Welding Current Source

Abstract

To provide a possibility that collisions with welding current cables can be avoided as much as possible.SOLUTION: A welding current source (1) comprises two electrode contact devices (6) disposed on a housing (4) of the welding current source. Therein, each of the electrode contact devices protrudes out of the housing (4) along a longitudinal axis of each electrode contact device and is provided with connecting means for receiving a welding current cable (3). At least one of the two electrode contact devices (6) is located completely within a projection surface of the housing (4) on a plane, in which a mounting foundation of the welding current source (1) is located, and the projection takes place along an axis extending perpendicularly to the mounting foundation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an arc welding current source for supplying current and voltage to an arc welding torch for performing an arc welding method, the arc welding current source having a housing, the housing having a current transformer for processing the current supplied into the welding current source for compatibility with the arc welding method, and two electrode contact devices further provided on the housing of the arc welding current source, each of the electrode contact devices protruding from the housing along a different longitudinal axis, and each of the electrode contact devices having connection means for receiving a welding current cable. [Background technology]

[0002] There are many different welding methods. The present invention is particularly important for various methods of arc welding. These arc welding methods are based on the generation of heat by an electric arc between a welding electrode and a workpiece to be welded. This heat generation allows the material to be locally melted. In almost all arc welding methods, a protective gas is supplied to the area of ​​the arc to, on the one hand, create an ionized atmosphere that reduces the resistance between the welding electrode and the workpiece, and, on the other hand, prevent oxidation of the welding electrode and the workpiece. Instead of the inert gas provided as the protective gas here, an active gas or gas mixture that contributes to the reaction can also be supplied. Similarly, the electrode can be designed so that an external gas supply is not required, since the necessary substances are incorporated into the electrode and released when the electrode melts.

[0003] Arc welding torches are typically designed to allow a user or robot to guide a metallic welding wire, also referred to as filler metal, into a designated joint in a target metal piece. The welding wire passes through the welding torch and is transferred to the target metal piece through an opening in a contact tip located at the end of the welding torch.

[0004] When a voltage is applied to the inner tube of the welding torch and the welding wire contacts the target metal piece, a large current flows from the inner tube of the welding torch through the so-called tip adapter, through the contact tip, through the welding wire, and possibly through the arc, to the target metal piece and then to ground. The large current and arc cause the welding wire to melt in the protective gas atmosphere, causing the wire to drip and resulting in the formation of an arc.

[0005] The arc melts the metal of the target piece and the continuously supplied welding wire, causing the resulting droplets of welding wire to drop or to short-circuit to the point of liquefaction of the target piece, which then join together.

[0006] Each arc welding system and / or arc welding circuit is provided with a welding current source for providing the necessary current and voltage. The welding torch of the arc welding system must be electrically connected to the welding current source to supply current and voltage to the respective arc welding point. This connection is usually made using a welding current cable, one for each of the two electrodes of a given welding current source. In addition to the connection to the welding torch and the connection to the workpiece, each welding current cable must also be connected to the welding current source. If a welding medium, such as a protective gas and / or welding wire, is to be supplied to the process point in a given welding method, this supply can also be performed by one of the two welding current cables, in particular by a coaxial welding current cable with a central passage for the welding medium. The present invention relates to welding current cables both in the absence of an integrated medium supply member and in the presence of such a member.

[0007] Welding current sources have two electrode contact devices for contacting the welding current source with the welding current cable. The electrode contact devices, as specified and described in the DIN EN 60974-12 standard, are widely used. The electrode contact devices are essentially contact pins protruding from the housing of a given welding current source and having a groove on their periphery, into which a pin of a plug of the welding current cable fits. After the pin is inserted into the groove, the connection between the contact pin and the plug is established by a rotational movement of the plug and the associated movement of the pin within the groove. A drawback of such previously known solutions is that the electrode contact elements protrude from and even extend beyond the housing of these welding current sources. As a result, the welding current cable connected to the electrode contact elements also protrudes from the welding current source. These protruding cables are often cumbersome and increase the space required for the welding current source. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The invention is therefore based on the object of creating the possibility of avoiding interference with welding current cables connected to welding current sources of the type mentioned at the outset.

