclosed in Patent Literature 1, which has a plurality of straightening rollers arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side in the direction in which a welding wire is fed, and another straightening roller arranged between the plurality of straightening rollers at a position opposite to the plurality of straightening rollers. The welding wire straightening device straightens the welding wire by passing the welding wire between the plurality of straightening rollers. The welding wire straightening device rotatably supports at least one of the straightening rollers on a straightening roller mount, and displaces the one straightening roller toward or away from the welding wire fed between the straightening rollers via the straightening roller mount. The straightening roller moving mechanism for displacing the one straightening roller toward or away from the welding wire via the straightening roller mount is detachably locked to the frame on the fixed side, so that the one straightening roller is displaced toward the welding wire when the straightening roller moving mechanism is detached from the frame on the fixed side.

[0003] A welding wire straightening device is disclosed in Patent Literature 2, which has two sets of roller groups each composed of a plurality of straightening rollers, and straightens the bending of a welding wire by passing the welding wire through the two sets of roller groups. In the welding wire straightening device, the plurality of straightening rollers constituting the roller groups are arranged at a prescribed arrangement interval apart in the direction in which the welding wire passes in a manner facing each other with a straightening path through which the welding wire passes interposed therebetween, and the two sets of roller groups are arranged in a manner different from each other in the facing direction interposing the straightening path, and the straightening rollers are composed of small-diameter rollers.

[0004] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0005] PATENT LITERATURE

[0006] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-194419

[0007] Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-123489 SUMMARY

[0008] An object of the present application is to provide a welding wire straightening device capable of more easily adjusting the interval of straightening rollers.

[0009] The present application provides a welding wire straightening device that straightens the bending of a welding wire by passing the welding wire between a plurality of straightening rollers arranged in a manner facing each other with a passage through which the welding wire passes interposed therebetween at a prescribed interval apart in the direction in which the welding wire passes, the prescribed interval being configured to be adjustable by at least one plate member.

[0010] According to the present application, the interval of straightening rollers can be more easily adjusted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is a side view showing the appearance of a welding robot equipped with the wire straightening device of the present embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2 is a main part enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the wire straightening device.

[0013] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the wire straightening device.

[0014] Figure 4 is a side view of the wire straightening device.

[0015] Figure 5 is Figure 4 A-A sectional view of

[0016] Figure 6 is a main part exploded perspective view of the state where the upper support part and the lower support part are separated.

[0017] Figure 7 is a main part enlarged side view of the wire straightening device viewed from the side surface of Figure 6

[0018] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the support part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] (Development of the Invention)

[0020] The wire straightening device is preferred to straighten the bending tendency of the wire in order to prevent the positional deviation of the wire sent toward the welding position when the wire is supplied to the welding torch and to make the contact of the power supply tip located at the front end of the welding torch and the wire more stable.

[0021] Therefore, conventionally, there is a wire straightening device that makes the wire plastically deform by adjusting the interval of the straightening rollers using a screw or the like, and can straighten the wire to the desired bending tendency even if the wire is formed of different materials or has different diameters (refer to Patent Literature 1). In addition, as a method of straightening the bending tendency of the wire using the wire straightening device, there is a method of adjusting the interval of the straightening rollers based on the scale of the adjustment screw in the state where the wire is removed at the time of replacement of the wire.

[0022] ​However, adjustment of the interval of the correction rollers based on the adjustment screw is manual work by the operator while visually checking the scale, so fine adjustment of 0.1 mm or less is difficult, and there is a problem that the interval of the correction rollers deviates. Adjustment of the interval of the correction rollers based on the adjustment screw depends on the position accuracy of the scale. Therefore, in the case where the position accuracy of the scale is low in each wire correction device, since the value of the appropriate scale differs in each wire correction device, there is a problem that the interval of the correction rollers deviates even if the interval of the correction rollers is adjusted under the same conditions.

