Wire Guiding Liner With Displaceable Roll Holders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional welding wire guides experience significant friction and clogging due to lubricant and metal particles, leading to frequent replacements and production interruptions in welding robots.
Innovation Solution
A wire guiding liner with displaceable roll holders and swiveling joints that maintain the welding wire at the center, reducing friction and preventing sticking, and optionally using elastic connections and specific roll configurations to minimize bending stress and dirt accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional closed metal tube liner is used to guide welding wire, then the wire can be easily pushed through without getting stuck, but significant friction occurs and the liner becomes clogged with lubricant and metal particles requiring frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The liner is divided into multiple discrete roll holders that can move independently relative to each other. Each roll holder contains rolls that rotate to guide the wire, allowing the system to maintain wire guidance functionality while accommodating bending and movement without the entire liner failing at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The roll holders are designed to be displaceable with respect to each other, creating a dynamic structure that can adapt to bending and movement. This dynamic capability allows the liner to maintain its guiding function under various operational conditions without becoming inoperative or requiring frequent replacement.
2Volume of moving object
If the liner is made with a small diameter to fit in cable hoses, then installation is easier, but the guiding system becomes more sensitive to bending which would make it inoperable
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the liner into multiple movable roll holders, the system can maintain a compact small diameter while gaining flexibility. Each segment can move independently to accommodate bending, allowing the liner to fit in cable hoses while remaining functional under bending conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The discrete roll holders create a flexible structure that can bend without compromising functionality. This flexible design allows the liner to be installed in confined spaces with small diameters while maintaining the ability to guide wire effectively even when bent.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the roll holders are highly displaceable to accommodate bending, then the liner can be bent to maximum curve, but the wire may touch areas outside the rolls and get stuck
Solution Approach 1:
The angular displaceability is asymmetrically limited to ensure that even when bent to maximum curve, the geometry maintains proper wire contact with the rolls. This asymmetric constraint prevents the wire from touching areas outside the rolls while still allowing sufficient bending capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The angular displaceability parameter is optimized to a specific limited range. This parameter change ensures that the roll holders can displace enough to accommodate bending while maintaining the geometric relationship that keeps the wire in contact with the rolls, preventing sticking.
4Strength
If the roll holders are connected rigidly to prevent material bending, then the liner structure is stronger, but the liner cannot accommodate bending movements
Solution Approach 1:
The liner is segmented into discrete roll holders connected by defined pivot axes, creating a structure that is both strong and flexible. Each segment maintains structural integrity while the connections between segments allow bending movements, resolving the contradiction between strength and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection structure between roll holders uses defined pivot axes that allow rotational movement, creating a flexible jointed structure. This design maintains structural strength through the rigid roll holders while accommodating bending through the flexible connections between them.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces friction and prevents wire sticking, extending the liner's lifespan and reducing downtime by ensuring smooth wire feeding and protection from UV radiation, while allowing for easy installation and reduced manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
the rolls ensure that there is small friction only, when the welding wire is moved through the liner
Implementation Method 2
a roll holder is connected to the adjacent roll holder by a defined pivot axis. The defined pivot axis where adjacent roll holders are connected to each other forms of a swiveling joint
Implementation Method 3
a roll holder is connected to the adjacent roll holder by an elastic portion
Data Source
AI summary
A wire guiding liner, in particular welding wire liner, has a plurality of roll holders which are displaceable with respect to each other, each roll holder holding a plurality of rolls. The angular displaceability of a roll holder with respect to the adjacent roll holder is limited such that when the wire is fed through the liner, it always touches exclusively on the rolls even when the liner is bent to its maximum curve, such that the wire while being inserted always hits the next roll at an angle that will push it towards and maintain it guided at the center of the liner.