Welding wire feeding mechanism

Abstract

To provide a welding wire feeding mechanism that can further facilitate maintenance work and further improve safety.SOLUTION: The welding wire feeding mechanism comprises a base part 110, a main body part 113 held on the base part 110, and a front cover 120 covering the main body part 113. The base part 110 includes a first base part 111 holding the main body part 113, and a second base part 112 provided to extend from an edge part of the first base part 111 toward the main body part 113. The front cover 120 is turnably connected to the second base part 112, and the front cover 120 is provided to be able to select a lock state and an unlock state, with respect to the first base part 111.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a welding wire feed mechanism used in a welding wire feeder. [Background technology]

[0002] A welding wire feeder is used to feed a welding wire to a location to be welded. Such a welding wire feeder is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-007264 (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-007264 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the welding wire feeder described above, a welding wire wound on a reel is fed to a welding torch for welding to an object to be welded. A welding wire feeder mechanism is used to feed the welding wire to the welding torch.

[0005] The welding wire feed mechanism is provided with a feed motor, a feed roll, a pressure holder, etc., and there is an increasing demand for easier maintenance by workers and for further improvements in safety.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a welding wire feed mechanism that makes maintenance work easier and enables further improvement in safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] [1] The welding wire feeding mechanism of the present disclosure is a welding wire feeding mechanism used in a welding wire feeding device that feeds welding wire in a feeding direction to a welding point, and includes a base portion, a main body portion held by the base portion, and a front cover that covers the main body portion, wherein the base portion includes a first base portion that holds the main body portion and a second base portion that is arranged to extend from an edge of the first base portion toward the main body portion, and the front cover is rotatably connected to the second base portion, and the front cover is arranged to be selectable between a locked state and an unlocked state with respect to the first base portion.

[0008] [2] The welding wire feeding mechanism described in [1], wherein the main body is provided with a center guide extending in the feeding direction and through which the welding wire is inserted and held, an inlet on the upstream side of the feeding direction of the welding wire for guiding insertion of the welding wire into the center guide, an outlet on the downstream side of the feeding direction of the welding wire for guiding insertion of the welding wire into and out of the center guide, and a roller mechanism that clamps the welding wire and feeds it in the feeding direction, and the front cover is provided to cover the center guide, the inlet, the outlet, and the roller mechanism, and the front cover is provided at a tip of the second base portion opposite the first base portion so as to be openable and closable relative to the base portion by using a hinge member.

[0009] [3]: The welding wire feeding mechanism described in [1] or [2], wherein the second base portion includes an inlet-side second base portion located on the inlet side and an outlet-side second base portion located on the outlet side, and the front cover is attached to the tip portion of the inlet-side second base portion and the tip portion of the outlet-side second base portion using the hinge member.

[0010] [4]: The welding wire feeding mechanism described in any one of [1] to [3], wherein the front cover includes a first cover positioned parallel to the main body portion and a second cover extending toward the first base portion at a position opposite the second base portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the welding wire feed mechanism of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a welding wire feed mechanism that makes maintenance work even easier and allows for even greater improvement in safety. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a welding wire feeder. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the welding wire feed mechanism with the front cover open. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the welding wire feed mechanism with the front cover open. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a right side view of the welding wire feed mechanism with the front cover open. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the welding wire feed mechanism with the front cover closed. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the welding wire feed mechanism with the front cover closed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of the area surrounded by VII in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the center guide. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of the area surrounded by IX in FIG. 4. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing the center guide with the lock released. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which the center guide is removed. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a first overall perspective view of an inlet cover. [Figure 14]FIG. 2 is a second overall perspective view of the inlet cover. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a first partially enlarged perspective view showing an inlet of a welding wire feed mechanism. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a second partially enlarged perspective view showing the inlet of the welding wire feed mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A welding wire feed mechanism according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, when numbers, quantities, etc. are mentioned, the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to those numbers, quantities, etc., unless otherwise specified. The same reference numerals are used for the same or equivalent parts, and redundant descriptions may not be repeated. It is intended from the beginning that the configurations in the embodiments may be used in appropriate combinations.