[0023] Further, there is a wire correction device that does not have a mechanism for adjusting the interval of the correction rollers (see Patent Literature 2). Such a wire correction device does not have a deviation in the bending tendency of the wire due to adjustment error caused by manual work by the operator, and further, does not have a change in the interval of the correction rollers due to loosening of the adjustment screw that occurs in the conventional wire correction device, so it is possible to stably form a constant bending tendency in the wire. However, the wire correction device changes the interval of the correction rollers for obtaining the desired bending tendency in the case where the material of the wire, the wire diameter of the wire, or the desired bending tendency of the wire changes, so it is necessary to manufacture a wire correction device for each material of the wire, wire diameter of the wire, or desired bending tendency of the wire, and there is a problem that management man-hours increase and the like.

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments in which the structure and the action of the wire correction device of the present application are specifically disclosed will be described in detail with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. However, sometimes, detailed description more than necessary is omitted. For example, sometimes, detailed description of matters that are already well known, repeated description of substantially the same structure is omitted. This is to avoid the following description from becoming unnecessarily long, and to make it easy for those skilled in the art to understand. Note that the drawings and the following description are provided in order to make those skilled in the art fully understand the present application, and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited by the patent technical solution.

[0025] Further, hereinafter, in the description of the wire correction device 11, the direction in which the wire 15 passes through the wire correction device 11 is defined as the horizontal direction, and the direction that is substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the wire 15 passes through is defined as the vertical direction or the up-down direction.

[0026] First, the outline of the welding robot 13 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1 The outline of the welding robot 13 of the present embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a side view showing the appearance of the welding robot 13 provided with the wire correction device 11 of the present embodiment.

[0027] The welding robot 13 of the present embodiment draws the welding wire 15 from the wire package tube 29 as an example of a wire supply source and feeds it toward the welding wire straightening device 11 through the first feed path 31. The welding robot 13 feeds the welding wire 15 toward the welding torch 17 through the second feed path 33 after straightening the welding wire 15 to a desired bending tendency by the welding wire straightening device 11. The welding robot 13 supplies power to the welding wire 15 by the welding torch 17 and sends it toward a welding site (not shown) to thereby weld the welding site (not shown).

[0028] The welding robot 13 is provided with the welding wire straightening device 11, the welding torch 17, the robot hand 19, and the wire feed motor 27.

[0029] The welding robot 13 is a multi-axis robot and is configured so that each part constituting the robot hand 19 can be driven with a different axis as a reference. The robot hand 19 is constituted by a base portion (not shown) provided to a production line (not shown) or the like, a swing portion (not shown) mounted to an upper portion of the base portion (not shown), an upper arm portion 21 mounted to the swing portion (not shown), a forearm portion 23 mounted to the upper arm portion 21, and a wrist portion 25 mounted to the forearm portion 23. Note that, Figure 1 The robot hand 19 shown is only the upper arm portion 21, the forearm portion 23, and the wrist portion 25, and the illustration of parts controlled by other axes is omitted.

[0030] The welding robot 13 adjusts the position of the welding torch 17 mounted to the wrist portion 25 by the actions of each part of the base portion (not shown), the swing portion (not shown), the upper arm portion 21, and the forearm portion 23, and realizes arc welding of a welding site (not shown) by controlling the posture of the welding torch 17 with the action of the wrist portion 25.

[0031] The welding wire straightening device 11 is mounted to an outer fixing stand 35 fixed to the back of the forearm portion 23 of the welding robot 13 and is integrally constituted with the forearm portion 23. The welding wire straightening device 11 straightens the bending tendency of the welding wire 15 fed through the first feed path 31 to a desired bending tendency. The welding wire straightening device 11 supplies the straightened welding wire 15 to the welding torch 17 through the second feed path 33.

