Welding wire correction device

Abstract

A welding wire correction device (11) is for correcting bending of a welding wire (1) by passing the welding wire (1) through a plurality of correction rollers (63, 65). The correction rollers (63, 65) are provided along the passing direction of the welding wire (1) so as to face each other at a prescribed interval across a passage (55) through which the welding wire (1) passes. The prescribed interval can be adjusted by at least one plate member (69).

Description

Welding wire straightening device

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a welding wire straightening device that includes multiple straightening rollers arranged upstream and downstream in the welding wire feeding direction and another straightening roller arranged between the multiple straightening rollers at a position facing the multiple straightening rollers, and straightens the welding wire by passing it between the multiple straightening rollers. The welding wire straightening device has at least one straightening roller rotatably supported on a straightening roller mounting seat so that the one straightening roller can be displaced via the straightening roller mounting seat in a direction toward or away from the welding wire fed between the straightening rollers. Furthermore, a straightening roller moving mechanism for displacing the one straightening roller via the straightening roller mounting seat in a direction toward or away from the welding wire is releasably engaged with a fixed frame so that the one straightening roller can be displaced in a direction away from the welding wire when the straightening roller moving mechanism is detached from the fixed frame.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a welding wire straightening device that includes two roll groups each composed of a plurality of straightening rolls and straightens the bending of the welding wire by passing the welding wire through the two roll groups. In the welding wire straightening device, the plurality of straightening rolls that make up the roll groups are arranged at a predetermined interval along the passing direction of the welding wire so as to face each other across a straightening path through which the welding wire passes, and the two roll groups are arranged at different positions in the opposing direction across the straightening path, and the straightening rolls are composed of small diameter rolls.

[0004] JP 2011-194419 A JP 2015-123489 A

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a welding wire straightening device that can more easily adjust the gap between straightening rollers.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a welding wire straightening device that straightens a bend in a welding wire by passing the welding wire between a plurality of straightening rollers, the plurality of straightening rollers being arranged along the passing direction of the welding wire so as to face each other at a predetermined interval across a passage through which the welding wire passes, and the predetermined interval being adjustable by at least one plate member.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the interval between the correction rollers can be adjusted more easily.

[0008] 4 is an exploded perspective view of the main part in a state where the upper support part and the lower support part are separated; 5 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the welding wire straightening device when one side of FIG. 6 is viewed from the front;

[0009] (Background to the present disclosure) When supplying welding wire to a torch, a welding wire straightening device preferably straightens the bending tendency of the welding wire to prevent deviation of the welding wire being fed toward the welding position and to ensure more stable contact between the power feed tip at the tip of the torch and the welding wire.

[0010] Therefore, there has conventionally been a welding wire straightening device that can straighten welding wire to a desired bending tendency by adjusting the gap between straightening rollers with a screw or the like to plastically deform the welding wire, even if the welding wires are made of different materials or have different diameters (see Patent Document 1). Also, as a method for straightening the bending tendency of welding wire using a welding wire straightening device, there is a method in which, when replacing the welding wire, the welding wire is removed and the gap between the straightening rollers is adjusted using a scale on an adjustment screw as a guide.

[0011] However, adjusting the gap between the straightening rollers using an adjustment screw is performed manually by an operator while visually checking the scale, making it difficult to make fine adjustments of 0.1 mm or less, resulting in a problem of variations in the gap between the straightening rollers. Adjusting the gap between the straightening rollers using an adjustment screw depends on the positional accuracy of the scale. Therefore, if the positional accuracy of the scale is low for each welding wire straightening device, the appropriate scale value will differ for each welding wire straightening device, resulting in a problem of variations in the gap between the straightening rollers even when the gap between the straightening rollers is adjusted under the same conditions.

[0012] There is also a welding wire straightening device that does not have a mechanism for adjusting the gap between the straightening rollers (see Patent Document 2). This type of welding wire straightening device eliminates variations in the welding wire bend due to manual adjustment errors by an operator and also eliminates changes in the gap between the straightening rollers due to loosening of adjustment screws, which occurs in conventional welding wire straightening devices, and therefore can stably form a consistent bend in the welding wire. However, with welding wire straightening devices, if the material, wire diameter, or desired welding wire bend changes, the gap between the straightening rollers to obtain the desired bend changes. This means that welding wire straightening devices manufactured for each welding wire material, wire diameter, or desired welding wire bend are required, which results in issues such as increased management man-hours.