[0014] (Welding wire feeder 1) The overall configuration of a welding wire feeder 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the welding wire feeder 1. In the drawing, the direction indicated by L1 indicates the feeding direction of the welding wire 4.

[0015] The welding wire feeder 1 has a frame 10, on which a wire reel hub 3, a welding wire feed mechanism 100, and a torch connection part 2 are mounted. The welding wire feed mechanism 100 pulls out the welding wire from a wire reel 5 attached to the wire reel hub 3 and applies a feeding force to the welding wire to feed the welding wire toward the torch connection part 2.

[0016] (Welding wire feeding mechanism 100) Next, a schematic configuration of the welding wire feed mechanism 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 7. Figure 2 is a front view of the welding wire feed mechanism 100 with the front cover 120 open, Figure 3 is a left side view of the welding wire feed mechanism 100 with the front cover 120 open, Figure 4 is a right side view of the welding wire feed mechanism 100 with the front cover 120 open, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the welding wire feed mechanism 100 with the front cover 120 closed, Figure 6 is a left side view of the welding wire feed mechanism 100 with the front cover 120 closed, and Figure 7 is a partial enlarged view of the area surrounded by VII in Figure 2.

[0017] 2 to 4, welding wire feed mechanism 100 includes a base portion 110, a main body portion 113 held by base portion 110, and a front cover 120. Base portion 110 includes a first base portion 111 and a second base portion 112. Main body portion 113 includes a center guide 200 that extends in feed direction L1 and through which welding wire 4 is inserted and held, an inlet 300 that is located upstream of welding wire 4 feed direction L1 and that guides insertion of welding wire 4 into center guide 200, and an outlet 400 that is located downstream of welding wire 4 feed direction L1 and that guides insertion of welding wire 4 from center guide 200.

[0018] Furthermore, the main body 113 is provided with a roller mechanism RM that clamps the welding wire 4 from above and below as shown in the figure and feeds the welding wire 4 in the feed direction L1. The roller mechanism RM includes a pair of guide rollers 150 arranged upstream of the center guide 200, and a pair of guide rollers 150 arranged downstream of the center guide 200. The roller mechanism RM also includes a feed motor 140 that applies a driving force to the guide rollers 150, and a pressure holder 160 that adjusts the clamping force of the welding wire 4 by the pair of guide rollers 150. The clamping force of the welding wire 4 by the pressure holder 160 is adjusted with the pressure handle 130.

[0019] A resin material is used for the base portion 110 in order to ensure insulation from the various devices provided in the main body portion 113. The base portion 110 has a function of supporting the main body portion 113 on which the various devices are provided.

[0020] The base portion 110 is provided with a resin front cover 120 that covers the center guide 200, inlet 300, outlet 400, and roller mechanism RM that are provided on the main body portion 113. The front cover 120 may be transparent so that the inside can be seen, or may be opaque.

[0021] The second base portion 112 is provided on the lower end side of the first base portion 111 in the drawing, and is provided so as to extend from the edge of the lower end of the first base portion 111 toward the side of the main body portion 113 on which the center guide 200, the inlet 300, the outlet 400, and the roller mechanism RM (excluding the feed motor 140) are provided. When viewed from the left side shown in FIG. 5, the base portion 110 has a substantially L-shaped form.

[0022] When the welding wire feed mechanism 100 is placed on the welding wire feeder 1, the second base portion 112 functions as a leg (base) of the welding wire feed mechanism 100 (see FIG. 1).

[0023] The second base portion 112 may be provided in a plate shape along the feeding direction of the welding wire 4, but in this embodiment, it is composed of two parts: an inlet-side second base portion 112a located on the inlet 300 side, and an outlet-side second base portion 112b located on the outlet 400 side.

