Welding wire feeding device

Abstract

To provide a welding wire feeding device having a structure which can facilitate cleaning of vicinities of a driving roller and of a pressing roller, part replacement and other maintenance work.SOLUTION: The welding wire feeding device comprises a main body part 100 provided so that a welding wire 4 can be inserted therethrough, and a welding wire feeding mechanism M1 that contacts the welding wire 4 to feed the welding wire 4 to a portion to be welded. The main body part 100 includes a storage region R1 in which the welding wire feeding mechanism M1 is stored, where the storage region R1 has a flat bottom surface 111. The welding wire feeding mechanism M1 is placed on the bottom surface 111.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a welding wire feeder. [Background technology]

[0002] When welding is performed using a robot hand, a welding wire feeder having a welding nozzle attached to the tip end thereof is used to feed the welding wire to the location to be welded.

[0003] Such welding wire feeders are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-093903 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-093902 (Patent Document 2), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-093901 (Patent Document 3), and the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-093903 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-093902 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-093901 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The welding wire feeder described above is provided with a drive roller and a pressure roller that sandwich the welding wire to feed the welding wire toward the welding nozzle. During welding wire feeding, the surface of the welding wire is scraped by the surfaces of the drive roller and the pressure roller, causing welding wire debris to accumulate around the rollers and the pressure roller. The accumulated welding wire debris needs to be periodically removed and cleaned, but the rollers and the pressure roller have a complex structure with irregularities around them, making it difficult for an operator's hands or cleaning tools to reach the area.

[0006] On the other hand, when replacing parts during maintenance, if the structure around the drive roller and pressure roller is complicated, handling the tools required for replacement becomes difficult.

[0007] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a welding wire feeder having a configuration that makes it easy to clean the areas around the drive roller and pressure roller, replace parts, and perform other maintenance work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] [1] The welding wire feeding device disclosed herein is a welding wire feeding device that feeds welding wire to a location to be welded, and includes a main body portion through which the welding wire can be inserted, and a welding wire feeding mechanism that contacts the welding wire and feeds the welding wire to the location to be welded, wherein the main body portion includes a storage area that stores the welding wire feeding mechanism, the storage area has a flat bottom surface, and the welding wire feeding mechanism is placed on the bottom surface.

[0009] [2]: The welding wire feeding device described in [1], wherein the storage area is disposed at a predetermined distance from the bottom surface in the direction in which the welding wire is fed, and includes a first wall located upstream of the direction in which the welding wire is fed and a second wall located downstream of the direction in which the welding wire is fed, and the bottom surface is open to the outside in a direction intersecting the direction in which the welding wire is fed.

[0010] [3]: The welding wire feeding device described in [2], wherein the storage area includes an open / close cover that covers the storage area, the open / close cover has an open / close central shaft on the side of the first wall that extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the welding wire is fed, and the open / close cover can be opened and closed around the open / close central shaft as an opening / closing center.

[0011] [4]: The welding wire feeding device described in [3], wherein an inclined wall extending in a direction intersecting the direction in which the welding wire is fed is provided between the bottom surface and the first wall, and when the openable cover closes the storage area, the openable cover has an inclined edge positioned along the inclined wall.

[0012] [5]: The welding wire feeding device according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the welding wire feeding mechanism includes a drive roller that contacts the welding wire and a pressure roller that, together with the drive roller, pinches the welding wire. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The welding wire feeder of the present disclosure can provide a welding wire feeder having a configuration that makes it easy to clean the areas around the drive roller and pressure roller, replace parts, and perform other maintenance work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a welding nozzle and a welding wire feeder attached to a robot arm. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a welding wire feeder according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] 1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a welding wire feeder according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment with the opening / closing cover open. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a first perspective view of the embodiment with the opening / closing cover open. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the embodiment with the opening / closing cover open. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an accommodation area of ​​the welding wire feeder according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A welding wire feeder according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, when reference is made to the number, quantity, etc., the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the number, quantity, etc., unless otherwise specified. The same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding 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.

[0016] (Welding wire feeder 1) A welding wire feeder 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a welding nozzle 2 and welding wire feeder 1 attached to a robot arm 3, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of welding wire feeder 1, and Figure 3 is a side view showing the overall configuration of welding wire feeder 1. In the following description, the upstream side of the direction in which welding wire 4 is fed (X direction) will be referred to as the front side, and the downstream side will be referred to as the rear side. Furthermore, when the X direction is referred to as the front-rear direction, a direction intersecting this front-rear direction will sometimes be referred to as the lateral direction.

[0017] 1, a welding nozzle 2 for feeding a welding wire to a location to be welded is attached to the front side of a welding wire feeder 1. A robot arm 3 is connected to the rear side of the welding wire feeder 1.