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings as appropriate, an embodiment that specifically discloses the configuration and operation of a welding wire straightening device according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of already well-known matters or redundant description of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited in the claims.

[0014] In the following description of the welding wire straightening device 11, the direction in which the welding wire 15 passes through the welding wire straightening device 11 is defined as the horizontal direction, and the direction approximately perpendicular to the direction in which the welding wire 15 passes is defined as the height direction or up-down direction.

[0015] First, an overview of a welding robot 13 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a side view showing the appearance of a welding robot 13 equipped with a welding wire straightening device 11 according to this embodiment.

[0016] The welding robot 13 according to this embodiment pulls out the welding wire 15 from a wire pack 29, which is an example of a wire supply source, and feeds the welding wire 15 to the welding wire straightening device 11 through a first feeding path 31. The welding robot 13 straightens the welding wire 15 to a desired bend using the welding wire straightening device 11, and then feeds the welding wire 15 to the torch 17 through a second feeding path 33. The welding robot 13 supplies power to the welding wire 15 using the torch 17 and feeds the welding wire 15 toward a welding location (not shown), thereby welding the welding location (not shown).

[0017] The welding robot 13 includes a welding wire straightening device 11 , a torch 17 , a manipulator 19 , and a wire feeding motor 27 .

[0018] The welding robot 13 is a multi-axis robot, and each part constituting a manipulator 19 is configured to be drivable based on a different axis. The manipulator 19 is configured to include a base part (not shown) installed on a production line (not shown) or the like, a rotating part (not shown) attached to the upper part of the base part (not shown), an upper arm part 21 attached to the rotating part (not shown), a forearm part 23 attached to the upper arm part 21, and a wrist part 25 attached to the forearm part 23. Note that the manipulator 19 shown in FIG. 1 only shows the upper arm part 21, the forearm part 23, and the wrist part 25, and parts controlled by other axes are not shown.

[0019] The welding robot 13 adjusts the position of the torch 17 attached to the wrist 25 by the movement of the base (not shown), the rotating part (not shown), the upper arm 21, and the forearm 23, and controls the posture of the torch 17 by the movement of the wrist 25, thereby achieving arc welding of the welding point (not shown).

[0020] The welding wire straightening device 11 is attached to an exterior fixing base 35 fixed to the back of the forearm 23 of the welding robot 13, and is integrally formed with the forearm 23. The welding wire straightening device 11 straightens the bending tendency of the welding wire 15 fed through the first feeding path 31 to a desired bending tendency. The welding wire straightening device 11 supplies the straightened welding wire 15 to the torch 17 through the second feeding path 33.

[0021] The first feeding path 31 connects the wire pack 29 and the welding wire straightening device 11, and is configured using, for example, a flexible conduit, a guide tube through which the welding wire 15 can be inserted, or the like. The first feeding path 31 functions as a path through which the welding wire 15, which is drawn out from the wire pack 29 by the wire feeding motor 27, can be fed toward the welding wire straightening device 11.

[0022] The second feeding path 33 connects the welding wire straightening device 11 and the torch 17, and is configured using, for example, a flexible conduit, a guide tube through which the welding wire 15 can be inserted, or the like. The second feeding path 33 functions as a path through which the welding wire 15, which is drawn out from the welding wire straightening device 11 by the wire feeding motor 27, can be fed toward the torch 17.

[0023] Torch 17 is provided on wrist 25 of welding robot 13. Torch 17, welding wire 15 is fed by wire feeding motor 27 from welding wire straightening device 11 via second feeding path 33. Torch 17 feeds power to welding wire 15 via a built-in power feed tip (not shown) and feeds the wire toward a welding point (not shown).

[0024] In this embodiment, wire feeding motor 27 is driven while switching the rotation direction between the positive phase direction and the negative phase direction, to pull out welding wire 15 from wire pack 29 and feed welding wire 15 toward torch 17. Note that torch 17 according to this embodiment is a so-called servo pull torch that performs welding while wire feeding motor 27 moves welding wire 15 in and out at high speed.