[0032] The first feed path 31 connects between the wire package tube 29 and the welding wire straightening device 11 and is constituted, for example, using a flexible conduit, a guide tube through which the welding wire 15 can be inserted, or the like. The first feed path 31 functions as a path through which the welding wire 15 drawn from the wire package tube 29 by the wire feed motor 27 can be fed toward the welding wire straightening device 11.

[0033] The second feed path 33 connects the wire straightening device 11 and the welding torch 17, and is configured, for example, by using a flexible conduit or a guide tube through which the wire 15 can be inserted. The second feed path 33 functions as a path that feeds the wire 15, which is pulled from the wire straightening device 11 by the wire feed motor 27, toward the welding torch 17.

[0034] The welding torch 17 is mounted on the wrist 25 of the welding robot 13. The welding torch 17 supplies power to the welding wire 15 fed by the wire feed motor 27 from the welding wire straightening device 11 via the second feed path 33 through a built-in power supply terminal (not shown), and feeds the welding wire 15 toward the welding position (not shown).

[0035] In this embodiment, the wire feed motor 27 is driven while switching the rotation direction of the motor between the forward and reverse directions, thereby pulling the welding wire 15 out of the wire pack 29 and feeding the welding wire 15 toward the welding torch 17. It should be noted that the welding torch 17 in this embodiment is a so-called servo wire drawing welding torch that uses the wire feed motor 27 to simultaneously weld the welding wire 15 at high speed.

[0036] It should be noted that the installation position of the welding wire straightening device 11 in this embodiment is described as an example of the back of the forearm portion 23, but it is not limited to this and can also be the upper part of the welding torch 17. When the welding wire straightening device 11 is installed on the upper part of the welding torch 17, the welding wire 15 with its bending tendency corrected is fed to the welding torch 17 with a shorter feed path. Therefore, by changing the posture of each part of the welding robot 13, it is possible to suppress the welding wire 15, which has a desired bending tendency, from developing further bending tendencies during the feeding of the second feed path 33.

[0037] Next, refer to Figure 2 The wire straightening device 11 is described below. Figure 2 This is an enlarged perspective view of the main parts near the wire straightening device 11.

[0038] The wire straightening device 11 is fixed to the mounting plate 37 of the external mounting platform 35 fixed to the forearm 23 (see reference). Figure 3 Thus, it is installed integrally on the forearm 23.

[0039] The external mounting platform 35 has a metal mounting plate 37 whose surface rises vertically (see reference). Figure 3 Using mounting screw 39 (refer to...) Figure 3 A connecting plate (not shown) is installed on the mounting plate 37. A base fixing plate 41 is fixed to one side of the connecting plate. A straightening base 43, which is roughly U-shaped when viewed from above, is installed and fixed to one side of the base fixing plate 41.

[0040] The correction base 43 is integrally formed of a metal with high rigidity. The correction base 43 has: a base portion 45, the surface of which opposite the base fixing plate 41 is formed by a plane of approximately rectangular shape; a guide fixing rear plate portion 47 and a guide fixing front plate portion 49, which protrude from one side at each end along the length direction of the base portion 45 in a direction perpendicular to the base portion 45 and are parallel to it.

[0041] The guide plate 47 has a first guide 51 that guides the welding wire 15 fed via the first feed path 31 to the passage 55 described later.

[0042] The guide fixing front plate 49 has a second guide 53 that guides the welding wire 15, which is corrected to the desired bending tendency through the passage 55, into the second feed path 33.

[0043] The wire straightening device 11 has a plurality of straightening rollers (e.g., an upper straightening roller 63 and a lower straightening roller 65) in the vertical direction of the passage 55 sandwiching the first guide 51 and the second guide 53. The wire straightening device 11 has an upper support portion 57 and a lower support portion 59. The upper support portion 57 supports at least one upper straightening roller 63 disposed above the passage 55. The lower support portion 59 supports at least one lower straightening roller 65 disposed below the passage 55.

