JP2006248613A - Welding wire container and method of making the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a welding wire package capable of converting a square or polygonal package into a welding wire package that functions like a welding wire drum and capable of being used in connection with a braking device designed for the welding wire drum. <P>SOLUTION: This is a container for packaging and unwinding a welding wire including a cubic box 12 having four vertical side walls with inner wall surfaces, four corners extending vertically between the side walls, a closed bottom and a top opening for removing the welding wire, a first vertically-extending cylindrical liner 14 with both a first radial outer surface and a first radial inner surface, a second cylindrical liner 16 with a second radial outer surface and a second radial inner surface, a wire coil formed by winding wire. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to the storage of welding wires and more particularly to the conversion of a square or polygonal vessel into a welding wire vessel that functions like a welding wire drum and can be used in combination with a brake device design for the welding wire drum. .

  Welding wires used in high-productivity operations such as robotic welding bases are offered in large containers with over 200 pounds of wire. The welding wire in these containers is circularized into a core ring or a wire ring forming a wire coil extending around a hole with a gap in the center. A hold down mechanism during the transport process can be used to prevent the wire coil from lifting and to prevent the central core from lifting. In order to control the transport and discharge of the wire, an upward movement restrainer or brake device, such as a brake ring, can be used to control the rewinding of the wire from the wire coil. Such a container is shown in Patent Document 1, and a welding wire drum that uses a brake ring for rewinding control of a welding wire from a wire coil is disclosed. Patent document 1 is taken in here as a reference when showing background art. Another container, such as that shown in US Pat. No. 6,057,086, also discloses a welding wire drum, however, this discloses another wire flow control device that controls discharge of the welding wire from the drum. . U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,096 is also incorporated herein by reference.

  In the welding industry, a large number of robotic welding bases are capable of continuously pulling the welding wire from the vessel as a feed stream in order to achieve a continuous welding operation. The advent of mass use of electric welding wires has required large containers that accept and discharge large quantities of welding wire. A typical container is a wire stack of wires with an inner cylindrical surface and a top surface, where the annular welding wire defines a central hole that is coaxial with the cylindrical surface and the central container axis on the outside of the drum, or It is placed in the drum as a coil. The central hole is often occupied by a cardboard cylindrical core that extends around a core axis that is coaxial with the container axis, as shown in US Pat. It is common to have an upper retaining ring that is used in transportation to stabilize the body of the welding wire. This ring is placed on the top of the welding wire as shown in Patent Document 1, and is pressed downward by its weight so that the wire can be pulled out from the wire body between the core and the ring. In addition, a hold down mechanism can be used to increase the downward force.

  The welding wire in the container forms a wire coil having a top and bottom with an annulus wrapped around the container axis or wound. The coil further includes radially inner and outer surfaces extending between the top and bottom of the coil. When the welding wire is removed from the container, the wire is drawn from the top coil or winding of the wire and at the bottom, the top of the wire coil moves down the container. As a result, the top of the wire coil falls into the container and the inner and outer surfaces of the coil become shorter and shorter.

  In order to connect and operate with the wire feeder of the welder, the welding wire must be drawn in a non-twisted, undeformed and non-reversed state, thereby eliminating the need for human attention. Uniform welding can be produced. It is well known that wires tend to look for pre-determined original conditions that adversely affect the welding operation. Therefore, the wire must be well controlled by the interaction between the welding vessel and the welding feeder. To assist in this, welding wire manufacturers produce wires with the original properties such that if a portion of the wire is placed on the floor, the original shape of the wire is essentially straight; In order to store a large amount of wire, the wire is stored in a container in a coil shape, which causes a considerable amount of deformation or entanglement of the wire when the wire is pulled out of the container. As a result, it is important to control the withdrawal of the wire from the container in order to reduce wire tangling, twisting or orientation changes. This condition is exacerbated by the large welding wire containers preferred for automated or semi-automated welding.