[0025] Note that, as an example, the mounting position of the welding wire straightening device 11 according to the present embodiment will be described as being on the back of the forearm 23, but the mounting position is not limited thereto and may be on the upper part of the torch 17. When the welding wire straightening device 11 is mounted on the upper part of the torch 17, the welding wire 15 whose bend has been straightened is fed to the torch 17 via a shorter feeding path. Therefore, the welding robot 13 can prevent the welding wire 15 having a desired bend from developing another bend while being fed via the second feeding path 33 due to changes in the posture of each part of the welding robot 13.

[0026] Next, the welding wire straightening device 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the welding wire straightening device 11 and its vicinity.

[0027] The welding wire straightening device 11 is fixed to a mounting plate 37 (see FIG. 3) of an exterior fixing base 35 fixed to the forearm 23, and is thereby integrally attached to the forearm 23.

[0028] The exterior fixing base 35 includes a metal mounting plate 37 (see FIG. 3) whose surface stands upright in a vertical plane. A joint plate (not shown) is attached to the mounting plate 37 with mounting screws 39 (see FIG. 3). A base fixing plate 41 is fixed to one side of the joint plate. A straightening base 43, which is formed in a generally U-shape when viewed from above of the welding wire straightening device 11, is attached and fixed to one surface of the base fixing plate 41.

[0029] The correction base 43 is integrally formed from a highly rigid metal and includes a base portion 45 having a substantially rectangular flat surface facing the base fixing plate 41, and a guide fixing rear plate portion 47 and a guide fixing front plate portion 49 that are parallel to each other and protrude perpendicularly from one side surface of both ends of the base portion 45 along the longitudinal direction.

[0030] The guide fixing rear plate portion 47 has a first guide 51 that guides the welding wire 15 fed via the first feeding path 31 to a passage 55 described below.

[0031] The guide fixing front plate portion 49 has a second guide 53 that guides the welding wire 15 , which has been straightened to a desired bend, through a passage 55 to the second feeding path 33 .

[0032] The welding wire straightening device 11 includes a plurality of straightening rollers (e.g., an upper straightening roller 63 and a lower straightening roller 65) arranged in the vertical direction across the passage 55 between the first guide 51 and the second guide 53. The welding wire straightening device 11 includes an upper support portion 57 and a lower support portion 59. The upper support portion 57 supports at least one upper straightening roller 63 of the plurality of straightening rollers that is provided above the passage 55. The lower support portion 59 supports at least one lower straightening roller 65 of the plurality of straightening rollers that is provided below the passage 55.

[0033] The upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 are arranged opposite each other at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction along the direction in which the welding wire 15 passes and across the passage 55, thereby correcting the bending tendency of the welding wire 15 passing through the passage 55 to the desired bending tendency.

[0034] The upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are formed of a rigid metal material and are rectangular parallelepipeds (block bodies) having the same external shape. Specifically, the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are formed of plate-like blocks, with the surface that faces the base portion 45 and the surface to which the correction roller is attached each aligned along a vertical plane. The upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are formed into a rectangle with long sides aligned along the feeding direction of the welding wire 15 in a side view.

[0035] Each of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 has at least one support shaft 61 on one side surface thereof. The support shaft 61 is screwed vertically to and protrudes from one side surface of each of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59. The upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 are rotatably supported by the corresponding support shaft 61.

[0036] The two upper straightening rollers 63 provided on the upper support part 57 are spaced apart in a direction along the passage 55 of the welding wire 15. The single lower straightening roller 65 provided on the lower support part 59 is located on the opposite side (below) of the two upper straightening rollers 63 across the passage 55, and at a substantially midpoint between the two upper straightening rollers 63 in the direction along the passage 55.

[0037] The welding wire straightening device 11 according to this embodiment is shown as an example having three straightening rollers. Specifically, in this embodiment, two of the straightening rollers are provided on the upper support part 57 and one is provided on the lower support part 59. However, the number and arrangement of the straightening rollers are not limited to this. For example, the welding wire straightening device 11 may have three upper straightening rollers 63 and two lower straightening rollers 65.

