Conduit system for handheld laser welding equipment

Abstract

We provide a conduit system for handheld laser welding equipment. [Solution] The laser welding gun includes a focusing tube, a nozzle extending from the focusing tube, and a mounting support that is adjustable and positionable along the length of the focusing tube. A conduit assembly extends from a wire feeder and is attached to the focusing tube by the mounting support. The conduit assembly includes a removable tip holder fixed to the mounting support. The mounting support provides angle adjustment between the conduit assembly and the focusing tube, and the orientation of the mounting support is rotatably adjustable around the focusing tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0004]

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 706,130, filed on October 11, 2024 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) and U.S. Non - Provisional Patent Application No. 19 / 245,605, filed on June 23, 2025 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference).

Background Art

[0002] The present invention relates to a hand - held laser welding device, particularly to a hand - held laser welding device that utilizes a welding wire supplied to a hand - held torch or gun. Some hand - held laser welding devices utilize a welding wire that is supplied by a wire feeder towards the tip of a laser welding gun. Such a welding gun may include a bracket that supports a portion of the conduit through which the welding wire is supplied. The bracket holds a portion of the conduit in an orientation that directs the welding wire towards the tip of the welding gun. However, such a bracket lacks the ability to account for the cast of the welding wire (for example, the wire may naturally bend away from the tip of the welding gun) and adjustability considering the desired wire discharge position along the length of the welding gun. Conventional laser welding guns also lack a means to quickly and easily switch between single - wire and two - wire operations. It would be desirable to address these drawbacks of laser welding guns that utilize one or more welding wires.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] The following summary provides a simplified overview to offer a basic understanding of some aspects of the apparatus, systems, and / or methods discussed herein. This summary is not a comprehensive overview of the apparatus, systems, and / or methods discussed herein. It does not intend to identify key elements or define the scope of such apparatus, systems, and / or methods. Its purpose is merely to present some concepts in a brief form as an introduction to the more detailed descriptions that will be presented later.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a laser welding gun is provided. The laser welding gun includes a focusing tube, a nozzle extending from the focusing tube, and a mounting armature that is adjustable and positionable along the length of the focusing tube. A conduit assembly extends from a wire feeder and is attached to the focusing tube by the mounting armature. The conduit assembly includes a removable tip holder fixed to the mounting armature. The mounting armature provides angle adjustment between the conduit assembly and the focusing tube, and the orientation of the mounting armature is rotatably adjustable around the focusing tube.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a laser welding gun is provided. The laser welding gun includes a focusing tube, a nozzle extending from the focusing tube, and a mounting support that is adjustable and positionable along the length of the focusing tube. A conduit assembly extends from a wire feeder and is attached to the focusing tube by the mounting support. The conduit assembly includes a removable tip holder and a tip holder receiver. The removable tip holder and tip holder receiver are attached to the mounting support. The mounting support provides angle adjustment between the conduit assembly and the focusing tube, and the orientation of the mounting support is rotatably adjustable around the focusing tube.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a laser welding gun is provided. The laser welding gun includes a focusing tube, a nozzle extending from the focusing tube, and a mounting support that is adjustable and positionable along the length of the focusing tube. A conduit assembly extends from a wire feeder and is attached to the focusing tube by the mounting support. The conduit assembly includes a removable tip holder attached to the mounting support, a contact tip attached to the removable tip holder, and a tip holder receiver attached to the mounting support and having a central opening. When the removable tip holder is attached to the mounting support, a portion of the removable tip holder extends into the central opening of the tip holder receiver, and the removable tip holder is rotatably adjustable within the mounting support and the tip holder receiver. The mounting support provides both adjustment of the mounting position of the conduit assembly along the length of the focusing tube and rotational adjustment of the orientation of the mounting support around the focusing tube.

[0008] The aforementioned and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This shows a handheld laser welding gun with a conduit assembly attached. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the conduit assembly. [Figure 3] This is an exploded view of the conduit assembly. [Figure 4] The conduit assembly is shown. [Figure 5] This shows the mounting support for the conduit assembly. [Figure 6] This shows some handheld laser welding guns. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention relates to a handheld laser welding apparatus, and more particularly to a handheld laser welding apparatus that utilizes welding wire supplied to a handheld torch or gun. The present invention is described hereby with reference to the drawings, where similar reference numerals are used throughout to refer to similar elements. It should be noted that each drawing is not necessarily drawn to isometric scale between figures and within a given figure, and in particular the sizes of components are drawn arbitrarily to facilitate understanding of the drawings. In the following description, many specific details are given for explanatory purposes in order to fully understand the present invention. However, it is clear that the present invention can be implemented without these specific details. Furthermore, other embodiments of the present invention are possible, and the present invention can be implemented and performed in ways other than those described. The terms and expressions used in describing the present invention are for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention and should not be construed restrictively.