[0009] This object is achieved by the present invention in a welding current source of the type mentioned at the beginning, in which at least one of the two electrode contact devices is located entirely within the projection of the housing relative to the plane on which the mounting base of the welding current source is located, the projection being performed along an axis extending perpendicular to the mounting base. The present invention provides that at least one electrode contact device, and preferably both electrode contact devices, of a welding current source according to the present invention are arranged entirely within the projection of the welding current source. Thus, according to the present invention, at least one electrode contact device must not protrude beyond the outer contour defined by the housing. This not only reduces the protrusion of the welding cable with its connecting element beyond the housing and, optionally, beyond its single- or multi-piece connecting element, thereby reducing the risk of damage, but also simultaneously reduces the installation area, or so-called footprint, of the welding current source in an industrial environment, such as a production hall. It is common to install multiple welding production cells in a production hall, especially in industrial environments where automatic arc welding machines are used. Each such welding production cell can have at least one welding current source. Thus, multiple welding current sources designed in accordance with the present invention can reduce the space requirements of a manufacturing system, thereby creating the possibility of installing additional welding production cells within a manufacturing hall. Better utilization of the manufacturing hall means reduced manufacturing costs.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, both electrode contact devices of the welding current source can be located entirely within the projection surface of the housing in the mounting base of the welding current source, so that the advantages according to the invention of reduced space requirements and reduced risk of interference with the welding current cable can be achieved to a particular extent with particular results.

[0011] Similarly preferred embodiments of the present invention can be characterized by the orientation of the longitudinal axis of at least one of the electrode contact devices, which longitudinal axis forms an angle in the range of 0° to 45° with a vertical line intersecting the installation base. Furthermore, at least one of the electrode contact devices can advantageously be provided with connection means for forming and fixing a detachable connection of the electrode contact device to the current cable, which is performed by means of a rotational movement of the connection means about the longitudinal axis of the electrode contact device, the longitudinal axis emerging from the housing of the welding current source in such a way that the longitudinal axis is oriented starting from the housing in the direction of the surface of the installation base. In preferred embodiments of the present invention designed according to these features, each electrode contact device has a longitudinal axis orientation in which at least one component of the spatial profile of the longitudinal axis is oriented perpendicular to the installation base of the housing. If the longitudinal axis of each electrode contact device extends obliquely to the direction of the installation area, or, particularly preferably, perpendicularly to the installation area, not only can the space requirements for the welding current source and the welding current cable connected thereto be kept as small as possible, but ergonomic handling characteristics can also be achieved with regard to the installation and removal of the welding current cable. In addition, the arrangement of the welding current cable in the area of ​​the welding current source can be kept as close as possible to the welding current source, thereby reducing the risk of interference with the electrode contact devices and the welding current cable connected thereto. In particular, in a particularly preferred development of the invention, the longitudinal axis of at least one electrode contact device, and preferably both electrode contact devices, is oriented perpendicular to the contact surface, and the above-mentioned advantages are particularly pronounced.

[0012] One welding current cable is connected to at least one electrode contact device, preferably one for each of two electrode contact devices, by means of a corresponding welding current cable contact connection device. Each contact connection device is designed in an appropriate manner to form a detachable mechanical connection and electrical contact between the welding current cable and the electrode contact device. The electrode contact devices, in particular the electrical contact device, are designed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention such that the welding current cable connected thereto is also located within the footprint of the housing, and furthermore, such that the welding current cable protrudes beyond the footprint of the housing only at predefined points spaced apart from the electrode contact device and the contact connection device. Therefore, in particular, each contact connection device of the welding current cable is also to be located within the (vertical) projection of the housing onto the installation base of the welding current source and therefore must not protrude beyond the housing.

[0013] To allow good accessibility of the welding current cable connection to at least one electrode contact device according to the invention, in a further preferred embodiment according to the invention, the housing has at least one lower part and at least one upper part, the upper part being located at a greater distance from the surface of the installation base than the lower part of the housing, and the upper part protruding beyond the lower part. In this case, at least one of the electrode contact devices can be located on the lower surface of the upper part of the housing at a distance from the installation base. As a result, each electrode contact device and the corresponding welding current cable connected thereto are easily accessible and are still protected by the housing.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper part of the housing can protrude and / or project on two sides thereof beyond the lower part of the housing arranged below it. This provides the advantageous possibility of arranging two electrode contact devices, one on each of the two protruding sides of the upper part of the housing, in particular on its underside. This reduces the possibility of confusing the two electrode contact devices when the welding current cable is connected in a particularly simple manner, since the two electrode contact devices are spaced apart from each other by a relatively large distance and are also spatially separated from each other by the lower part of the housing.