  The withdrawal portion of the welding wire vessel helps control the outlet flow of the welding wire from the vessel without causing additional deformation in the welding wire to ensure the desired smooth continuous flow of the welding wire. Entanglement or breakage of the welding wire requires significant downtime to remove the damaged wire and refeed the wire to the wire feeder. In this regard, it is important that when the welding wire is pulled out of the welding wire container, the memory or the original properties of the wire are controlled so that the wire is not tangled. The welding wire container includes a wire coil with multiple wire turns placed from the bottom to the top of the container. These windings together form an inner diameter and an outer diameter, the inner diameter being substantially smaller than the width or outer diameter of the welding wire container. In this regard, this winding together forms the radial inner and outer surfaces described above. The memory or the original nature of the wire is under the influence of a force that tends to increase the winding diameter and thus creates a certain force that turns the winding of the wire outward. The wall of the wire welding vessel prevents such expansion. However, when the welding wire is withdrawn from the container, the container walls lose their effect on the wire and the wire is subjected to forces to its original properties. This tends to loosen the wire portion drawn from the container and bounce back into the container, thereby causing the possibility of interfering with and tangling with other wire windings. In addition to the natural properties, the wire has a certain amount of twist that causes the winding of the welding wire in the coil to spring up.

  Drawer devices or retaining rings have been used to control wire bounce back and upward bounce associated with wire draw control. This is accomplished by placing a drawer or retaining ring on top of the coil and applying a force that forces it down against the natural bounce effect of the welding wire. The downward force is a result of the weight of the retaining ring or another force produced by a member such as an elastic band connected between the retaining ring and the bottom of the container. Furthermore, the optimal downward force in the course of vessel shipping is different from the optimal downward force for welding wire withdrawal. Therefore, elastic bands or other straps are used to maintain the position of the drawer or retaining ring during the shipping process, but the weight of the retaining ring determines the relative withdrawal position relative to the wire coil during the wire withdrawal process. Can be used to maintain.

  In addition to the brake ring or retaining ring that assists in regulating the wire flow from the container, the welded wire container further includes an inner core that assists in preventing the wire from going out of the wheel across the central axis of the container. In this regard, the central core can be placed in a wire container within a cylindrical inner portion defined by the inner surface of the wire coil. This core is coaxial with the core axis in line with the central container axis. The inner core and outer container together form a generally annular coil portion that can only move upward without traversing the container axis. In general terms, the central core creates an internal barrier for the wire to help direct the exit wire up and out of the top opening of the wire container so that one turn of the wire does not interfere with other wire turns. .

  The welding wire can also be controlled by other mechanisms such as filled beads as shown in US Pat. The filled beads along with the compression pipe help control the outside flow of the welding wire as it exits the wire drum.

  The welding wire drum creates an effective container for the welding wire, however, the cylindrical shape is not suitable for transport and / or container storage. This may include transport from the wire manufacturer to the end user of the wire, including transfer for the convenience of the end user, storage of the wire at the wire manufacturer and / or storage of the wire for the convenience of the end user. Including. Obviously, when many drums are placed next to each other like a pallet or other transport medium, the adjacent wire drums contact each other with very few points of contact, where any force between them Concentrate on few contact points. This will damage the drum with minor contact between adjacent drums or other objects and potentially damage the wire coil. As is apparent, damage to the wire coil causes wire deformation that can leave the container and adversely affect the welding wire through the wire feeder and / or the welding wire torch.

USP 5,819,934 USP 5,746,380

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a welding wire container that functions like a welding wire drum and can be used in combination with a brake device design for the welding wire drum.

  The present invention provides a welded wire vessel with an outer box having a flat vertical side with each side having an inner wall, such as a square box. The outer box further includes a corresponding number of vertically extending corners between the side walls. The container includes first and second vertically extending cylindrical liners that make the container function like a drum. In this regard, the first liner has a first radially outer surface and a first radially inner surface. The first inner surface has a diameter A and is coaxial with a vertically extending container axis, and the first outer surface is in contact with the respective inner wall surface. The second cylindrical liner has a second radially outer surface and a second radially inner surface, where the second outer surface has a diameter B that is smaller than the diameter A. The second liner is also coaxial with a vertical axis with the second outer surface defining the radially inner extent of the annular wire cavity and the first inner surface defining the radially outer extent of the annular wire cavity. It is. The liner shape allows a wire coil made from multiple turns of wire to be inserted between the liners even if the outer shape of the container is not cylindrical. Furthermore, the wire coil has a coil bottom supported by a closed bottom of the outer box and a coil top on the opposite side. Each winding has a similar effective winding diameter that is greater than 50% of diameter A, but smaller than diameter A, to help prevent unwanted deformation of the welding wire. As described above, the wire has the inherent properties of creating a radially outward force on each winding that is fully supported by the first liner.