[0024] In the closed state, the front cover 120 includes a first cover 121 positioned parallel to the first base portion 111, and a second cover 122 extending toward the first base portion 111 at a position opposite to the second base portion 112. The front cover 120 further includes a third cover 123 on the inlet 300 side and a fourth cover 124 on the outlet 400 side.

[0025] The third cover 123 is provided with an inlet opening 123a that exposes the inlet 300, and the fourth cover 124 is provided with an outlet opening 124a that exposes the outlet 400.

[0026] The front cover 120 is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to the base portion 110 by using hinge members 125 at tip portions 112t of the inlet side second base portion 112a and the outlet side second base portion 112b opposite to the first base portion 111.

[0027] 2 to 4 show the state in which the front cover 120 is most open relative to the base part 110 in the direction of the arrow (direction A) in the figure, and FIGS. 5 and 6 show the state in which the front cover 120 is closed relative to the base part 110.

[0028] Furthermore, a locking mechanism R1 is provided between the main body 113 and the second cover 122 to maintain the front cover 120 in a closed state relative to the base 110.

[0029] 7, as the locking mechanism R1, an engagement claw 110t is provided on the main body 113, and an engagement piece 122t that engages with the engagement claw 110t by elastic force is provided on the second cover 122. By operating the engagement piece 122t, it is possible to select between a locked state and an unlocked state of the front cover 120 to the base part 110.

[0030] As described above, by providing the front cover 120, even when the roller mechanism RM is in operation, the area where the roller mechanism RM is driven is not exposed by keeping the front cover 120 closed relative to the base part 110. As a result, workers and the like do not come into contact with the area where the roller mechanism RM is driven, and work safety can be improved.

[0031] Furthermore, the front cover 120 is provided at the tip end 112t of the second base portion 112 using a hinge member 125 so as to be able to open and close relative to the base portion 110. This allows the front cover 120 to be opened widely toward the front (toward the worker), as shown in Figures 3 and 4. As a result, accessibility to the devices provided on the first base portion 111 is improved, making it even easier for workers to perform maintenance work.

[0032] (Fixing the center guide 200 to the base part 110) Next, the fixing of the center guide 200 to the main body 113 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. Figure 8 is an overall perspective view of the center guide 200, Figure 9 is a partial enlarged view of the area surrounded by IX in Figure 4, Figure 10 is a view of the center guide 200 with the lock released, and Figure 11 is a view of the center guide 200 with the center guide 200 removed.

[0033] 8, the center guide 200 is made of a metal part and has a cylindrical shaft portion 210, through which a wire guide hole 210h penetrates in the axial direction for inserting the welding wire 4. Two annular protrusions 211 are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 210 at positions spaced a predetermined distance from the center toward both ends.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 9, a placing portion 114 for placing center guide 200 is provided between guide roller 150 on the inlet 300 side of main body portion 113 and guide roller 150 on the outlet 400 side.

[0035] The center guide 200 is fixed to the main body 113 using a center guide lock lever 170. The center guide lock lever 170 is attached to the main body 113 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis a1 that extends in the same direction as the feeding direction L1.

[0036] The center guide lock lever 170 is composed of a molded part made of resin or metal, and includes a holding portion 171 that holds the center guide 200, and a pair of rotating legs 172 that are attached to the main body portion 113 so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis a1.

[0037] 10 and 11, the main body 113 is provided with a mounting portion 114 on which the center guide 200 is placed. A positioning recess 115 is provided above the mounting portion 114 of the main body 113. When the center guide 200 is placed on the mounting portion 114, the annular protrusion 211 of the center guide 200 fits into the positioning recess 115, as shown in FIG. 10. This makes it easy to position the center guide 200 in the feeding direction L1 of the welding wire 4.

[0038] 11, the holding portion 171 of the center guide lock lever 170 is provided with a claw portion 173 extending toward the main body portion 113. A claw engagement recess 116 with which the claw portion 173 engages is provided above the positioning recess 115 of the main body portion 113. The claw portion 173 and the claw engagement recess 116 form a locking mechanism.