[0015] The advantages achievable by the present invention can be further enhanced by a preferred development in which at least one cable guide is arranged on the housing with respect to at least one welding current cable. In particular, the use of such a cable guide can guide at least one welding current cable as far as possible within the installation area to a specific point where the welding current cable exits the installation area. In this case, it is particularly advantageous for the cable guide to be arranged on the housing and oriented in such a way that the welding current cable can be guided by the cable guide to the rear surface of the housing. Because welding current sources are usually operated from the front, guiding the at least one welding current cable to the rear surface of the housing can particularly reliably prevent an operator from interfering with the welding current cable. The same applies to a cable guide that can guide the at least one welding current cable to the underside of the welding current source, especially when the welding current source is suspended at a distance from the installation surface.

[0016] Further preferred embodiments of the invention result from the claims, the description and the figures in the drawing.

[0017] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown purely diagrammatically in the figures. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a welding current source for an arc welding method, the welding current source having a welding current cable connected to two electrode contact devices of the welding current source. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the electrode contact device of the welding current source. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the electrode contact device according to FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the contact connection device of the welding current cable. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the contact connection device of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a contact connection device with an integrated supply device for protective gas. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a welding current cable designed as an extension cable in a cross-sectional view, a side view and a perspective view, the ends of which are provided with a socket connection and a plug connection, respectively. [Figure 8] Figure 8a shows in cross section the end of a welding current cable and part of an electrode contact device fitted to this welding current cable, and Figure 8b shows in cross section the end of a further welding current cable and part of an electrode contact device fitted to this welding current cable. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows part of a mounting member for the housing of the welding current source. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows the welding current source of FIG. 1 in a side view. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows the welding current source of FIGS. 1 and 10 in a side view. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows a front view of the welding current source of FIG. 1 with modified cabling. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows the welding current source of FIG. 12 in a side view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] 1 shows a welding current source 1 that provides current and voltage for performing an arc welding method with an arc welding torch (not shown in detail). Additionally, the welding current source 1 includes a control device with an operation panel 2, by means of which the parameters of each arc welding method to be performed can be set and the welding method can be controlled. In this case, the welding current source 1 can be used, for example, to perform MIG / MAG welding, as well as TIG welding, plasma welding, electrode welding, and all other arc welding methods or high-current applications. In further possible embodiments of the invention, other arc welding and cutting processes can also be performed. The preferred embodiments of the welding current cable 3 and its connection to the welding current source 1 described below can also be used in this case.

[0020] Two electrode contact devices 5, 6 protrude from the housing 4 of the welding current source 1. Each electrode contact device is provided for connecting one welding current cable 3 and is covered by a union nut 10 of the welding current cable 3 in FIG. 1 . Each electrode contact element of the electrode contact devices 5, 6 is designed in the form of a substantially cylindrical contact pin 7. Each of these contact pins 7 is arranged in a central recess in the housing part 8 of the corresponding electrode contact device 5, 6 ( FIG. 3 ). A contact surface is formed on an end face 7a of each electrode contact element, in this case, on the contact pin 7. In particular, the side face 7b and, optionally, the end face 7a of the contact pin 7 can be configured for conductive contact with one or more contact elements on the welding current cable, for example, for conductive contact with contact blades not shown in detail. Because the contact pin 7 is made entirely of a conductive material, in particular, entirely of copper or a copper alloy, the contact pin can be made into a conductive contact on its entire outer surface and / or on its entire circumferential surface. The housing part 8 is formed with sections of different diameters, with section 8a having the largest diameter approximately centrally located relative to the longitudinal axis of the housing part 8. In the direction towards the housing of the welding current source, another section 8b follows, which has a smaller diameter than the first section 8a. A third section 8c is provided on which a union nut 10 (FIG. 4) on the power cable is entirely placed. A rear housing section 11, in the form of a cap in this exemplary embodiment, is arranged on the second section 8b. The contact pin 7 is removably fixed on the housing part 8 to the rear housing section 11 and to a fixing means 12.

[0021] The end face 7a is formed on an end of the contact pin 7 that has a smaller diameter than the leading portion, which thus serves as a stop for positioning the contact pin 7 within the housing part 8.