  In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the container further includes a brake ring for controlling wire unwinding from the wire coil. This ring is placed on top of the coil and falls into the cavity during the process of unwinding the wire from the container.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, the brake ring is an annular body having an inner side portion, an outer side portion, and a bottom surface extending between the inner side portion and the outer side portion and the top portion. The bottom is placed on the top of the coil and the inner side has an upwardly curved surface extending from the bottom to the inner end of the ring to guide the wire from the coil to the top opening. The ring is sized to allow the movement of dropping the ring into the cavity during the process of unwinding the wire from the container.

  In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the container can include a plurality of resistive elements on the top of the coil. The resistive element substantially covers the top of the coil and drops the ring into the cavity in the process of unwinding the wire from the container. The first and second liners hold resistive elements on the coil top.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the resistive element is shaped like nickel.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the container can further include a vertically extending corner support adjacent to one of the vertically extending corners in the outer box. The corner support can include a cylindrical outer corner support surface such that the corner support surface contacts both the first liner and the outer box.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a welding wire container for storing a wire having an advantage in wire control of a wire drum and drawing a wire from a wire coil while providing storage of a polygonal container.

  Referring to the drawings in more detail, the illustration is only for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention. FIGS. 14 shows a welding wire container with a second liner 16 and corner supports 20, 22, 24 and 26. By using the liners 14 and 16, the square box shape of the outer box 12 can be converted into a container containing a drum-like wire with a receiving cavity 30 coaxial with a vertically extending storage shaft 32. it can. The outer box 12 is shown as having a square cross-sectional shape that can be used to maximize the storage capacity of the container 10; however, the container 10 may include other polygonal cross-sectional shapes, including but not limited to other polygonal cross-sectional shapes. It can also be a cross-sectional shape. In this regard, by using a square cross-sectional shape, multiple containers 10 can be housed together such that large planes of adjacent containers touch each other. This storage arrangement increases contact between adjacent containers and creates a combination of containers. Combined containers reduce the displacement of adjacent containers and make them less susceptible to damage to each other and / or the welding wire by increasing the contact between containers when there is relative movement, discussed in detail below. .

  More specifically, the outer box 12 includes four planar box walls 40, 42, 44 and 46 extending vertically. Each box wall includes a top end 50, 52, 54 and 56 and an opposite bottom end 60, 62, 64 and 66, respectively. The outer box 12 further includes vertically extending corners 70, 72, 74 and 76 which join the box walls. Box walls 40, 42, 44 and 46 have outer wall surfaces 80, 82, 84 and 86, and inner wall surfaces 90, 92, 94 and 96, respectively.

  The first liner 14 is cylindrical and coaxial with the vertical axis 32. Liner 14 defines an outer radial extent of annular wire cavity 30. As described above, the use of the first liner 14 converts the square box shape of the box 12 into a drum-like welding wire container without losing the advantageous effects of the square outer shape. The first liner 14 has a top end 110 and an opposite bottom end 112, both of which define a height of the first liner that is flush with the outer wall of the box. As will be apparent, the height of the first liner 14 is determined by the desired height of the wire cavity. The first liner 14 further includes a first radial outer surface 120 and a first inner surface 122. The first liner 14 can be sized such that the first inner surface 122 has a diameter 130 and the first outer surface 120 contacts the respective inner surface of the box wall. As can be appreciated, sizing the first liner 14 so that its outer surface contacts the box 12 can maximize the size of the wire cavity, however, changing the wire cavity and / or In addition, a space can be used between the liner and the box to protect the welding wire.

  As previously discussed, the welding wire must be dispensed without twisting, deformation, and orientation. Thus, the welding wire is manufactured with an original shape such that if a portion of the welding wire is placed on the floor, the original shape of the wire is essentially straight. As a result of this technique, when the welding wire is wound on a coil, it generates a considerable force radially outward from the coil axis. This force must be supported to maintain the original state of the wire coil. As a result, it is advantageous to use the outer box 12 to assist in supporting the first liner 14. This shape can be used as an aid to reduce the strength requirements of the first liner, which seems obvious, but can reduce the cost of the first liner. However, the first liner is designed to be self-supporting because the function of the outer box 12 is primarily for storage and / or protection of the coil.