[0011] As used herein, “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and / or” are open-ended expressions that function both conjunctively and disjunctively. For example, the expressions “at least one of A, B, and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” and “A, B, and / or C” mean A alone, B alone, C alone, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, or a combination of A, B, and C. Any disjunctive word or phrase presenting two or more alternative items in the description of an embodiment, claim, or drawing should be interpreted as encompassing the possibility of including one of the items, either of the items, or both of the items. For example, the phrase “A or B” should be interpreted as encompassing the possibility of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

[0012] While embodiments of the present invention described herein are considered in the context of laser welding, other embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, embodiments of the present invention can also be used for metal deposition operations similar to welding, such as hard build-up and coating. As used herein, the term “welding” is intended to encompass all of these techniques, as they all involve the deposition of material to join or laminate workpieces.

[0013] Conventional handheld laser welding guns using feed-type welding wires lack a means of quickly switching between single-wire and multi-wire (e.g., two-wire) operation, and do not have adjustments to account for the casting of the welding wire. The system disclosed herein allows the user to switch between single-wire and two-wire processes using interchangeable parts. Multiple screw-type nozzles are provided to accommodate the number and size of welding wires. A removable tip holder for the contact tip is easily interchangeable to accommodate different contact tips for different numbers and sizes of wires. The nozzle, removable tip holder, and contact tip constitute interchangeable parts, allowing the user to quickly switch between single-wire and two-wire processes. The system also allows the user to adjust the linear mounting position of the conduit assembly on the gun's focusing tube, the mounting angle of the conduit assembly, and the rotational position to account for the casting and pitch of the wire. This adjustability allows for fine-tuning of the gun settings for each welding process.

[0014] The conduits or conduit assemblies considered herein may utilize industry-standard wire feeder connectors, liners, and contact tips. The liner is enclosed in a flexible tube, which terminates at the gun-side end of the conduit assembly with a subassembly that includes both an adjustable support and a removable tip holder for holding the desired contact tip. The contact tip is not energized and does not conduct electricity to the welding wire unless the system is configured for "hot wire" welding operations. The contact tip helps to direct the welding wire into the groove of the laser nozzle, which directs the welding wire to intersect with the laser beam. As is well known in the art, the nozzle directs the shielding gas into the molten pool, and the nozzle groove guides the welding wire to the laser beam. An industry-standard feeder connector may be provided at the upstream wire feeder end of the conduit assembly.

[0015] Figure 1 shows a conduit system or conduit assembly 101 and nozzle 100 attached to a laser welding gun 102 of a laser welding system. The nozzle 100 is attached to and extends from a focusing tube 104. For example, the nozzle 100 is screwed into the end of the focusing tube 104 at the distal end of the gun 102. A mounting support 106 for the conduit assembly 101 slides along the focusing tube 104. The mounting support 106 is adjustable and positionable along the length of the focusing tube 104 and can move forward or backward along the focusing tube as desired. Both the angle formed between the conduit assembly 101 and the focusing tube 104, and the linear position of the mounting support 106 on the focusing tube 104, are adjustable by the mounting support. In Figure 1, it can be seen that the angle formed between the conduit assembly 101 and the focusing tube 104 is acute. This angle can be adjusted as desired, from approximately parallel or 0 degrees to a suitable acute angle for directing one or more welding wires into the grooves of the nozzle 100. The angle formed between the conduit assembly 101 and the focusing tube 104, and the linear position of the mounting support on the focusing tube, can be adjusted by loosening the screw 110 on the mounting support 106. Furthermore, the orientation of the mounting support 106 is rotatably adjustable around the focusing tube 104, for example, to adjust the cast / pitch of the welding wires exiting the contact tip 108 of the conduit assembly 101, and to direct the welding wires into the grooves of the nozzle 100. Once the desired wire feed angle (angle between the conduit 101 and the focusing tube 104), the angle of rotation of the support around the focusing tube, and the linear position of the support 106 along the focusing tube are determined, they can be fixed in place by tightening the screw 110 on the support. The welding gun 102 may include a clip 112 at the bottom of the gun handle, and the flexible tube of the conduit assembly 101 passes through the clip.