[0044] The upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 are arranged along the passing direction of the welding wire 15 and are positioned opposite each other in the vertical direction at a predetermined interval, sandwiching the passage 55, thereby correcting the bending tendency of the welding wire 15 passing through the passage 55 to the desired bending tendency.

[0045] The upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are formed from a rigid metal material as rectangular parallelepipeds (blocks) with the same external shape. Specifically, the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are formed from plate-shaped blocks whose surfaces corresponding to the base portion 45 and the surfaces on which the straightening roller is mounted are respectively along the vertical plane. The upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are formed into rectangles with long sides along the feed direction of the welding wire 15 when viewed from the side.

[0046] The upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 each have at least one support shaft 61 on one side. The support shaft 61 is vertically screwed and protrudes from one side of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59. The upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 are supported by the corresponding support shaft 61 and are rotatable.

[0047] The two upper straightening rollers 63 provided on the upper support portion 57 are each separately provided in the direction along the passage 55 of the welding wire 15. The lower straightening roller 65 provided on the lower support portion 59 is disposed on the opposite side (below) of the two upper straightening rollers 63, sandwiching the passage 55, and is disposed at approximately the middle position of the two upper straightening rollers 63 in the direction along the passage 55.

[0048] The wire straightening device 11 of this embodiment shows an example with three straightening rollers. Specifically, in this embodiment, two straightening rollers are provided on the upper support 57 and one on the lower support 59. It should be noted that the number and arrangement of the straightening rollers are not limited thereto. The wire straightening device 11 may also include, for example, three upper straightening rollers 63 and two lower straightening rollers 65.

[0049] Additionally, the number of upper straightening rollers 63 can be less than the number of lower straightening rollers 65. The number and configuration of the straightening rollers are only required to straighten the welding torch neck 67 of the welding torch 17 (see reference). Figure 1 The desired bending tendency can be determined by the bending direction of the curve.

[0050] Next, refer to Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 The adjustment of the interval between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 is explained. Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the welding wire straightening device 11. Figure 4 This is a side view of the welding wire straightening device 11. It should be noted that... Figure 3 To make the explanation easier to understand, the illustration of the upper straightening roller 63 is omitted.

[0051] The wire straightening device 11 is arranged such that multiple straightening rollers clamp the wire 15 and are positioned at predetermined intervals along the passage 55. The wire 15 passes through the passage 55 from the first feed path 31 via the first wire inlet 99 and the first wire outlet 101 of the first guide 51, and then passes through the passage 55 via the second wire inlet 103 and the second wire outlet 105 of the second guide 53 to the second feed path 33.

[0052] The wire straightening device 11 is configured to adjust the spacing between two upper straightening rollers 63 and one lower straightening roller 65 arranged sandwiching the passage 55 using at least one plate member 69, and the spacing is relative to the direction perpendicular to the direction along the passage 55. Specifically, the wire straightening device 11 is configured to utilize a mounting surface 77 (see reference) that can be placed (inserted) between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 and is the upper surface of the lower support portion 59. Figures 5-7 The plate component 69 adjusts the width of the passage 55 in the vertical direction, that is, the interval between the two upper straightening rollers 63 and the lower straightening roller 65.

[0053] The welding wire 15 passing through passage 55 contacts the two upper straightening rollers 63 above. Below the welding wire 15 passing through passage 55, it contacts the groove 93 of the lower straightening roller 65. It should be noted that when the lower straightening roller 65 does not have the groove 93, the welding wire 15 contacts the outer diameter circle of the lower straightening roller 65. The welding wire 15 generates strain proportional to the applied stress; when a stress exceeding its proportional limit is applied, residual strain remains. This residual strain is adjusted in the welding wire straightening device 11.