  The first liner 14 can often be supported by the outer box 12. In this regard, and as previously discussed, the first liner 14 can be sized such that the first outer surface 120 contacts the respective inner surface of the box wall. This contact includes, but is not limited to, direct contact between the first outer surface 120 and the inner wall surfaces 90, 92, 94 and 96. This may also include intermediate structural components between the liner and the outer box to increase the support point and / or to increase the protection value. In this regard, the container 10 may include corner supports 20, 22, 24 and 26 as described above. More specifically, the corner support is sized and shaped to provide support for the first liner 14 near the corner of the outer box. Again, the original nature of the welding wire produces a radially outward force when housed in the wire coil, where the support of the first liner is effective. The corner supports help support the first liner in a large gap when stowed near the corner of the box.

  The corner supports 20, 22, 24 and 26 support the first liner 14 by helping to convert the radially outward force to the outer box. As shown, the corner supports 20, 22, 24, and 26 can include cylindrical outer surfaces 140, 142, 144, and 146, respectively. The corner supports are sized and shaped such that their outer surfaces abut the inner surface of the box wall along the first radial outer surface 120 of the first liner. For example, the corner support 20 has a cylindrical outer surface 140 that is sized and shaped to contact the first radially outer surface 120, the inner surface 94, and the inner surface 96. Contact between the inner surfaces 94 and 96 occurs on either side of the corner 74. A cylindrical corner support is shown, but other corner supports can be used as long as they convert the radial external force of the coiled wire into box corners. As is apparent, the annular or cylindrical shape of the corner supports 20, 22, 24 and 26 is less susceptible to deformation by the radial external force of the coiled wire than the other corner support shapes. However, other corner support shapes can be used without being excluded from the invention of the present application.

  Another corner support that can be used for the support liner 14 is a hard corner support (not shown) such as an energy absorbing foam. This can include a preformed foam injection shaped to fill the gap between the liner and the outer box, or the liquid foam can be injected into the opening between the corner and the liner and then cured. it can. As is evident, filling these corner gaps with a material such as, but not limited to, a foam material that hardens increases the radial support of the wire coil and provides a stiffer storage shape that increases even coil protection. give. However, it should be noted that a hard corner support need not completely fill the corners of the box. The rigid corner support includes, but is not limited to, a rigid cylindrical shape such as the angle support described above and includes an internal opening to obtain the desired absorption factor and / or to reduce costs. It can also be included.

  The height of the corner supports 20, 22, 24 and 26 need not be the same as the wall or liner of the outer box, and the corner supports can be used as stacking supports to stack multiple containers on top of each other. It can also be shaped as possible. In this regard, and as will be apparent, based on the size of the container 10, one container can be stacked on top of another container without damaging the bottom of the container or the bottom of the wire coil. Being a stackable container is advantageous for the container 10. The corner support can be shaped to support the load placed on the top of the container and to release the load from the wire coil. This includes, but is not limited to, a corner support having a height substantially the same as the height of the outer box so that any upper load that begins to deform the outer box contacts the corner support. Obviously, boxes stacked on top of each other can be stacked so that the corner supports are on top of each other. This arrangement allows the corner support to support the upward load directly. However, the container 10 can further include upper and / or lower support plates (not shown) that are used to direct all loads to the corner supports. For example, the container 10 is a square plate similar to the cross-sectional shape of the box 12 and may include an upper and / or lower support plate placed near the closed bottom and / or the top of the opening.

  The second liner 16 is also cylindrical and also coaxial with the vertical axis 32. The second liner 16 has a second radially outer surface 150 and a second inner surface 152 that are both coaxial with the shaft 32. The second liner 16 has a top end 154 that together defines the height of the second liner and a bottom end (not shown) opposite the face. The top end 154 is circular and helps prevent damage to the wire during coil unwinding. The second outer surface 150 has a diameter 160 that is less than the diameter 130 of the first liner 14. Liners 14 and 16 are manufactured from materials known in the art and by manufacturing methods known in the art. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the liner is made of a piece or sheet material that is rolled into a cylindrical shape and placed in an outer box. Further, the liner can be made without a seam including, but not limited to, a molded liner or an extruded liner. Further, in view of the radially outward force generated by the coiled wire, the coiled wire provides a greater force on the liner 14 than the liner 16. As a result, the liner 14 has different properties than the liner 16. This includes different liner shapes, different liner materials and different liner designs. In essence, the liner 14 is made stronger than the liner 16.