[0016] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the conduit assembly 101, and Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the conduit assembly. The conduit assembly 101 includes a flexible tube 114, such as a rubber or rubber-like (elastic) tube. The conduit assembly 101 is not drawn to scale in Figures 2 and 3, and the flexible tube 114 is actually larger than shown in the figures. The flexible tube 114 extends from the laser welding gun to an upstream wire feeder 117, which feeds one or more welding wires through the conduit assembly 101 to the laser beam emitted by the welding gun. The length of the flexible tube 114 may vary depending on user requirements, system configuration, and other factors.

[0017] A latched connector 116 is located at the end of the wire feeder 117 of the conduit assembly 101. The latched connector 116 is inserted into the end of the flexible tube 114 and held in place by a clip 118, such as a pinch clamp. The latched connector 116 connects the flexible tube 114 to a standard wire feeder connector 120, which is screwed into the latched connector. A liner for welding wire (not shown) can be inserted into the conduit assembly 101 from the end of the wire feeder connector 120. The liner's bushing 122 is inserted into the wire feeder connector 120 and fits snugly against the end face of the wire feeder connector. The liner's bushing 122 is held in place by a set screw on the wire feeder connector 120.

[0018] At the end of the support 106, the flexible tube 114 is attached to the tip holder receiver 124. The tip holder receiver 124 may have a latched connector, which is inserted into the end of the flexible tube 114 and attached to the tube by another clip 118. The tip holder receiver 124 has a central bore or central opening into which the removable tip holders 126 are inserted. In particular, the rear portions of the removable tip holders 126 extend into the central opening of the tip holder receiver 124 when they are installed. The removable tip holders 126 and the tip holder receiver 124 are secured to the mounting support 106 by mounting screws, such as set screws 128. When assembled, the tip holder receiver 124 and the mounting support 106 have aligned and threaded radial bores for receiving the set screws 128. A set screw 128 extends through the radial bore 129 of the tip holder receiver 124, holding the removable tip holder 126 in place within the mounting support 106. The set screw 128 can be loosened, thereby allowing the removable tip holder 126 to be removed and replaced from the conduit assembly 101 without detaching the tip holder receiver 124 from the mounting support 106. The removable tip holder 126 can be replaced as needed to accommodate various different types of contact tips 108. For example, contact tips for single-wire applications typically have multiple threads requiring multiple turns to mount the contact tip. In single-wire applications, the contact tip is installed covering the end of the welding wire (e.g., the welding wire is pushed through the central bore of the contact tip), and the contact tip rotates around the welding wire when screwed into the removable tip holder 126. For example, a removable tip holder 126 may have a female thread to receive the male threaded end of a contact tip 108 for a single-wire welding process. However, such a threaded connection is not suitable for double-wire applications because the welding wires are twisted together when the contact tip is installed.Contact tips for dual-wire welding processes may have one or more cams instead of a male thread, allowing the contact tip to be mounted on a removable tip holder 126 with less than 360-degree rotation of the contact tip. Thus, for dual-wire or other multi-wire applications, the contact tip 108 can be mounted on the removable tip holder 126 with less than 360-degree rotation of the contact tip, for example via a quarter turn, thereby preventing the welding wire from twisting during contact tip mounting. By loosening the set screw 128, a suitable removable tip holder 126 can be mounted on the conduit assembly 101 for the desired welding application (e.g., single-wire or multi-wire) without detaching the tip holder receiver 124. Also, by loosening the set screw 128, the user can rotate the front end of the conduit assembly 101 (for example, by rotating the removable tip holder 126 and the mounted contact tip 108) to adjust the cast or pitch of the welding wire and direct the welding wire towards the nozzle groove at the end of the welding gun. Therefore, the removable tip holder 126, together with the attached contact tip 108, is rotatably adjustable within the mounting support 106 and the tip holder receiver 124. By further loosening the set screw, the tip holder receiver 124 can be removed from the mounting support 106.