[0038] Furthermore, the number of upper straightening rollers 63 may be less than the number of lower straightening rollers 65. The number and arrangement of the straightening rollers may be any as long as they can correct the bending tendency to a desired value corresponding to the bending direction of the torch neck 67 (see FIG. 1) of the torch 17.

[0039] Next, adjustment of the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the welding wire straightening device 11. Fig. 4 is a side view of the welding wire straightening device 11. Note that in Fig. 3, the upper straightening roller 63 is omitted for ease of understanding.

[0040] The welding wire straightening device 11 is provided such that a plurality of straightening rollers face each other at a predetermined interval across a passage 55 through which the welding wire 15 passes. The welding wire 15 passes through the passage 55 from the first feeding path 31 via the first wire inlet 99 and the first wire outlet 101 of the first guide 51, and is fed from the passage 55 to the second feeding path 33 via the second wire inlet 103 and the second wire outlet 105 of the second guide 53.

[0041] The welding wire straightening device 11 is configured so that the distance between two upper straightening rollers 63 and one lower straightening roller 65 arranged on either side of the passage 55, that is, the distance in a direction perpendicular to the direction along the passage 55, can be adjusted by at least one plate member 69. Specifically, the welding wire straightening device 11 is configured so that the vertical width of the passage 55, that is, the distance between the two upper straightening rollers 63 and one lower straightening roller 65, can be adjusted by the plate member 69 that is located between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 and can be placed (inserted) on a placement surface 77 (see FIGS. 5 to 7 ), which is the upper surface of the lower support portion 59.

[0042] The upper part of the welding wire 15 passing through the passage 55 contacts each of the two upper straightening rollers 63. The lower part of the welding wire 15 passing through the passage 55 contacts the groove 93 of the lower straightening roller 65. If the groove 93 were not formed in the lower straightening roller 65, the welding wire 15 would contact the outer diameter circle of the lower straightening roller 65. The welding wire 15 is distorted in proportion to the applied stress, and if stress exceeding the proportional limit is applied, residual strain remains. The welding wire straightening device 11 adjusts this residual strain.

[0043] Specifically, the welding wire straightening device 11 bends the welding wire 15 downward with the upper straightening rollers 63 at two positions in the feeding direction sandwiching the lower straightening roller 65, and bends the welding wire 15 upward with the lower straightening roller 65 between the two upper straightening rollers 63, thereby straightening the bend of the welding wire 15 fed to the second feed path 33 into a substantially V-shape. Thus, when the plate member 69 sets the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 to be smaller, the welding wire straightening device 11 can straighten the bend (curvature) of the welding wire 15 to be stronger, and when the plate member 69 sets the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 to be larger, the welding wire straightening device 11 can straighten the bend of the welding wire 15 to be a straight line with a smaller curvature.

[0044] Of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59, only the lower support portion 59 is fixed to the base portion 45 of the correction base 43 by a plurality of (e.g., three) support portion fixing bolts 71 (see FIGS. 4 and 8 ). Meanwhile, the upper support portion 57 is fastened by a bolt 73 that vertically threads onto the lower support portion 59. The upper support portion 57 is detachably fastened to the lower support portion 59, which is fixed to the base portion 45, by two bolts 73 that penetrate from above and below. That is, the lower support portion 59 has two female threaded portions 75 (see FIG. 8 ) that can threadably engage with the two bolts 73. The two bolts 73 penetrate from the upper end surface to the lower end surface of the upper support portion 57. The two bolts 73 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the feed direction of the welding wire 15. The number of bolts 73 is not limited to this and may be a plurality, such as three or four.

[0045] A mounting surface 77 (see FIG. 5 ) on which the plate member 69 is placed is formed on the upper surface of the lower support portion 59. The plate member 69 has approximately the same outer shape as the mounting surface 77. Because the lower surface of the upper support portion 57 and the upper surface (mounting surface 77) of the lower support portion 59 have approximately the same shape as the plate member 69, the plate member 69 placed on the mounting surface 77 and sandwiched between the lower surface of the upper support portion 57 and the upper surface (mounting surface 77) of the lower support portion 59 does not protrude from the side surfaces of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59.