[0054] Specifically, the wire straightening device 11 uses the upper straightening roller 63 to bend the welding wire 15 downwards at two points in the feed direction clamping the lower straightening roller 65, and uses the lower straightening roller 65 to bend the welding wire 15 upwards between the two upper straightening rollers 63, thereby correcting the bending tendency of the welding wire 15 fed into the second feed path 33 to a roughly U-shaped form. Therefore, when the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 is set smaller by the plate member 69, the bending tendency (curvature) of the welding wire 15 is corrected more strongly; when the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 is set larger by the plate member 69, the bending tendency of the welding wire 15 can be corrected to a straight shape with less curvature.

[0055] Of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59, only the lower support portion 59 is fixed to the base portion 45 of the straightening base 43 by a plurality of (e.g., three) support portion fixing bolts 71 (see reference). Figure 4 , Figure 8 On the other hand, the upper support portion 57 is fastened to the lower support portion 59 by bolts 73 that are screwed in the vertical direction. The upper support portion 57 is fastened and fixed to the lower support portion 59, which is fixed to the base portion 45, by two bolts 73 passing through it in the vertical direction, in a removable manner. That is, internal thread portions 75 for screwing two bolts 73 are formed at two locations on the lower support portion 59 (see reference). Figure 8 Two bolts 73 extend from the upper end face of the upper support portion 57 toward the lower end face. The two bolts 73 are respectively arranged separately along the feed direction of the welding wire 15. It should be noted that the number of bolts 73 is not limited to this, and there can be multiple bolts such as three or four.

[0056] A mounting surface 77 for the mounting plate member 69 is formed on the upper surface of the lower support portion 59 (see reference). Figure 5The plate member 69 has a shape that is substantially the same as that of the mounting surface 77. The lower surface of the upper support portion 57 and the upper surface of the lower support portion 59 (mounting surface 77) are substantially the same as the shape of the plate member 69. Therefore, the plate member 69, which is placed on the mounting surface 77 and sandwiched between the lower surface of the upper support portion 57 and the upper surface of the lower support portion 59 (mounting surface 77), does not protrude from the sides of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59.

[0057] In the wire straightening device 11, the mounting surface 77 is formed above the height of the wire 15 passing through the passage 55 and above the height of the maximum outer diameter of the straightening roller 65 located on the lower side of the lower support 59. Therefore, even when the wire 15 is inserted through the passage 55, the operator can easily release the fastening connection of the bolt 73 and insert or remove the plate member 69 relative to the mounting surface 77, which has a gap between it and the lower surface of the upper support 57.

[0058] Furthermore, in the wire straightening device 11, the height at which the first wire inlet 99 and the first wire outlet 101 of the first guide 51, which serve as both ends of the passage 55, connect with the second wire inlet 103 and the second wire outlet 105 of the second guide 53 is set lower than the height of the maximum outer diameter of the straightening roller 65 provided on the lower support portion 59. Therefore, in the wire straightening device 11, the height of the passage 55 in the vertical direction, i.e., the height of the welding wire 15 inserted into the passage 55, is lower than the upper surface (mounting surface 77) of the lower support portion 59. Thus, even when the welding wire 15 is inserted into the passage 55, the operator can easily release the fastening connection of the bolt 73 and insert or remove the plate member 69 relative to the mounting surface 77, which has a gap between it and the lower surface of the upper support portion 57.

[0059] Next, refer to Figure 5 The support structure of the upper straightening roller 63 supported by the upper support part 57 and the support structure of the lower straightening roller 65 supported by the lower support part 59 will be described. Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A-A sectional view.

[0060] The support shaft 61 supporting each straightening roller has an external thread 79 formed at its front end. The external thread 79 is screwed into an internal thread 81 formed at a predetermined position on the upper support 57 or the lower support 59. Each straightening roller is a bearing supported at its center by the support shaft 61. The bearing is a conventional rolling bearing having an inner ring (inner ring 83), an outer ring (outer ring 85), and a rotating body 87.