[0039] When the center guide lock lever 170 rotates in a direction away from the main body 113, the claw 173 disengages from the claw engagement recess 116, selecting the open state. As a result, the center guide 200 can be removed from the main body 113 (the state shown in FIG. 10).

[0040] On the other hand, when the center guide lock lever 170 rotates in a direction approaching the main body 113, the claw 173 is inserted into the claw engagement recess 116, and the locked state is selected. As a result, the center guide 200 is fixed to the main body 113 (the state shown in FIG. 9).

[0041] In this way, the main body 113 of the center guide 200 can be easily attached and detached simply by opening and closing the center guide lock lever 170. As a result, maintenance work on the center guide 200 can be easily performed by an operator.

[0042] (Inlet Guide 500 Structure) 6 or 9, an inlet guide 500 is attached to the inlet 300. The configuration of the inlet guide 500 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 12 to 17. FIG. 12 is an overall perspective view of the inlet guide 500, FIG. 13 is a first overall perspective view of the inlet cover 510, FIG. 14 is a second overall perspective view of the inlet cover 510, FIG. 15 is an overall perspective view of the inlet pin 520, and FIGS. 16 and 17 are first and second partially enlarged perspective views showing the inlet 300 of the welding wire feed mechanism 100.

[0043] 12, inlet guide 500 has an axis extending in welding wire feeding direction L1. Inlet guide 500 has a resin inlet cover 510 that determines the insertion position of inlet 300, and a resin or metal inlet pin 520 that is housed inside inlet cover 510 and guides the insertion of the welding wire.

[0044] 13 and 14, inlet cover 510 has a cylindrical main body 512 having a through hole 512h along the axial direction. An annular base 511 that protrudes radially outward is provided on one end of cylindrical main body 512. Base 511 is provided with a cut surface 511c.

[0045] A first elastic claw 513 extending in the axial direction is provided in the region where the cut surface 511c of the cylindrical main body 512 is located. A first burr portion 513t that protrudes outward is provided at the tip of the first elastic claw 513.

[0046] Cylindrical main body 512 has grooves 514m formed at three circumferential locations on the tip side opposite to the side where base 511 is provided, and second elastic claws 514 are provided by dividing cylindrical main body 512 into three parts so as to sandwich grooves 514m. Second burrs 514t that protrude inward are provided at the tip ends of second elastic claws 514.

[0047] The first elastic claw 513 is provided to extend in the axial direction between the two second elastic claws 514. Furthermore, a convex positioning rib 512r is provided at the center of the outer surface of the three second elastic claws 514 so as to extend from the base portion 511. The positioning ribs 512r are provided in three locations at 120-degree intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body portion 512.

[0048] 15, inlet pin 520 has shaft portion 521 having through hole 521h along the axial direction. One end of shaft portion 521 is provided with an annular flange portion 522 that protrudes radially outward. Tip portion 523 of shaft portion 521 opposite base portion 511 is provided with an annular groove 524 that is recessed radially inward.

[0049] 12, when inlet pin 520 is housed inside inlet cover 510, second burr portion 514t provided at the tip of second resilient claw 514 is elastically biased to fit into annular groove 524 provided at the tip of inlet pin 520. As a result, inlet pin 520 can be positioned and fixed to inlet cover 510.

[0050] Next, the configuration of the inlet 300 side will be described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. The inlet 300 is provided with an inlet hole 300h constituted by a cylindrical wall 310 for inserting the inlet guide 500. The cylindrical wall 310 is provided with guide grooves 310m extending in the welding wire feeding direction L1 so as to communicate from the outside (the side shown in Figure 16) to the inside (the side shown in Figure 17). The guide grooves 310m are provided at three locations on the cylindrical wall 310 at 120-degree intervals.

[0051] When inserting the inlet guide 500 into the inlet hole 300h of the inlet 300, the inlet cover 510 is positioned so that the positioning ribs 512r of the inlet cover 510 fit into the three guide grooves 310m of the cylindrical wall 310 (insertion positioning mechanism). This allows the inlet guide 500 to be accurately inserted into the inlet hole 300h.