[0022] The housing part 8 has, on the outer circumferential surface of the third part 8c, two identical groove-shaped recesses 14, which are arranged at 180° angles to each other on the outer periphery, have at least approximately constant depth and width, and extend along part of the outer periphery defined by part 8c. The groove-shaped recesses 14 open on an end face 15 of the housing part and initially extend approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing part 8. In their further course, each groove 14 extends with a circumferential component towards the part 8a with the largest diameter, and then again approaches the end face 15 of the housing part 8, also with a circumferential component. In a preferred embodiment, the part of the groove 14 that also extends in the circumferential direction has an approximately V-shape, with the two legs of the approximately V-shape having at least approximately the same length component in the axial direction and different lengths in the radial direction.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, the welding current cable 3 is provided with a contact connection device 17 on its end, which is not insulated for a short distance from the end near the welding current source. A wire end sleeve 18 of the contact connection device 17 is pressed onto the strands of the uninsulated cable 3. The wire end sleeve 18 is surrounded by a contact socket 19, which serves as contact means for the welding current cable. The wire end sleeve 18 is located in a blind hole 19a on the end face of the contact socket 19. The contact socket 19 also has a blind hole 19b on its other end face, i.e., the end face facing the current source. The end of this blind hole 19b closest to the end face has a central pin 20 for centering the contact pin 7 that will be placed in the blind hole.

[0024] On its at least substantially cylindrical outer surface, the contact socket 19 has two blind hole recesses 21 (FIG. 5) located between the two blind holes 19a, 19b in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the contact socket 19 has a shoulder 22 on its outer surface, again viewed longitudinally, located between the blind hole recesses 21 and the end of the contact socket closest to the current source. The contact socket 19 is clamped to the uninsulated welding current cable 3 together with the wire end sleeve 18 by means of two set screws 23.

[0025] A non-conductive insulating sleeve 25 is pressed onto the metallic contact socket 19, preferably made of copper or a copper alloy. In its final position on the contact socket 19, one end of the insulating sleeve 25 is located immediately before the blind hole recess 21 of the contact socket 19, and the other end is located at the end of the contact socket 19 closest to the current source. The inner wall defining the recess of the insulating sleeve 25 is also provided with a shoulder 26 corresponding to the shoulder 22 on the outer surface of the contact socket 19, so that insertion of the contact socket 19 into the insulating sleeve 25 is limited by the shoulder 26 of the insulating sleeve 25. The insulating sleeve 25 abuts against the outer surface of the contact socket 19 both in the region of the shoulder 22 and on both sides of the shoulder 22 in the longitudinal direction. On its outer surface, the insulating sleeve 25 is provided with an annular flange 27 arranged at a distance from the end of the welding cable.

[0026] For handling the welding current cable 3, a gripping sleeve 29 is provided as part of the handling device. The gripping sleeve 29 is clamped onto the contact socket 19 and onto the welding current cable 3. The gripping sleeve 29 surrounds part of the contact socket 19 and the end of the welding current cable 3. The gripping sleeve 29 has two gripping shells 29a, 29b that are connected to each other by a click connection. For this purpose, the two gripping shells 29a, 29b are provided with a number of latch hooks 30 and a number of recesses 31. Each latch hook 30 is integrally connected to one of the gripping shells 29a, 29b and is provided for engaging and latching into the corresponding recess. In the region of one end of the gripping sleeve, the gripping sleeve has on its inner circumferential surface an annular groove into which a sealing ring 32 is inserted. The inner surface of the sealing ring 32 abuts against the outer protective insulating sleeve (sheath) 3a of the welding current cable 3.

[0027] At the end face of the other end, the gripping sleeve 29 is provided on its inner surface with a recess 35 in the inner wall. The boundary surface of the gripping sleeve 29, which rests on the end region of the outer surface of the insulating sleeve 25, overlaps with a shoulder 10a on the outer surface of the union nut 10, which is located in the end region of the union nut 10 on the side of the welding current cable and has a smaller diameter than the side of the remainder of the substantially hollow cylindrical union nut 10. As can be seen in particular from Figure 4, the union nut 10 has two identical cams 36 offset by 180° on its otherwise smooth inner surface, the size of which is adapted to the height and width of the groove 14 of the housing part 8 so that the cams 36 can be placed in the groove 14 and move as smoothly as possible. The cam 36 is located on the inner surface 10b of the union nut a short distance from the end of the union nut 10 on the end face closest to the welding current source. The union nut 10 has a shoulder on its inner surface in the region of the end of the welding current cable towards a first reduced diameter region which merges into a second region of even smaller diameter.