[0019] Figure 4 shows a conduit assembly 101 in which the chip holder receiver 124 and the removable chip holder 126 are detached from the mounting support 106. The top screw 110 on the mounting support 106 enables adjustment of the angle of the support, the rotational angle of the support around the condenser tube, and the linear position of the support along the condenser tube. The top screw 110 can be a shoulder screw, a fully threaded screw with a washer, or any other suitable fastener. The locking screw 128 enables the removable chip holder 126 to be replaceable and enables the rotation of the front end of the conduit assembly 101 to better seat one or more welding wires in the nozzle guide grooves. The total amount of adjustment provided by the conduit assembly 101 is significant. The user has, via the mounting support 106, the ability to adjust the feed angle of the welding wire, the ability to adjust the linear position of the conduit assembly 101 along the condenser tube for different focal lengths, and the ability to adjust the rotational position of the welding wire. The chip holder receiver 124, the mounting support 106, the replaceable contact chip holder 126, the contact chip 108, and the nozzle work together to enable different configurations for single or multiple wire (e.g., dual wire) laser welding with various welding wire sizes.

[0020] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the mounting support 106. The mounting support includes a first loop 130 (upper loop) for receiving a focusing tube on a welding gun. The first loop 130 is slidable along the focusing tube to a desired position. The first loop 130 also allows for rotational adjustment of the support around the focusing tube, if desired. The mounting support 106 also has a second loop 132 (lower loop) for receiving a tip holder receiver. A threaded radial bore 134 for receiving a set screw 128 (Figure 4) is located in the second loop 132 of the mounting support 106. The angle between the first loop 130 and the second loop 132 is adjustable to provide adjustment of the angle between the conduit assembly and the focusing tube. The angle between the first loop 130 and the second loop 132, and the mounting position of the support 106 along the focusing tube, are set by tightening a screw 110. In a specific configuration, the first loop 130 may include a recess 136, which allows the first loop to bend or flex when the screw 110 is tightened, thereby facilitating the tightening of the mounting support 106 along the light-gathering tube.

[0021] Figure 6 shows a part of the handheld laser welding gun 102. Various different nozzles 100 can be attached to the end of the focusing tube 104 of the gun 102. The welding gun 102 can be used with various different nozzles having grooves of different sizes to guide welding wires of different numbers and sizes so as to intersect with the laser beam emitted by the gun.

[0022] In certain embodiments, the conduit assembly can include a collet and a collet nut for securing a removable tip holder in place. Such embodiments are disclosed in (Patent Document 1) (incorporated herein by reference) filed on October 11, 2024. In certain embodiments, the conduit assembly can be configured for "hot wire" welding in which the welding wire is heated until it is substantially melted. In such embodiments, the contact tip can transmit a heating current to the welding wire, and such heating current can be provided by a wire feeder via a wire feeder connector.

[0023] The welding wire contemplated herein can be a solid wire or wire such as a metal core wire or a flux-cored wire. The welding wire can have a circular cross-sectional shape or can have other non-circular cross-sectional shapes such as flat or strip-shaped. A strip-shaped welding wire can be useful in hardfacing and / or cladding operations to increase the deposition rate. In certain embodiments, the contact tip and / or the conduit assembly of a laser welding gun can be configured to handle or direct a strip-shaped welding wire having a non-circular cross-sectional shape toward the nozzle of the torch.

[0024] It is clear that the present disclosure is by way of example and that various changes can be made by adding, changing, or deleting details without departing from the fair scope of the teachings contained herein. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the specific details of the present disclosure except as necessarily limited by the following claims.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0025] 100 Nozzle 101 Conduit Assembly 102 Welding Gun 104 Condensing Tube 106 Mounting Support 108 Contact Tip 110 Screw 112 Clip 114 Flexible tube 116 Connector 117 Wire feeder 118 clips 120 Wire Feeder Connectors 122 Bushing 124 Chip holder receiver 126 Chip holder 128 Set screws 129 Radial bore 130 The first loop 132 The Second Loop 134 Threaded radial bore 136 indentation

Claims

1. It is a laser welding gun, A light-gathering tube and A nozzle extending from the aforementioned light-gathering tube, A mounting support that can be positioned in an adjustable manner along the length of the light-gathering tube, A conduit assembly extending from a wire feeder and attached to the light-gathering tube by a mounting support, comprising a conduit assembly including a removable tip holder fixed to the mounting support, The mounting support provides angle adjustment between the conduit assembly and the light-gathering tube, and the orientation of the mounting support is rotatably adjustable around the light-gathering tube. Laser welding gun.