  As described above, liners 14 and 16 define an annular wire cavity 30. More specifically, the wire cavity is defined by the first radially inner surface 122 of the first liner 14 and the second outer surface 150 of the second liner 16. That face defines the radial extent of the annular wire cavity based on the difference between the diameters 130 and 160 of each face. Further, the wire cavity 30 extends vertically between the closed bottom 98 and the top ends 110 and 154 of the liner. As will be apparent, the liners can be sized so that their height is the same as the height of the box wall, or the liners can have different heights. Furthermore, the first and second liners do not have to be of equal height. However, as will be apparent, the annular wire cavity is limited by the height of the liner.

  The welding wire 170 is coiled into the annular wire cavity 30 thereby forming a wire coil 172. The wire coil 172 has a coil top 174 and a coil bottom 176, both of which define a coil height that is at least shorter than the liner 14. The coil height is also shorter than the liner 16. As discussed in detail above, the inherent properties of the welding wire produce significant radial outward forces that must be controlled by the wire vessel. As a result, it is advantageous to support the entire radially outer side of the wire coil. While preferably supporting the entire radially outer side, the function and / or purpose of the liner 16 is different from those of the liner 14 as discussed in detail below. The wire coil 172 further includes a radially outer end 180 and a radially inner end 182 that is supported by the liner 14.

  The welding wire 170 can be coiled into the wire cavity 30 by any wire winding method known in the art. As is known in the art, many coil winding methods include a wire coil without a second liner 16 in a position to extend the device for winding the wire into the inner coil opening defined by the radially inner end 182 of the coil. The method of winding is included. The second liner is placed in place after the wire is wound into the coil 172. From the viewpoint of the radially outward force generated by the original properties of the wire, the inner support of the wire coil is not necessarily required in the winding process. However, as discussed in detail below, during the wire unwinding or unwinding process, the second liner is used to assist in directing the upper box opening to prevent tangling of the outward wire. it can.

  As mentioned above, it is important that the welding wire from the vessel 10 be dispensed so that the wire is not entangled and the flow of wire to the welding wire operation is not obstructed. Therefore, the welding wire is wound in a manner that minimizes wire deformation within the wire coil 172. In addition, it has been found that it is advantageous to wind the welding wire around a wound coil having the same effective diameter from one turn to another. From this point of view, winding another coil that is the same as the diameter 130 while winding one coil having the same effective diameter as the diameter 160 ultimately results in different deformations from one winding to the next. Will bring. Furthermore, as the effective diameter of each winding decreases, the potential to deform the original properties of the wire increases. As is clear and for exemplary purposes only, wrapping the welding wire around the pencil significantly changes the original properties of the wire that should be kept as close to the original properties as possible to be as straight as possible. It will disappear completely. Furthermore, the effect on the original properties of the wire wound around the pencil will be significantly different from the effect on the original properties of the wire wound around the drum having a diameter of 2 feet. It is therefore desirable to maintain a consistent winding with as large an effective diameter as possible.

  As a result, it is advantageous to wind wire 170 such that each effective winding has a diameter greater than 50% of diameter 130. Furthermore, since the diameter of the effective ring diameter is increased, the ring diameter is preferably the maximum. Thus, a ring diameter greater than 70% of diameter 130, a ring diameter greater than 80% of diameter 130, and a ring diameter greater than 90% of diameter 130 can be used to minimize deformation of the original shape of the welding wire. As is apparent, the wire coil is coaxial with the axis 32, but each turn of the wire coil may not be coaxial with the axis 32. However, regardless of the position of the winding of the wire coil, based on its original nature, it can ultimately be supported from radially outward expansion by the first liner 14 and the first liner 14 can be supported by the box 12. it can.

  One way to house the wire coil within the container 10 is to place the first liner 14 along the corner supports 20, 22, 24 and 26 of the outer box 12 before the wire is wound into the wire cavity. Is included. The wire 170 is then wound into the wire coil 172 and the second liner 16 is subsequently placed in the inner coil opening. Another method according to the invention includes the following steps:

1) A polygonal container having a plurality of side walls whose outer sides are flat and coaxial with a vertically extending container axis is prepared, wherein each of the plurality of side walls whose outer sides are flat is a top end, a bottom end and an inner wall surface. A space between the top and bottom defining the container height, a plurality of corners extending vertically between the corresponding side walls, a closed bottom, and a top opening for removing the welding wire;
2) A cylindrical first liner is provided, wherein the first liner has a top end opposite the bottom end, the first liner having a height between the bottom end and the top end substantially equal to the container height. The first liner further has a first radially outer surface and a first radially inner surface, the first inner surface having a diameter A;