[0061] The bearing is separated from one side of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 by a spacer 89 sandwiched between the upper support portion 57 and the inner ring 83 or between the lower support portion 59 and the inner ring 83. The straightening roller is fixed to the upper support portion 57 or the lower support portion 59 by clamping the washer 91 between the inner ring 83 and the spacer 89 with the head of the support shaft 61 that passes through coaxially, and the inner ring 83 abuts against one side of the inner ring 83.

[0062] The lower straightening roller 65, located on the lower support portion 59, has a groove 93 formed along its outer peripheral surface (outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 85) to prevent the welding wire 15 from falling off the passage 55. The groove 93 has a cross-section, for example, a semi-circular shape. It should be noted that the cross-sectional shape of the groove 93 is not limited to this; it can also be concave, arc-shaped, U-shaped, or V-shaped, etc. The groove 93 functions to suppress the positional deviation or vibration of the welding wire 15.

[0063] Next, refer to Figure 6 The adjustment of the number of sheets for plate component 69 is explained. Figure 6 This is a partial exploded perspective view of the main parts in the state where the upper support part 57 and the lower support part 59 are separated.

[0064] The wire straightening device 11 is released from the fastening connection of the bolt 73 fixing the upper support 57, thereby allowing the upper support 57 and the bolt 73 to be separated or removed from the upper surface (placement surface 77) of the lower support 59 in the upward direction. When the upper support 57 is separated from or removed from the upper surface (placement surface 77) of the lower support 59, the plate member 69 is exposed on the placement surface 77 of the lower support 59. The number of plate members 69 can be adjusted by the operator by inserting and removing them relative to the placement surface 77 of the lower support 59 while the upper support 57 is separated from or removed from the lower support 59.

[0065] The plate members 69 are formed with thicknesses such as 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, or 0.5 mm. Therefore, by changing the number or thickness of the plate members 69 placed (inserted) on the mounting surface 77, or by changing the combination of the number of plate members 69 placed (inserted) on the mounting surface 77 and the thickness of each plate member 69, the operator can easily adjust the interval between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 to the desired interval with a height pitch corresponding to the thickness of the plate members 69 (e.g., 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, or 0.5 mm).

[0066] Based on the above, the wire straightening device 11 can easily adjust the interval between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59, that is, the interval between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65. Therefore, the wire straightening device 11 can adjust the height of the passage 55 in the vertical direction based on the thickness and number of the plate members 69 placed on the mounting surface 77 of the lower support portion 59. Thus, the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 can respectively correct the bending tendency of the wire 15 passing through the passage 55 to the bending tendency desired by the operator.

[0067] Next, refer to respectively Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 The plate component 69 is described below. Figure 7 It is Figure 6 An enlarged side view of the main part of the wire straightening device 11, viewed from one side as the front. Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the lower support portion 59.

[0068] The welding wire straightening device 11 has a positioning pin 95 on the mounting surface 77 of the lower support portion 59, which engages with the upper support portion 57 and locks at least one plate member 69 mounted (inserted) on the mounting surface 77. It should be noted that... Figure 8 The locating pin 95 shown is an example of a circular shape with respect to an axial cross section, but is not limited to this.

[0069] The upper support portion 57 has a positioning hole (not shown) on its lower surface opposite to the lower support portion 59 for inserting a positioning pin 95. When the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are fastened together by two bolts 73, the positioning pin 95 is inserted into the positioning hole to prevent the horizontal position of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 from shifting.

[0070] The plate member 69 has approximately U-shaped notches 97 formed along the insertion direction at positions corresponding to the locating pins 95 and two bolts 73 arranged along the long side of the mounting surface 77. When the plate member 69 is mounted (inserted) on the mounting surface 77, each notch 97 is engaged with the locating pins 95 and the two bolts 73 and is positioned to prevent horizontal displacement.

[0071] Therefore, the wire straightening device 11 can more effectively suppress positional displacement in the three directions: the long side direction of the mounting surface 77, the insertion direction of the plate member 69, and so on. In addition, the wire straightening device 11 can suppress positional displacement of the plate members 69 relative to each other when the plate members 69 are stacked, and positional displacement of the plate members 69 when the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are fastened together.