[0046] In the welding wire straightening device 11, the mounting surface 77 is formed above the height of the welding wire 15 passing through the passage 55 and above the height of the maximum outer diameter of the lower straightening roller 65 provided on the lower support part 59. This allows the operator to easily insert and remove the plate member 69 onto the mounting surface 77, which has a gap formed between it and the lower surface of the upper support part 57 and which has been released from the fastening of the bolts 73, even when the welding wire 15 is inserted into the passage 55.

[0047] Furthermore, in the welding wire straightening device 11, the height connecting the first wire inlet 99 and the first wire outlet 101 of the first guide 51, which are both ends of the passage 55, and the second wire inlet 103 and the second wire outlet 105 of the second guide 53, is formed below the height of the maximum outer diameter of the lower straightening roller 65 provided on the lower support part 59. As a result, in the welding wire straightening device 11, the height of the passage 55 in the up-down direction, i.e., the height of the welding wire 15 inserted in the passage 55, is lower than the upper surface (placement surface 77) of the lower support part 59. Therefore, even when the welding wire 15 is inserted in the passage 55, the operator can easily insert or remove the plate member 69 from the placement surface 77, which has a gap formed between the lower surface of the upper support part 57 and the placement surface 77, with the bolts 73 released.

[0048] Next, the support structure of the upper correction roller 63 by the upper support portion 57 and the support structure of the lower correction roller 65 by the lower support portion 59 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 4.

[0049] The support shafts 61 that support each of the straightening rollers have male threads 79 formed at their tips. The male threads 79 are threaded into female threads 81 formed at predetermined positions on the upper support part 57 or the lower support part 59. Each of the straightening rollers is a bearing whose center is supported by the support shafts 61. The bearings are realized by ordinary rolling bearings or the like that have an inner race 83, an outer race 85, and rolling elements 87.

[0050] The bearing is disposed apart from one side of the upper support part 57 and the lower support part 59 with a spacer 89 sandwiched between the upper support part 57 and the inner race 83 or between the lower support part 59 and the inner race 83. The straightening roller is fixed non-rotatably to the upper support part 57 or the lower support part 59 with the head of the support shaft 61 coaxially passing through the inner race 83 and the spacer 89 abutting against one side of the inner race 83 via a washer 91.

[0051] The lower straightening roller 65 provided on the lower support portion 59 has a groove 93 formed along its outer circumferential surface (the outer circumferential surface of the outer race 85) to suppress the welding wire 15 from falling out of the passage 55. The cross section of the groove 93 has, for example, a semicircular shape. However, the cross section of the groove 93 is not limited to this and may be a concave shape, an arc shape, a U-shape, a V-shape, or the like. The groove 93 has a function of suppressing deviation of the welding wire 15 or vibration of the welding wire 15.

[0052] Next, adjustment of the number of plate members 69 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts in a state where the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are spaced apart.

[0053] In the welding wire straightening device 11, when the bolts 73 that secure the upper support portions 57 are released, the upper support portions 57 and the bolts 73 can be separated upward or removed from the upper surfaces (mounting surfaces 77) of the lower support portions 59. When the upper support portions 57 are separated from or removed from the upper surfaces (mounting surfaces 77) of the lower support portions 59, the plate members 69 placed on the mounting surfaces 77 of the lower support portions 59 are exposed. The number of plate members 69 can be adjusted by inserting or removing them onto or from the mounting surfaces 77 of the lower support portions 59 by an operator when the upper support portions 57 are separated from or removed from the lower support portions 59.

[0054] The plate members 69 are formed with a thickness of, for example, 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, or 0.5 mm. This allows the operator to easily adjust the distance between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 to a desired distance in height increments corresponding to the thickness of the plate members 69 (for example, 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, or 0.5 mm) by changing the number or thickness of the plate members 69 placed (inserted) on the placement surface 77 or by changing the combination of the number of plate members 69 placed (inserted) on the placement surface 77 and the thickness of each plate member 69.

[0055] As described above, the welding wire straightening device 11 can easily adjust the distance between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59, i.e., the distance between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65. As a result, the welding wire straightening device 11 can adjust the height of the passage 55 in the up-down direction based on the thickness and number of plate members 69 placed on the placement surface 77 of the lower support portion 59, and therefore the bending tendency of the welding wire 15 passing through the passage 55 can be straightened to the bending tendency desired by the operator by each of the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65.