[0018] 2 and 3, welding wire feeder 1 is a device that feeds welding wire 4 to a location to be welded. Welding wire feeder 1 includes main body 100 that is provided so that welding wire 4 can be inserted from the rear side toward the front end side, and housing area R1 (see FIG. 4) that houses a welding wire feeding mechanism that comes into contact with welding wire 4 and feeds welding wire 4 to the location to be welded.

[0019] A welding nozzle mounting section 120 for mounting a welding nozzle 2 is provided on the front side of the main body 100. A robot arm mounting section 110 for connecting to a robot arm 3 is provided on the rear side of the main body 100.

[0020] The main body 100 includes an openable cover 130 that covers the storage region R1. The openable cover 130 has a cover rotation support part 132 on the rear side thereof, the cover having an openable central axis a1 that extends in a direction intersecting the feeding direction of the welding wire 4. The openable cover 130 is provided so as to be openable and closable relative to the main body 100 around the openable central axis a1. A lock part 131 is provided on the front side of the openable cover 130 between the main body 100 and the openable cover 130. The openable cover 130 may be made of a transparent material so that the storage region R1 can be seen from the outside, or may be made of a non-transparent material so that the storage region R1 cannot be seen from the outside.

[0021] In this way, by positioning the opening / closing central axis a1 of the opening / closing cover 130 at the rear side of the opening / closing cover 130, the storage area R1 can be made to be widely open, and the lateral direction of the bottom surface 111, which will be described later, can be made to be widely open to the outside.

[0022] 4 to 6, a state in which opening / closing cover 130 is opened toward the rear side relative to main body 100 will be described. Fig. 4 is a side view in which opening / closing cover 130 is open, and Figs. 5 and 6 are first and second perspective views in which opening / closing cover 130 is open.

[0023] The accommodation region R1 includes a flat bottom surface 111, and the welding wire feeding mechanism M1 is placed on the bottom surface 111.

[0024] The accommodation area R1 is disposed at a predetermined distance from the bottom surface 111 in the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed, and includes a first wall 112 located on the upstream side (rear side) in the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed and a second wall 113 located on the downstream side (front side) in the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed, and the bottom surface 111 is open to the outside in a horizontal direction (a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 4 ) that intersects with the direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed.

[0025] The shape of storage area edge 114 of storage area R1, which is recessed in side view and defined by bottom surface 111, first wall 112, and second wall 113, is set to match the shape of cover edge 134 of open-close cover 130. This allows storage area R1 to be completely covered by open-close cover 130 when open-close cover 130 is closed on main body 100.

[0026] The locking portion 131 provided between the opening / closing cover 130 and the main body portion 100 locks the opening / closing cover 130 to the main body portion 100 by the locking claw 131t provided on the opening / closing cover 130 engaging with the engagement groove 131m provided on the main body portion 100.

[0027] A first inclined wall 112c extending in a direction intersecting the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed is provided between the bottom surface 111 and the first wall 112. A second inclined wall 113c extending in a direction intersecting the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed is provided between the bottom surface 111 and the second wall 113.

[0028] When the opening-closing cover 130 closes the storage area R1, the opening-closing cover 130 has an inclined edge 130c that is positioned along the first inclined wall 112c. By providing the inclined edge 130c in this manner, when the opening-closing cover 130 is opened rearward (in the direction of arrow A in the figures) relative to the main body 100, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, it is possible to prevent the formation of an area that covers the upper area of ​​the storage area R1. As a result, the opening-closing cover 130 can be prevented from blocking the worker's access to the welding wire feeding mechanism M1 provided in the storage area R1.

[0029] The welding wire feed mechanism M1, which is disposed on the flat bottom surface 111, includes at least a drive roller 400 that contacts the welding wire 4 and a pressure roller 320 that, together with the drive roller 400, pinches the welding wire 4. The drive roller 400 is provided on the bottom surface 111 and is driven by a drive mechanism provided inside the main body 100. The pressure roller 320 is provided on a pressure arm 300. The pressure arm 300 includes a pivot arm 310. An arm rotation support shaft 330 is provided on one end of the pivot arm 310, and supports the pivot arm 310 rotatably relative to the bottom surface 111. An opening / closing central axis a1 of the arm rotation support shaft 330 stands perpendicular to the bottom surface 111.

[0030] The pressure roller 320 described above is provided in the center of the rotating arm 310, and a lock groove 310m is provided on the opposite side of the pressure roller 320 from the arm rotation support shaft 330 of the rotating arm 310. This lock groove 310m is used to lock the state in which the welding wire 4 is sandwiched between the pressure roller 320 and the drive roller 400.

[0031] A lock pin 200 including an adjustment screw 210 that engages with the lock groove 310m is provided on the first wall 112. The lock pin 200 includes the above-mentioned adjustment screw 210 and a spring case 220 that applies elastic force in the axial direction of the adjustment screw 210. The spring case 220 is rotatably supported by a case rotation support part 230 that is provided on the first wall 112. A case rotation axis b1 is an axis that extends perpendicular to the first wall 112 and is the same as the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed.

