A contact tip suitable for electric arc welding has a consumable electrode. The contact tip has a body which defines a bore through which the electrode is able to pass to enable electric current from a welding power supply to be transferred from the body to the electrode. The body, in part of the length of the bore between an inlet end and an outlet end, has at least one region (herein referred to as a primary contact region) at which the body is adapted to enable primary electrical contact with the electrode, and along a remainder part of the length of the bore, the body is adapted such that any secondary contact between the body and the electrode along the remainder part does not substantially short circuit the primary electrical contact in the primary contact region of the bore.

Consumable electrode arc welding

A guide tube for guiding a wire (23) of filler metal in an arc welding machine and for applying arc current thereto comprises a metal body (80) having a longitudinal bore (82) through which the wire passes. Near the front end of the tube there are two transverse passages (95) housing respective ball (96) which are urged to project into the bore by respective spiral compression springs (97). These serve to keep the wire pressed against the opposite side of the bore to maintain good electrical contact. The springs are held in by a sheath (100) fitted over the end of the tube. The sheath also serves to keep an end piece (50) in place. Both the sheath and the end piece are made of refractory material which is electrically insulating and which is non-adhesive to spattering metal from the weld melt. This helps to prevent the front of the tube getting clogged up in operation.

Arc welding guide tube with non-adhesive tip

An electrode gun and cable for feeding a welding electrode and shielding gas to a workpiece having an improved arrangement for supplying the gas to the arc and for electrifying the electrode in the contact tip. The cable is designed to resist abuse and purge air entering with the electrode. The gun nozzle has a square passage to receive the electrode guide and provide unobstructed gas passages. The trigger has a flexible member engaging the on-off switch to prevent damage thereto from too much pressure by the operator.

Gun and cable for gas metal arc welding

Apparatus for directing and feeding wire (W) such as for a welder includes first and second, generally planar, guide plates (108) which are slid in a direction parallel to the movement path of the wire (W) into a slit (74) of a mount (68) and a slot (64) of an adapter element (44). A driven roll (20) penetrates an opening (112) in the first guide plate (108). A pressure roll (82) is pivotably mounted to mount (68) between a drive position where it penetrates an opening (112) in the second guide plate (108) and sandwiches wire (W) against the driven roll (20) and a disengaged position. The pressure roll (82) is removably held in the drive position by abutment of a washer (104) with the bracket (84) to which pressure roll (82) is rotatably mounted. The washer (104) is slideable upon a shaft (98) and biased toward the bracket (84) by a spring (106), with the shaft (98) being pivotably mounted to a connecting block (24) between a latched and unlatched position. The adapter element (44) is slideably received in the connector block (24).

Apparatus and methods for directing and feeding wire

A drive roll release mechanism is rotatable about an axis of rotation and includes a drive roll carrier body having a carrier body sidewall adapted and configured to accept a drive roll thereon. The drive roll release mechanism further includes an actuator in sliding communication with the carrier body. A user depresses the actuator to correspondingly realize at least a partial release of a drive roll, which is removably mounted to the drive roll release mechanism, from the carrier body, enabling facile removal of the drive roll from the drive roll release mechanism.

Drive roll release mechanism

A heat and spatter shield for an arc-welding gun of the type used for applying gas-shielded consumable-electrode arc-welding processes. A shield element insulated from the welding current circuit is attachable to the arc-welding gun so as to be disposed at the downstream end of the current contact tip and extend beyond the downstream opening of the gas nozzle so as to shield the downstream opening of the gas nozzle from metal spatter ejected from the welding operation and from direct heat radiation from the welding arc. At least the core of the shield element is composed of a heat-resistant nonelectrically conductive material. The shield element is disposed in the gas stream and arranged to provide an airfoil effect contributing to formation of the proper flow configuration of the shielding gas. Cylindrical and spherical-type shield elements are disclosed. Various means are disclosed for attaching the shield element to the arc-welding gun.

Bernard Richard A

Papers

Spatter and heat shield for welding gun

Electrode guide means

Method and apparatus for fluid flux arc welding

Schweisskabel fuer die gleichzeitige Zufuehrung des Schweissstroms und der Elektrode zu einer Schweisspistole