3) Place the first liner in a polygonal container so that the first liner is coaxial with the vertical container axis, where the bottom end is adjacent to the closed bottom of the polygonal container and the top end is the top opening Close to the section and the first radially outer surface is supported by the inner wall surface, the first inner surface defining the radially outer surface of the wire cavity;
4) A plurality of wound wires are wound into a wire cavity, where the plurality of wound wires form a wire coil having a coil bottom supported by a coil bottom on the opposite side to the closed bottom, The winding has an effective winding diameter that is greater than 50% of diameter A but smaller than diameter A, so that the original properties generate a radially outward force on each winding supported by the first liner. And the coil extends radially between the first liner and the center of the coil opening coaxially with the shaft;

5) providing a second cylindrical liner having a second radially outer surface and a second radially inner surface, wherein the second outer surface has a diameter B smaller than the diameter A;
6) Place the second liner in the polygonal container, where the coil center is open so that the second outer surface is coaxial with the vertical container axis, and the second outer surface is the wire cavity Defines the radially inner range.

  By using the liner arrangement of the vessel 10, the welding wire vessel 10 shares all the advantages of a polygonal welding wire vessel and all the advantages of a drum-like welding wire vessel. As described above, a polygonal wire container such as a square cross-sectional shape has an advantage in the storage property of the container. These advantages provide, without limitation, a stable storage configuration for adjacent containers. In this regard, the square outer shape makes it possible to have multiple containers together forming a stable container group. It is also clear that several cylindrical objects, such as welding wires, that are placed adjacent to each other rotate severally and use some stabilizing device, such as a spacer, that fits into the gap created between the drums. It cannot be quiesced unless it is used. Rotational contact between the drums must be suppressed, but it is not necessary with square containers. Yet another storage advantage of polygonal or square welding wire containers is that the container configurations can be stacked. In this regard, as mentioned above, the square supports used in the form of square containers are also used to support the weight of the stacked containers, which distributes the stacking forces from the welding wire coil and is inexpensive and lightweight. Allows the material to be used as an outer box. Cylindrical containers such as drum welded wire containers use the outer wall of the container to support the weight of the stacked containers. As a result, the outer wall of the cylindrical container must be strong enough to fully support the welded wire container and the heavy wire coil. The use of a substantially hard drum outer wall is necessary to support the weight of the stacked containers. These drums contain expensive materials that are also expensive to dispose of. As is apparent, there are advantages to producing a welded wire vessel that is environmentally friendly and economically disposable. As a result of stackability, welded wire drums are often made from one or more materials that are difficult to dispose of and costly. From this point of view, and as is known in the art, drums are often made from a metal bottom with a thick fiber outer wall and a metal ring top that cannot be easily discarded and / or recycled.

  By using a square cross-sectional shape, the outer box can be made from cardboard and can be made from a single material that is easily recyclable. Furthermore, the corner supports can be made from different materials based on the structural requirements of the corner supports, and since these two components can be easily separated, they are still easily disposable. In addition, the liner can also be made from a separable material based on the desired material properties of the liner without compromising the ability to recycle the container. Still further, the use of a corner support separated from the outer box allows all container material to be made from paper products if desired.

  While the container 10 has the advantage of a polygonal or square cross-section container shape, the liner arrangement provides the advantages of a drum-like welding wire container when unwinding the welding wire when using this product. In this regard, as described above, the welding wire has the original property that a part of the welding wire cut from the wire coil is essentially a straight line. This creates a radially outward force, but it also has the effect of bouncing up the wire which must be controlled in the wire container transport process and also in the process of unwinding the wire from the wire coil when used in welding operations. Is produced. As a result, it is well known in the industry that a hold-down effect can be used to prevent the wire from bouncing upward during the wire container transport process and thereby preventing the wire from becoming tangled before the welding wire is used. It is. In addition, brake devices or tension devices can also be used as an aid to control to unwind the wire from the wire coil in the process of being used in the welding operation.

  Over the years, many devices have been used for coil transport and wire drum arrangement rewind control. However, these devices are designed for wire drums and many do not work if used with square cross-section containers or polygonal containers. Therefore, the drum-shaped container is superior in operation, although the polygonal-shaped outer container has an advantage in storage property than the drum-shaped container.