[0032] An inlet wire guide 500 is provided on the first wall 112, and an outlet wire guide 600 is provided on the second wall 113. The welding wire 4 is fed from the inlet wire guide 500 toward the outlet wire guide 600. The welding wire 4 is sandwiched between the pressure roller 320 and the drive roller 400 in the region between the inlet wire guide 500 and the outlet wire guide 600.

[0033] 5 shows a state in which the pressure arm 300 is locked by the lock pin 200. The clamping force applied to the welding wire 4 by the pressure roller 320 and the drive roller 400 can be changed by adjusting the elastic force of the spring provided in the spring case 220.

[0034] 6 shows a state in which the pressure arm 300 is unlocked by the lock pin 200. By rotating the adjustment screw 210 along the case rotation axis b1, the adjustment screw 210 is released from the lock groove 310m. This allows the rotating arm 310 to rotate along the support rotation axis c1 of the arm rotation support shaft 330.

[0035] Here, referring to Fig. 7, the storage area R1 provided in the main body 100 will be described. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the storage area R1. As described above, the storage area R1 includes a flat bottom surface 111, and the welding wire feeding mechanism M1 is placed on the bottom surface 111. The storage area R1 is disposed at a predetermined distance from the bottom surface 111 in the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed, and includes a first wall 112 located on the upstream side (rear side) in the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed and a second wall 113 located on the downstream side (front side) in the X direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed, and the bottom surface 111 is open to the outside in a direction intersecting the direction in which the welding wire 4 is fed (a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Fig. 4).

[0036] As a result, when performing maintenance on the welding wire feed mechanism M1, it is necessary to remove / clean the accumulated welding wire scraps. By widely opening the openable cover 130 toward the rear, the storage area R1 can be widely opened, and the lateral direction of the bottom surface 111 can be widely opened to the outside. Furthermore, because the bottom surface 111 is flat, the welding wire scraps can be easily removed. Furthermore, when replacing parts during maintenance, because the welding wire feed mechanism M1 is configured with a simple mechanism, handling of replacement tools is easy.

[0037] This makes it possible to easily carry out cleaning, part replacement, and other maintenance work around the welding wire feeder mechanism M1 including the drive roller and pressure roller in the welding wire feeder 1.

[0038] 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]

[0039] 1 welding wire feeder, 2 welding nozzle, 3 robot arm, 4 welding wire, 100 main body, 110 robot arm mounting portion, 111 bottom surface, 112 first wall, 112c first inclined wall, 113 second wall, 113c second inclined wall, 114 storage area edge portion, 120 welding nozzle mounting portion, 130 opening / closing cover, 130c inclined edge, 131 lock portion, 131m engagement groove, 131t lock claw, 132 cover rotation support portion, 134 cover edge portion, 200 lock pin, 210 adjustment screw, 220 spring case, 230 case rotation support portion, 300 pressure arm, 310 rotating arm, 310m lock groove, 320 pressure roller, 330 arm rotation support shaft, 400 drive roller, 500 inlet wire guide, 600 Outlet wire guide, a1 opening and closing center shaft, b1 case rotation shaft, c1 support rotation shaft, M1 welding wire feed mechanism, R1 storage area.

Claims

1. A welding wire feeder that feeds a welding wire to a welding point, a main body portion through which the welding wire can be inserted; a welding wire feeding mechanism that contacts the welding wire and feeds the welding wire to the welding point, the main body portion includes an accommodation area that accommodates the welding wire feed mechanism, The storage area has a flat bottom surface; The welding wire feed mechanism is placed on the bottom surface. Welding wire feeder.

2. The storage area is the welding wire feed direction is a direction in which the welding wire is fed, and the welding wire feed direction is a direction in which the welding wire is fed. The ... The bottom surface is open to the outside in a direction intersecting a direction in which the welding wire is fed. The welding wire feeder of claim 1 .

3. The storage area includes an opening / closing cover that covers the storage area, the openable cover has an openable center shaft on the first wall side that extends in a direction intersecting with a direction in which the welding wire is fed, The opening / closing cover can be opened and closed around the opening / closing central shaft. The welding wire feeder of claim 2 .

4. an inclined wall extending in a direction intersecting a direction in which the welding wire is fed is provided between the bottom surface and the first wall; When the opening / closing cover closes the storage area, the opening / closing cover has an inclined side that is positioned along the inclined wall.

4. The welding wire feeder of claim 3.

5. the welding wire feed mechanism includes a drive roller that contacts the welding wire, and a pressure roller that, together with the drive roller, pinches the welding wire. The welding wire feeder of claim 1 .

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