[0028] As can be seen particularly in Figure 5, a spring element 39 abuts against an inner annular end surface 38 formed by the reduced diameter, and one end of the spring element 39 is supported on this inner end surface 38. When the union nut 10 is pressed onto the insulating sleeve 25, the other end of the spring element 39 abuts against the flange 27 of the insulating sleeve 25. Although the insulating sleeve 25 is axially fixed onto the contact socket 19, the union nut 10 can move axially back and forth against the spring force of the spring element 39 located between the gripping sleeve 29 and the flange 27 of the insulating sleeve 25, so that the spring element 39 can be compressed by the axial movement of the union nut 10. Similarly, the spring force of the compressed spring element 39 allows the union nut 10 to move axially toward the gripping sleeve, thereby ensuring a tight fit within the bayonet in the locked position.

[0029] When connecting the welding current cable 3 to the welding current source 1 or to another welding current source, the welding current cable 3 can be manually handled on the gripping sleeve 29. For this purpose, the contact socket 19 protruding from the union nut 10 is to be connected to the contact pin 7 of one of the electrode contact devices 5, 6 of the welding current source 1. The contact socket 19 is then guided onto the contact pin 7 using the blind hole 19b. The union nut 10, which is rotatable about its longitudinal axis, can now manually align the cam 36 so that it is axially located in front of the end face of the housing part 8 and rotationally located at the entrance to the groove 14. The cam 36 can then be inserted into the groove 14 by a movement parallel to the longitudinal axis, which places the spring element 39 in a compressed state. Each cam 36 can then be guided along its further path of movement in its corresponding groove 14. After moving through the segment of the corresponding groove 14 that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, the cam 36 is guided into the approximately V-shaped segment of the groove 14, where it performs a movement having a circumferential component and a component parallel to the longitudinal axis. The union nut 10 then moves circumferentially and simultaneously performs a first further lifting movement against the spring force of the spring element 39. After the cam 36 reaches the apex of the V-shape, the spring element is slightly released during the rotational movement and simultaneously during a slight lifting movement parallel to the longitudinal axis in the opposite direction to the direction away from the gripping sleeve 29. A bayonet connection is then formed between the union nut 10 of the welding current cable 3 and the housing part 8 of the welding current source 1. The segment of the V-shape that is first traversed by the corresponding cam 36, i.e., the segment parallel to the axis of the groove and the segment extending between the apex of the V-shape, has approximately the same length, at least in the longitudinal direction, but has a smaller slope than the second segment of the V-shape.As a result, less force is required to move the cam 36 into its latched position than to move the cam 36 out of its latched position. This design allows for added security against unintentional loosening of the bayonet connection.

[0030] This connection between the welding current cable 3 and one of the electrode contact devices 5, 6 of the welding current source 1 can now only be released by applying a force against the compressed spring member 39 and at the same time a force which causes a reverse rotational movement in the circumferential direction of the housing part 8.

[0031] A further preferred exemplary embodiment of the welding current cable 3 according to the invention is shown in Fig. 6. In this embodiment, a medium supply element 42 for a protective gas, such as argon, CO2, or a gas mixture, is integrated into the welding current cable 3 immediately after the bayonet connection, behind the union nut 10 and behind the blind hole recess 21 of the gripping sleeve 29, and feeds into the central recess 46 of the welding current cable. Apart from this, the welding current cable of Fig. 6 corresponds to the welding current cable shown and described in Figs. 2 to 5, and in particular to the bayonet connection generated between the welding current cable and the welding current source together with the welding current source. Therefore, only the differences from the embodiment according to Figs. 2 to 5 will be described below.