  Referring to FIGS. 4-9, in one aspect, the container 10 includes a resistance element 200 located on the coil top 174. The resistance element 200 is a small three-dimensional object having an outer shape and a weight. The objects move freely with respect to each other and the wire coil. As a result, element 200 does not work with traditional square welding wire vessels that are not present on coil top 174. As can be seen, the resistance elements, which move freely with respect to each other and with respect to the wire coil, fall rapidly into the recesses of the square container and loosen the contact of the outer wire from the coil.

  Liners 14 and 16 hold the resistive element in place on the top of the coil and the desired height and thickness of the resistive element on the top of the coil. As can be seen, the height 210 is the general height of an element that changes from one position to the next based on the size, shape and density of the resistive element used.

  The resistance element 200 has a uniformly hard, porous and / or recessed structure. As is apparent, the structure associated with the chosen material controls the density of the element. Element sizes also vary from small granules to a few inches. Further, as will be described in detail below, the elements can have many external shapes without being excluded from the present invention.

  The appropriate height of the resistive element is a function of several factors including, but not limited to, the weight of the resistive element, the external shape of the resistive element, and the coefficient of friction of the outer surface of the element. In this regard, the resistive element can be used to control the upward bounce effect of the wire coil. The resistive element can also provide resistance or obstruction of the wire being unwound from the coil.

  With regard to the control of the coil springing up, the resistance elements have a combined weight. A sufficient amount of elements can be used to provide a combined weight sufficient to overcome the upward spring force in the wire coil. In order for the low density resistive element to have the same effect on the upward jump force in the coil, the thickness of 210 needs to be larger than the dense resistive element. For example, if the steel spherical ball 200A is used, the height can be reduced as compared with the plastic spherical ball 200A to provide the same effect.

  Regarding the use of resistive elements to create popping wire resistance or obstacles, size, shape, material and density also have an impact on the ability to create obstacles. Regarding the shape of the resistive element, the element can be a spherical 200A, a cylindrical 200B, an elongated square cross-sectional shape 200C and / or a disk-shaped 200D. These shapes are similar but produce different unwinding properties. For example, when a wire passes through the spherical resistance element 200A, the sphere tends to move to the side as the wire passes around it. Conversely, the disc-shaped 200D is also lifted by the wire as it is pulled through it. It has been found that as a result of the lifting effect, a resistance greater than that which can occur with the same combined weight of resistance elements is produced. Nickel has also been found to provide an easy and effective way of controlling the rewinding of the welding wire and can be used as a clearly environmentally friendly resistance element. In this regard, it is clear that once the welding wire is consumed, the nickel is not thrown away. Similarly, elongate resistance elements 200B and 200C also create a lifting resistance that is not found in spherical elements. Although several shapes of resistive elements have been shown, other shapes can be used in the container 10.

  The resistive element may be made from virtually any material depending on the desired weight of the element and the desired resistive properties. These materials include, but are not limited to, natural materials such as metals, glasses, polymers, agricultural materials. Some examples include foam materials with good coefficient of friction, filling materials used in other industries such as marble, ball bearings, nickel, and filled pellets. However, this illustration is an example of elements that can be used and does not exhaust all types of elements that can be used.

  Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, yet another aspect is shown. In this regard, a wire container 10 using an annular brake ring 250 is shown. The brake 250 is also for controlling the unwinding of the welding wire from the wire coil. The ring 250 has an inner side 252, an outer side 254, and a bottom surface 256 between the inner side and the outer side and the top surface 258. Ring 250 is placed on coil top 174 such that bottom surface 256 contacts a portion of the coil top. Ring 250 further includes an upwardly curved surface 260 extending from bottom surface 256 to inner end 262. The inner end 262 has a diameter 270 that is larger than the diameter 160 thereby creating a wire withdrawal opening 272 between the end 262 and the second outer surface 150 of the second liner. The curved surface 260 provides a deformation that minimizes the curvature that directs the wire outward from the wire coil toward the welding operation. Since the second liner 16 provides one of the barriers to withdraw the opening 272, it also helps to direct the wire outward from the wire coil exiting the container 10. Further, as described above, the top end 154 is annularized to minimize damage to the wire 170. Thus, while the second liner 16 has minimal support properties, it significantly assists in directing the outer wire upward and prevents one turn of the wire from contacting another turn of the wire, thereby preventing the welding wire from Reduce tangles.

  The brake ring 250 is shaped to fall freely into the wire cavity 30 when the wire is removed and when the coil height decreases due to a decrease in the coil height from the container of the welding wire. The fall of the ring 250 can be based on the weight of the ring itself or can be assisted by another weight (not shown). As in the resistive element described above, the weight of the ring and / or another weight (not shown) is used to help adjust the upward spring force produced by the wire coil.