[0072] The wire straightening device 11, by having a structure that suppresses positional deviation in only three directions, allows the plate member 69 to be inserted or removed from the gap between the upper support 57 and the lower support 59 even if the positioning pin 95 of the lower support 59 is not fully withdrawn from the positioning hole (not shown) of the upper support 57. This allows the operator to adjust the gap between the upper support 57 and the lower support 59 more efficiently.

[0073] Based on the above, the wire straightening device 11 of this embodiment can adjust the gap between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 with higher precision (e.g., 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm) by placing the plate member 69 on the mounting surface 77. In addition, the wire straightening device 11 can straighten welding wires 15 of different materials and diameters to the desired bending tendency regardless of individual differences in the pitch of the adjusting screw of the wire straightening device 11 or the operator's skill level.

[0074] (Postscript)

[0075] Based on the description of this embodiment above, the following technology is disclosed.

[0076] (Technology 1)

[0077] A welding wire straightening device 11 straightens the welding wire 15 by passing it between multiple straightening rollers (upper straightening roller 63 and lower straightening roller 65), wherein...

[0078] The plurality of straightening rollers (upper straightening roller 63 and lower straightening roller 65) are arranged opposite each other at predetermined intervals along the passing direction of the welding wire 15, clamping the passage 55 through which the welding wire 15 passes.

[0079] The specified interval is configured to be adjustable by at least one plate member 69.

[0080] According to this structure, the wire straightening device 11 can correct the bending tendency of the welding wire 15 to a desired bending tendency corresponding to the interval between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 adjusted by the plate member 69. Therefore, the wire straightening device 11 can more effectively suppress the deviation of the interval between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65, thereby improving the reproducibility of the bending tendency of the welding wire 15.

[0081] (Technology 2)

[0082] According to the welding wire straightening device 11 described in (Technology 1), wherein,

[0083] Of the plurality of straightening rollers (upper straightening roller 63 and lower straightening roller 65), the straightening roller (upper straightening roller 63) located above the passage 55 is disposed on the upper support portion 57.

[0084] Of the plurality of straightening rollers (upper straightening roller 63 and lower straightening roller 65), the straightening roller (lower straightening roller 65) located below the passage 55 is disposed on the lower support portion 59.

[0085] The plate member 69 is disposed between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59.

[0086] According to this structure, the wire straightening device 11 can adjust the interval between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 by the number of plate members 69 disposed between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 and the thickness of each plate member 69.

[0087] (Technology 3)

[0088] According to the welding wire straightening device 11 described in (Technology 1), wherein,

[0089] The upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are fastened together by bolts 73.

[0090] According to this structure, the wire straightening device 11 exposes the mounting surface 77 by releasing the fastening connection of the bolt 73, and can insert and remove the plate member 69. Therefore, the operator can more easily perform the interval adjustment operation between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65.

[0091] (Technology 4)

[0092] According to the welding wire straightening device 11 described in (Technical 3), wherein,

[0093] The plate member 69 has a notch 97 that engages with the bolt 73.

[0094] According to this structure, the wire straightening device 11 engages the notch 97 of the plate member 69 inserted into the mounting surface 77 with the bolt 73, making it easier to position the plate member 69. Thus, even when the mounting surface 77 is tilted due to the posture of the welding robot 13, or when multiple plate members 69 are mounted overlapping, the wire straightening device 11 more easily prevents the plate members 69 from shifting position relative to each other, and can suppress the plate member 69 from protruding from the sides of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 after the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are fastened together by the bolt 73 through positioning.

[0095] (Technology 5)

[0096] According to the welding wire straightening device 11 described in (Technology 2), wherein,

[0097] One of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 has a positioning pin 95 that engages with the other of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59.