[0032] The shells 29a, 29b of the two-part gripping sleeve 29 have a passage 43 penetrating their walls, to which an external supply line 44 is connected. This passage 43 leads through the gripping sleeve 29 into a blind hole 45 in the contact socket 19. The blind hole 45 then leads to a central recess 46 provided in the welding current cable 3 from the medium supply member to the other end. The welding current cable 3 also has conductive copper strands 47 arranged in the cable coaxially with the recess 46 and at one end inserted into and arranged in a corresponding recess in the contact socket 19. The copper strands 47 are then surrounded by an insulating sleeve and / or sheath 48 of the welding current cable, which is also arranged coaxially. By using this welding current cable 3, the current and voltage of the welding current source can be transmitted to the welding torch or to a device in the welding circuit via the contact socket 19, and protective gas can be supplied to the welding torch. The detachable connection between the welding current source and the welding current cable can be made using the same bayonet connection as in the exemplary embodiment in Figures 2 to 5, with the components on the welding current cable, in particular the union nut 10 and its cam 36, being decoupled from the welding current cable 3 itself in terms of rotational movement and load. As a result, the welding current cable 3 is also decoupled from the rotational movement of the union nut 10. In this regard, reference can be made to the corresponding illustrations and explanations in relation to Figures 1 to 5.

[0033] A further preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 7 . This is a welding current cable designed as an extension cable 50. Such an extension cable 50 can be provided, for example, to extend a welding current cable, such as the welding current cable shown in FIG. 4 . The application of such an extension cable 50 can be, for example, when the welding current cable of FIG. 4 is too short to connect a welding current source to a welding circuit component. In this case, the extension cable 50 can be used to bridge a greater distance between the electrode contact device 5, 6 and a welding circuit component, such as an arc welding torch. For this purpose, the extension cable 50 has at one end a plug connection member 51 whose geometry and shape correspond to the plug portion of the electrode contact device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . The plug connection member 51 substantially corresponds to the housing portion 8 and the contact pins 7 of the electrode contact device of FIGS. 2 and 3 . At its end, and in the region of the plug connection element 51, the extension cable 50 is also provided with a gripping sleeve 52 which has two gripping shells connected to one another and which has a design similar to that of the gripping sleeve 29 of Figures 4 and 5. The gripping sleeve 52, which is clamped onto the sheath of the welding current cable, grips the housing part 53 of the plug connection element 51 on its end face and fixes it on the sheath of the extension cable 50 in such a way that it cannot rotate relative to the sheath.

[0034] The contact pin 107 of the plug connection element 51 has, on its cable-side end face, a recess 54 in which the uninsulated end of the cable is placed and clamped against the contact pin 107 by means of a wire end sleeve and a screw. The other end of the contact pin 107 projects into the housing part 53 in such a way that the housing part 53 concentrically surrounds the contact pin 107. This end of the contact pin 107 is slightly recessed compared to the end face 58 of the housing part 53.

[0035] At the other end, the extension cable 50 is provided with a socket connection element 60 corresponding to the socket connection element of the welding current cable of FIGS. 4 and 5. In particular, the union nut 110, the gripping sleeve 129 and the contact socket 119 used here are the same as the corresponding components in the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 4 and 5. In this case too, the union nut 110 is rotatable relative to the sheath of the extension cable 50. As can be seen from FIG. 7, just as in the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 4 and 5, the contact socket 119 protrudes beyond the end face of the union nut 110 of the plug connection element. In the region of its end face protruding beyond the union nut, the contact socket 119 has a blind hole 119a on its end face in which the pin 120 is formed.

[0036] 8a and 8b show the end regions of two welding current cables 65, 66, each provided with a socket connection element 67, 68. The socket connection element 67 in FIG. 8a corresponds exactly to the socket connection element in FIGS. 4 and 5. On the other hand, the socket connection element 68 in FIG. 8b differs in terms of the geometric shape of the end face of the blind hole 69 of the contact socket 71. Unlike the contact socket 70 in FIG. 8a, the cylindrical pin 73 in the case of the contact socket 71 has a greater axial length and a smaller diameter compared to the pin 20 in FIG. 5 and compared to the pin in FIG. 8a. In both embodiments of FIGS. 8a and 8b, the respective union nut can be rotated infinitely relative to the sheath of the welding current cable.