[0052] After the inlet guide 500 is pushed into the inlet hole 300h, the first burr portion 513t provided at the tip of the first elastic claw 513 protrudes from the inlet hole 300h inside the inlet 300 and projects in response to the biasing force of the elastic force, as shown in Figure 17. This makes it possible to fix and maintain the state in which the inlet guide 500 is inserted into the inlet hole 300h (fixing mechanism).

[0053] As described above, according to the configuration of the inlet guide 500 in this embodiment, maintenance work for attaching and detaching the inlet guide 500 can be easily performed without using special tools, which makes it easier for workers to perform maintenance work on the inlet guide 500.

[0054] While the welding wire feeder has been described above in the embodiments, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 welding wire feeder, 2 torch connection portion, 3 wire reel hub, 4 welding wire, 5 wire reel, 10 frame, 100 welding wire feed mechanism, 110 base portion, 110t engagement claw, 111 first base portion, 112 second base portion, 112a inlet side second base portion, 112b outlet side second base portion, 112t tip portion, 113 main body portion, 114 placing portion, 115 recess, 116 claw engagement recess, 120 front cover, 121 first cover, 122 second cover, 122t engagement piece, 123 third cover, 123a inlet opening, 124 fourth cover, 124a outlet opening, 125 hinge member, 130 pressure handle, 140 feed motor, 150 guide roller, 160 pressure holder, 170 Center guide lock lever, 171 holding portion, 172 rotating leg portion, 173 claw portion, 200 center guide, 210 shaft portion, 210h wire guide hole, 211 annular convex portion, 300 inlet, 300h inlet hole, 310 cylindrical wall, 310m guide groove, 400 outlet, 500 inlet guide, 510 inlet cover, 511 base portion, 511c cut surface, 512 cylindrical main body portion, 512h through hole, 512r rib, 513 first elastic claw, 513t first burr portion, 514 second elastic claw, 514m groove portion, 514t second burr portion, 520 inlet pin, 521 shaft portion, 521h through hole, 522 flange portion, 523 tip portion, 524 annular groove, A arrow, a1 Rotation axis, L1 arrow, L1 feed direction, R1 lock mechanism, RM roller mechanism.

Claims

1. A welding wire feeding mechanism used in a welding wire feeding device that feeds a welding wire in a feeding direction to a welding point, A base portion; a main body portion held by the base portion; a front cover that covers the main body; Equipped with The base portion includes a first base portion that holds the main body portion; a second base portion extending from an edge of the first base portion toward the main body portion; Including, the front cover is rotatably connected to the second base portion, the front cover is provided so as to be selectable between a locked state and an unlocked state with respect to the first base portion; Welding wire feed mechanism.

2. The main body portion includes: a center guide extending in the feeding direction and configured to pass through and hold the welding wire; an inlet that guides insertion of the welding wire into the center guide, the inlet being located upstream in the feeding direction of the welding wire; an outlet that guides the welding wire when it is inserted into or removed from the center guide, the outlet being located downstream in the feeding direction of the welding wire; a roller mechanism that pinches the welding wire and feeds the welding wire in the feeding direction; is established, the front cover is provided to cover the center guide, the inlet, the outlet, and the roller mechanism, The front cover is provided at a tip end of the second base portion opposite to the first base portion by using a hinge member so as to be openable and closable relative to the base portion. The welding wire feed mechanism of claim 1 .

3. The second base portion is an inlet-side second base portion located on the inlet side; and an outlet-side second base portion located on the outlet side, the front cover is attached to the tip end portion of the inlet-side second base portion and the tip end portion of the outlet-side second base portion using the hinge member; The welding wire feed mechanism of claim 1 .

4. The front cover is a first cover positioned parallel to the main body; a second cover extending toward the first base portion at a position opposite to the second base portion, The welding wire feed mechanism of claim 1 .

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