[0098] The plate member 69 has a notch 97 that engages with the locating pin 95.

[0099] According to this structure, even when the mounting surface 77 is tilted due to the posture of the welding robot 13 or when multiple plate members 69 are mounted overlapping, the notch 97 of the plate member 69 inserted into the mounting surface 77 is locked by the positioning pin 95, making it easier to position the plate member 69.

[0100] (Technology 6)

[0101] According to any one of (Technology 2) to (Technology 5) the wire straightening device 11, wherein,

[0102] The lower support portion 59 has a mounting surface 77 on its upper surface for mounting the plate member 69.

[0103] According to this structure, the wire straightening device 11 can make the opposing surface (upper surface) of the lower support portion 59, which is opposite to the upper support portion 57, function as the mounting surface 77 for mounting the plate member 69. As a result, the operator can more easily adjust the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 simply by mounting (inserting) the plate member 69 on the mounting surface 77, which is the upper surface of the lower support portion 59.

[0104] (Technology 7)

[0105] According to the welding wire straightening device 11 described in (Technical 6), wherein,

[0106] The mounting surface 77 is formed above the welding wire 15 passing through the passage 55 and above the maximum outer diameter of the straightening roller (lower straightening roller 65) disposed on the lower support portion 59.

[0107] According to this structure, the wire straightening device 11 creates a gap between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 by loosening the bolt 73, so that the operator can place (insert) the plate member 69 on the mounting surface 77 or remove the plate member 69 placed on the mounting surface 77 with the welding wire 15 inserted in the passage 55.

[0108] The various embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the examples described above. It is self-evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications, alterations, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalent examples can be conceived within the scope of the patented technical solutions, and these should also be understood to fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the constituent elements of the above-described embodiments can be arbitrarily combined without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0109] Industrial applicability

[0110] The present invention is useful as a suggestion for a wire straightening device that allows for easier adjustment of the spacing of the straightening rollers.

[0111] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0112] 11 Welding wire straightening device

[0113] 15 Welding wire

[0114] 55 access

[0115] 57 Upper support section

[0116] 59 Lower support section

[0117] 63 Upper straightening roller

[0118] 65 Lower straightening roller

[0119] 69 Plate Components

[0120] 73 bolts

[0121] 77 Placement Surface

[0122] 95 positioning pins.

Claims

1. A welding wire straightening device that straightens the bending of the welding wire by passing it between a plurality of straightening rollers, wherein, The plurality of straightening rollers are arranged opposite each other at predetermined intervals along the path through which the welding wire passes. The specified interval is configured to be adjustable by at least one plate component.

2. The welding wire straightening device according to claim 1, wherein, The correcting roller among the plurality of correcting rollers, which is positioned above the passage, is located on the upper support portion. The correcting roller among the plurality of correcting rollers, located below the passage, is positioned on the lower support portion. The plate component is disposed between the upper support portion and the lower support portion.

3. The welding wire straightening device according to claim 2, wherein, The wire straightening device adjusts the spacing between the straightening roller located on the upper support and above the passage and the straightening roller located on the lower support and below the passage by adjusting the number and thickness of the plate members disposed between the upper support and the lower support.

4. The welding wire straightening device according to claim 2, wherein, The upper support and the lower support are fastened together by bolts.

5. The welding wire straightening device according to claim 4, wherein, The plate member has a notch that engages with the bolt.

6. The welding wire straightening device according to claim 2, wherein, One of the upper support portion and the lower support portion has a positioning pin that engages with the other of the upper support portion and the lower support portion. The plate component has a notch that engages with the locating pin.

7. The wire straightening device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein, The lower support portion has a mounting surface on its upper surface for mounting the plate component.

8. The welding wire straightening device according to claim 7, wherein, The mounting surface is formed above the welding wire passing through the passage and above the maximum outer diameter of the straightening roller disposed on the lower support.

Images