[0037] Each of the two contact sockets 70, 71 is assigned a plug connection member 77, 78, and the corresponding contact pins 79, 80 of each plug connection member are designed to fit into the associated contact socket 70, 71. In particular, the recesses 79a, 80a formed on the free end faces of each contact pin 79, 80 are adapted in length and diameter to the geometric shape of the corresponding pins 72, 73. As a result, each of the two socket connection members 67, 68 can only be inserted into the corresponding plug connection member 77, 78 in a position where it can insert the cam of the corresponding union nut into the groove of the housing part and drive it into the corresponding latched position. These socket / plug connection members are thus coded, which makes it impossible to confuse the plug connection members with corresponding socket connection members of other types. If each of the two electrode contact devices is provided with one of the two, i.e. with one of the different socket connection members, it is possible to avoid reversing the ground current cable and the welding current cable for the positive electrode of the welding current source when connecting to the corresponding electrode contact device 5, 6.

[0038] As can be seen in particular from FIG. 1 , the upper housing portion 4a of the housing 4 protrudes from both sides of the housing relative to the narrow front portion 130 of the T-shape of the lower housing portion 4b. With respect to the wider rear portion 131 of the T-shape of the lower housing portion 4b, the upper housing portion 4a has a width that corresponds at least approximately to the width of the wider rear portion 131 of the lower housing portion 4b. In this configuration, areas of the upper housing portion 4a on both sides of the housing 4 are freely accessible, while the undersides 132 of the protruding portions of the upper housing portion are covered by housing covers, in this case housing plates 133 and 134. These two areas of the underside 132 of the upper housing portion 4a are rectangular in shape in the exemplary embodiment and are freely accessible from the front and one side of the housing 4. These two areas of the underside 132 of the upper housing portion 4a are separated from each other by the narrow portion of the T-shape of the lower housing portion. One of the two electrode contact devices 5, 6 is in each case arranged on one of two areas of the underside 132 of the upper housing part 4a, so that only one of the electrode contact devices 5, 6 can be arranged on either of these two areas. The two electrode contact devices 5, 6 therefore protrude from the housing 4 of the preferred welding current source according to the invention above the underside 132 of the upper housing part 4a.

[0039] On the underside of the housing 4, the housing 4 is provided with a mounting member 138, which is made up of multiple components, in particular two components. In the exemplary embodiment, the two components 139 of the mounting member 138, one of which is shown in FIG. 9, are identical to each other. Each of the two components 139 of the mounting member 138 is connected to one of the two side surfaces of the housing 4 and fixed thereto. The mounting member 138 is provided with four leg members 140, each of which is located at a corner of the rectangular base shape of the mounting member 138. Each of the four leg members 140 has a flat mounting surface 141 ( FIG. 1 ) as its underside, which allows the corresponding leg member 140 to stand on an appropriate mounting surface, such as the floor of a production hall. All of the mounting surfaces 141 are located in the same two-dimensional plane, in particular within a mounting base / mounting area. The mounting base is the same as the surface of a substantially flat mounting surface on which the welding current source is intended to be installed. The so-called footprint of the welding current source is also located within the mounting base. The footprint is the projection of the welding current source 1 onto the mounting base in a perpendicular orientation to the mounting base. The size of the footprint therefore results from the outer contour of the welding current source in a plan view of the welding current source 1.

[0040] In the illustrated preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the two regions of the lower surface 132 of the upper housing part are oriented at least substantially parallel to the mounting surface 141 and to the mounting base. In addition, the two regions of the lower surface 132 of the upper housing part are at a relatively large distance from the mounting surface 141, which is due to the height of the lower housing part 4b and the mounting member 138. In this way, the electrode contact devices 5, 6 are easily accessible despite being located in two regions of the lower surface of the upper housing part.

[0041] Each of the electrode contact elements of the electrode contact devices 5, 6 is designed in the form of a substantially cylindrical contact pin 7. The longitudinal axis of each contact pin is oriented substantially perpendicular to the plane of the lower surface 132 and to the mounting base on which the upper surface is mounted. The longitudinal axes of the contact pins 7 of the two electrode contact devices 5, 6 therefore extend parallel to each other. The welding current source according to the present invention may preferably further comprise a device for guiding at least one welding current cable. The welding current source 1 is preferably provided with a cable guide device that provides at least one individual cable guide means 145 for each of the two welding current cables 3. By using the cable guide means 145, the welding current cables 3 can be guided in a predetermined manner on the housing of the welding current source 1 so that each welding current cable 3 emerges from the contour of the housing 4 at a predetermined point. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 13, a channel-shaped cable guide means 145 is arranged on each end face of the welding current source 4 on the mounting member 138. The channel-shaped cable guide means 145 is located on the installation member 139 between the two leg members 140 and is open on its two end faces so that the welding current cable can pass through. Similarly, both channel-shaped cable guide means 145 are provided with a slot on the side that extends over the entire length of the cable guide means 145 and allows the welding current cable 3 to be inserted from the side into the channel-shaped cable guide means 145. As can be seen particularly from the front view in FIG. 10 , the two channel-shaped cable guide means 145 are arranged inside the contour of the welding current source 1. Thus, the welding current cables 5, 6 from each electrode contact device 5 extend within a footprint that extends from the corresponding electrode contact device 5, 6 to the rear surface of the welding current source, relative to the projection onto the installation base, and only emerge from the footprint at the rear surface of the welding current source in a predetermined manner. The cable guide means 145 can be designed in the manner of a handle recess both inside and outside thereof, so that the welding current source can be transported by gripping the cable guide means 145 .