[0056] Next, the plate member 69 will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is an enlarged side view of a main part of the welding wire straightening device 11, with one side surface of Fig. 6 facing forward. Fig. 8 is a see-through perspective view of the lower support part 59.

[0057] The welding wire straightening device 11 includes a positioning pin 95 on the mounting surface 77 of the lower support portion 59. The positioning pin 95 fits with the upper support portion 57 and engages with at least one plate member 69 placed (inserted) on the mounting surface 77. The positioning pin 95 shown in Fig. 8 has a circular cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, but is not limited to this.

[0058] The upper support portion 57 has a positioning hole (not shown) into which a positioning pin 95 is inserted on its lower surface facing the lower support portion 59. When the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are fastened together with the two bolts 73, the positioning pin 95 is inserted into the positioning hole, preventing horizontal positional deviation between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59.

[0059] The plate member 69 has substantially U-shaped notches 97 formed along the insertion direction at positions corresponding to the positioning pins 95 and the two bolts 73 arranged along the long side direction of the mounting surface 77. When the plate member 69 is placed (inserted) on the mounting surface 77, the notches 97 are engaged with the positioning pins 95 and the two bolts 73, respectively, to position the plate member 69 and prevent misalignment in the horizontal direction.

[0060] This allows the welding wire straightening device 11 to more effectively suppress misalignment in three directions, namely, the long side direction of the placement surface 77 and the insertion direction of the plate member 69. This also allows the welding wire straightening device 11 to suppress misalignment between the plate members 69 when the plate members 69 are stacked and placed, and to suppress misalignment of the plate members 69 when the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are fastened together.

[0061] The welding wire straightening device 11 has a configuration that suppresses positional deviations only in three directions, and therefore the plate member 69 can be inserted and removed from the gap between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 without completely pulling out the positioning pin 95 of the lower support portion 59 from the positioning hole (not shown) of the upper support portion 57. This allows the operator to more efficiently adjust the gap between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59.

[0062] As described above, the welding wire straightening device 11 according to this embodiment can adjust the gap between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 with higher precision (for example, 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm) by placing the plate member 69 on the placement surface 77. Furthermore, the welding wire straightening device 11 can straighten welding wires 15 having different materials and diameters to the desired bend, regardless of individual differences in the notches of the adjustment screws of the welding wire straightening device 11 or the level of skill of the worker.

[0063] (Additional Note) The above description of the present embodiment discloses the following techniques.

[0064] (Technology 1) A welding wire straightening device (11) that straightens a bend in a welding wire (15) by passing the welding wire (15) between a plurality of straightening rollers (upper straightening roller (63) and lower straightening roller (65), wherein the plurality of straightening rollers (upper straightening roller (63) and lower straightening roller (65)) are arranged along the passing direction of the welding wire (15) so as to face each other at a predetermined interval across a passage (55) through which the welding wire (15) passes, and the predetermined interval is configured to be adjustable by at least one plate member (69).

[0065] With this configuration, the welding wire straightening device 11 can straighten the bending of the welding wire 15 to a desired bending corresponding to the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 adjusted by the plate member 69. Therefore, the welding wire straightening device 11 can more effectively suppress variations in the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65, thereby improving the reproducibility of the bending of the welding wire 15.

[0066] (Technology 2) The welding wire straightening device 11 according to (Technology 1), wherein, of the plurality of straightening rollers (upper straightening roller 63 and lower straightening roller 65), the straightening roller (upper straightening roller 63) provided above the passage 55 is provided on an upper support portion 57; and, of the plurality of straightening rollers (upper straightening roller 63 and lower straightening roller 65), the straightening roller (lower straightening roller 65) provided below the passage 55 is provided on a lower support portion 59; and, the plate member 69 is provided between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59.

[0067] With this configuration, the welding wire straightening device 11 can adjust the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 by adjusting the number of plate members 69 provided between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 and the thickness of each plate member 69.

[0068] (Technical Aspect 3) The welding wire straightening device (11) according to (Technical Aspect 1), wherein the upper support portion (57) and the lower support portion (59) are fastened together by a bolt (73).