2. The laser welding gun according to claim 1, wherein the conduit assembly further comprises a contact tip attached to the removable tip holder, the contact tip being attachable to the removable tip holder by rotation of the contact tip less than 360 degrees.

3. The laser welding gun according to claim 1, wherein the conduit assembly further comprises a flexible tube and a tip holder receiver attached to the flexible tube, and when the removable tip holder is fixed to the mounting support, a portion of the removable tip holder extends into the central opening of the tip holder receiver.

4. The laser welding gun according to claim 3, wherein the conduit assembly further comprises a contact tip attached to the removable tip holder, the removable tip holder being rotatably adjustable within the mounting support and the tip holder receiver.

5. The laser welding gun according to claim 3, wherein the tip holder receiver and the mounting support each have aligned radial bores for receiving mounting screws.

6. The laser welding gun according to claim 3, wherein the mounting support includes a first loop for receiving the light-gathering tube and a second loop for receiving the tip holder receiver.

7. The laser welding gun according to claim 6, wherein the angle between the first loop and the second loop is adjustable to provide adjustment of the angle between the conduit assembly and the light-gathering tube.

8. It is a laser welding gun, A light-gathering tube and A nozzle extending from the aforementioned light-gathering tube, A mounting support that can be positioned in an adjustable manner along the length of the light-gathering tube, The conduit assembly extends from the wire feeder and is attached to the light-gathering tube by the mounting support, and the conduit assembly is A removable tip holder, Including a chip holder receiver, the removable chip holder and the chip holder receiver are attached to the mounting support. The mounting support provides angle adjustment between the conduit assembly and the light-gathering tube, and the orientation of the mounting support is rotatably adjustable around the light-gathering tube. Laser welding gun.

9. The laser welding gun according to claim 8, wherein the conduit assembly further comprises a contact tip attached to the removable tip holder, the contact tip being attachable to the removable tip holder by rotation of the contact tip less than 360 degrees.

10. The laser welding gun according to claim 8, wherein a portion of the removable tip holder extends into the central opening of the tip holder receiver.

11. The laser welding gun according to claim 10, wherein the conduit assembly further comprises a contact tip attached to the removable tip holder, the removable tip holder being rotatably adjustable within the mounting support and the tip holder receiver.

12. The laser welding gun according to claim 10, wherein the tip holder receiver and the mounting support each have aligned radial bores for receiving mounting screws.

13. The laser welding gun according to claim 10, wherein the mounting support includes a first loop for receiving the light-gathering tube and a second loop for receiving the tip holder receiver.

14. The laser welding gun according to claim 13, wherein the angle between the first loop and the second loop is adjustable to provide adjustment of the angle between the conduit assembly and the focusing tube.

15. It is a laser welding gun, A light-gathering tube and A nozzle extending from the aforementioned light-gathering tube, A mounting support that can be positioned in an adjustable manner along the length of the light-gathering tube, The conduit assembly extends from the wire feeder and is attached to the light-gathering tube by the mounting support, and the conduit assembly is A removable chip holder attached to the aforementioned mounting support, A contact tip attached to the aforementioned removable tip holder, The removable tip holder includes a tip holder receiver having a central opening, which is attached to the mounting support, and when the removable tip holder is attached to the mounting support, a portion of the removable tip holder extends into the central opening of the tip holder receiver, and the removable tip holder is rotatably adjustable within the mounting support and the tip holder receiver. The mounting support provides both adjustment of the mounting position of the conduit assembly along the length of the light-gathering tube and rotational adjustment of the orientation of the mounting support around the light-gathering tube. Laser welding gun.

16. The laser welding gun according to claim 15, wherein the conduit assembly further comprises a contact tip attached to the removable tip holder, the contact tip being attachable to the removable tip holder by rotation of the contact tip less than 360 degrees.

17. The laser welding gun according to claim 15, wherein the tip holder receiver and the mounting support each have aligned radial bores for receiving mounting screws.

18. The laser welding gun according to claim 15, wherein the mounting support includes a first loop for receiving the light-gathering tube and a second loop for receiving the tip holder receiver.

19. The laser welding gun according to claim 18, wherein the angle between the first loop and the second loop is adjustable.

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