[0042] As shown in Figure 11, each channel-shaped cable guide means 145 is arranged at a distance from the front leg member 140 of the same installation member 139. This open area between the cable guide means 145 and the front leg member can be used as another cable guide means, as shown in Figures 12 and 13. By using these cable guide means, each of the two welding current cables can be guided within the contour of the welding current source to the surface of the installation base of the leg member and can be pulled out from there and / or outside the contour of the welding current source. Such a solution can be particularly important in applications where the welding current source is arranged in a hanging position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Welding current source 2. Control Panel 3 Welding current cable 3a Protective insulating sleeve 4. Housing 4a Upper part 4b Lower part 5 Electrode Contact Device 6 Electrode Contact Device 7 contact pins 7a End face 7b side 8 Housing part 8a Part 1 8b Part 2 8c 3rd part 10 union nut 10a Shoulder 10b Inner surface 11 Rear housing part 12 Fixing means 14 Groove-shaped recess 15 End face 17 Contact connection device 18 Wire End Sleeve 19 Contact socket 19a blind hole 19b blind hole 20-pin 21 Blind hole recess 22 Shoulder 23 Set screw 25 Insulating sleeve 26 Shoulder 27 flange 29 Gripping sleeve 29a Grasping shell 29b Grasping shell 30 Latch Hook 31 Recess 32 Seal ring 33 35 Notch 36 Cam 37 End face 38 End face 39 Spring member 42 Medium supply member 43 Passage 44 Supply Line 45 blind hole 46 Central recess 47 Copper Strands 48 Insulating sleeve 50 extension cable 51 Plug connection member 52 gripping sleeve 53 Housing part 54 Recess 58 End face 60 Socket connection member 65 Welding current cable 66 Welding current cable 67 Socket connection member 68 Socket connection member 69 Blind Hole 70 Contact Socket 71 Contact socket 72 pins 73 pin 77 Plug connection parts 78 Plug connection parts 79 Contact pin 79a recess 80 contact pins 80a Recess 107 Contact pin 110 Union nut 119 Contact Socket 119 Blind Hole 120 pins 130 Narrow front section 131 Rear wide part 132 Bottom surface 133 Lower housing plate 134 Lower housing plate 138 Installation materials 139 Part of installation components 140 Leg members 141 Installation surface 145 Cable guide means

Claims

[Claim 1] 1. A welding current source for supplying current and voltage to an arc welding torch for performing an arc welding method, comprising: the arc welding current source is provided with a housing, the housing is provided with a current transformer for processing the current and voltage supplied into the welding current source for compatibility with an arc welding method, the welding current source is further provided with two electrode contact devices on the housing, each of the electrode contact devices protruding from the housing along a longitudinal axis, and each of the electrode contact devices is provided with connection means for receiving a welding current cable; both of the two electrode contact devices are located entirely within a projection plane of the housing relative to a plane on which an installation base of the welding current source is located, the projection plane being obtained by projection along an axis extending perpendicular to the installation base; the housing has at least one lower portion and at least one upper portion, the upper portion being located at a greater distance from the surface of the installation base than the lower portion of the housing, and the upper portion protruding beyond the lower portion; the upper portion of the housing projects beyond the lower portion on two sides of the housing; one of the two electrode contact devices is disposed on a lower surface of an upper portion protruding beyond the lower portion on one of two side surfaces of the housing; A welding current source, characterized in that the other of the two electrode contact devices is arranged on the lower surface of an upper part protruding beyond the lower part on the other of the two side surfaces of the housing.

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