[0069] With this configuration, the welding wire straightening device 11 can expose the mounting surface 77 and insert / remove the plate member 69 by releasing the fastening of the bolts 73. This allows the operator to more easily adjust the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65.

[0070] (Technology 4) The welding wire straightening device (11) according to (Technology 3), wherein the plate member (69) has a notch (97) that engages with the bolt (73).

[0071] With this configuration, the notches 97 of the plate member 69 inserted into the mounting surface 77 are engaged with the bolts 73, making it easier to position the plate member 69. As a result, even when the mounting surface 77 is tilted due to the attitude of the welding robot 13 or when multiple plate members 69 are placed on top of each other, the welding wire straightening device 11 can more easily prevent the plate members 69 from shifting position relative to each other, and by positioning the plate members 69, it is possible to prevent the plate members 69 from protruding from the side surfaces of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 after the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 are fastened together with the bolts 73.

[0072] (Technology 5) The welding wire straightening device 11 according to (Technology 2), wherein one of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59 has a positioning pin 95 that fits into the other of the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59, and the plate member 69 has a notch 97 that engages with the positioning pin 95.

[0073] With this configuration, even when the mounting surface 77 is tilted due to the posture of the welding robot 13, or when multiple plate members 69 are placed on top of each other, the notches 97 of the plate members 69 inserted into the mounting surface 77 are engaged with the positioning pins 95, making it easier to position the plate members 69.

[0074] (Technology 6) The welding wire straightening device (11) according to any one of (Technology 2) to (Technology 5), wherein the lower support portion (59) has a mounting surface (77) on an upper surface thereof on which the plate member (69) is mounted.

[0075] With this configuration, the welding wire straightening device 11 can cause the opposing surface (upper surface) of the lower support part 59, which faces the upper support part 57, to function as a placement surface 77 for placing the plate member 69. This allows the operator to more easily adjust the gap between the upper straightening roller 63 and the lower straightening roller 65 simply by placing (inserting) the plate member 69 on the placement surface 77, which is the upper surface of the lower support part 59.

[0076] (Technology 7) The welding wire straightening device 11 according to (Technology 6), wherein the placement surface 77 is formed above the welding wire 15 passing through the passage 55 and above a maximum outer diameter of the straightening roller (lower straightening roller 65) provided on the lower support portion 59.

[0077] With this configuration, the welding wire straightening device 11 can loosen the bolt 73 to create a gap between the upper support portion 57 and the lower support portion 59, allowing the operator to place (insert) a plate member 69 on the placement surface 77 or remove a plate member 69 placed on the placement surface 77 while the welding wire 15 remains inserted in the passage 55.

[0078] Although the present embodiment has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, alterations, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components of the above-described present embodiment may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0079] The present disclosure is useful as a welding wire straightening device that allows for easier adjustment of the gap between straightening rollers.

[0080] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 welding wire straightening device 15 welding wire 55 passage 57 upper support portion 59 lower support portion 63 upper straightening roller 65 lower straightening roller 69 plate member 73 bolt 77 placing surface 95 positioning pin

Claims

1. A welding wire straightening device which straightens out bending of a welding wire by passing the welding wire between a number of straightening rollers, the number of straightening rollers being arranged along a passing direction of the welding wire so as to face each other at a predetermined interval across a passage through which the welding wire passes, the number of straightening rollers being arranged along a passing direction of the welding wire so as to face each other at a predetermined interval across a passage through which the welding wire passes, and the predetermined interval being adjustable by at least one plate member.

2. A welding wire straightening device as described in claim 1, wherein the straightening rollers provided above the passage among the plurality of straightening rollers are provided on an upper support portion, the straightening rollers provided below the passage among the plurality of straightening rollers are provided on a lower support portion, and the plate member is provided between the upper support portion and the lower support portion.

3. A welding wire straightening device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the distance between a straightening roller provided on said upper support portion and above said passage and a straightening roller provided on said lower support portion and below said passage is adjusted by changing the number and thickness of said plate members provided between said upper support portion and said lower support portion.

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

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

6. The welding wire straightening device according to claim 2, wherein one of the upper support portion and the lower support portion has a positioning pin which fits into the other of the upper support portion and the lower support portion, and the plate member has a notch which engages with the positioning pin.

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

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

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