  The ring includes lobes 280, 282, 284, 286 and 288 for adjusting the fall of the ring 250 and preventing the wire winding from jumping up around the outer periphery of the ring. However, although five leaves are shown, more or fewer leaves can be used. More specifically, the radial distance between the inner end 262 and the outer edge 254 is greater at the leaf projection points than between the leaf projections. The foliations are typically placed on the outer planar portion of the ring and create a contact point between the ring and the first liner 14 thereby maintaining the position of the ring and minimizing frictional contact between the ring and the liner 14. On the other hand, the winding is prevented from jumping between the ring and the liner 14. As will be apparent, the increased resistance between the liner 14 and the ring 250 requires that the ring be heavier and / or include a greater weight to produce the same downward force on the coil top. The point of contact between the ring and the liner 14 further prevents ring crushing by making the ring less liner imperfections. As is apparent, it is difficult to make a filling element that is completely cylindrical throughout its length. As a result, by using the lobed shape, the ring 250 tends to fit into the imperfections and falls freely into the wire cavity 30.

  Wire cavity imperfections are also caused by damage to the container during shipping and / or use in the ship. As is apparent, the material manufacturing movement is not perfect and often takes place as soon as possible. As a result, containers are often damaged by lifting tracks and other mechanisms used to move material. The leaf-like design described above is also more tolerant to this type of damage. Furthermore, the shape of the container according to the present invention minimizes this type of damage to the wire cavity by opening the wire cavity from the outer wall of the container.

  With reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, a further embodiment including a ring 300 is shown. Like the brake ring described above, the ring 300 also has an inner side 252, an outer side 254, and a bottom surface 256 between the inner and outer sides and the top surface 258. The ring 300 is placed on the coil top 174 such that the bottom surface 256 contacts a portion of the coil top. Ring 300 further includes an upwardly curved surface 260 extending from bottom surface 256 to inner end 262. The inner end 262 has a diameter 270 that is larger than the diameter 160 thereby creating a wire withdrawal opening 272 between the end 262 and the second outer surface 150 of the second liner.

  The brake ring 300 is shaped to fall freely into the wire cavity 30 when the wire is removed and when the coil height decreases due to the decrease in coil height from the container of the welding wire. The fall of the ring 300 can be based on the weight of the ring itself or can be assisted by another weight (not shown). As in the resistive element described above, the weight of the ring and / or another weight (not shown) is used to help adjust the upward spring force produced by the wire coil.

  However, in order to adjust the fall of the ring 300 and to prevent the wire winding from jumping up around the outer periphery of the ring, the ring 300 has a flexible knob 330, 332, 334, 336 and 338 are included. However, although five knobs are shown, more or fewer knobs can be used. In this regard, the flexible tab keeps the contact between the ring and the liner 14 while allowing the wire ring to drop freely into the wire cavity. Again, the flexible tabs help to allow the liner 14 to deform and prevent the wire winding from jumping between the ring 300 and the liner 14.

  Further, although not described in detail, any of the above-described aspects can also include other mechanisms known to those skilled in the art, such as a hold-down mechanism used to secure the wire coil during the transport process of the container 10. In addition, the vapor barrier can also be used to help protect the welding wire from adverse environmental changes such as the vessel's offshore transportation process. In addition, other wire control mechanisms can be used to control the outlet flow of the welding wire from the vessel as described above. Thus, although only two rings have been discussed with respect to the invention of this application, the brake ring shape should not be limited to these two ring shapes. It should be clearly understood that other drum type rings can be used in the container of the present application without being excluded from the invention of the present application. Again, by using the liner shape described above, the advantages of a square or polygonal cross-section vessel can be achieved while the welding wire allows the same control as a drum vessel.

  While considerable emphasis has been placed on the preferred embodiments of the invention described and described herein, other embodiments and / or their equivalents may be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be understood that many variations are possible and possible. Therefore, it should be clearly understood that the foregoing description has been made only for the purpose of illustrating the invention and not as a limitation.

  The welding wire container of the present invention can be stacked, has excellent storage properties during transportation, and can be operated to continuously pull out the welding wire as a supply flow from the container. This is useful in robot welding bases that require operation.

FIG. 1 is a top, side perspective view of a welding wire container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially open top, side perspective view of the container shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the container shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial side sectional view of the top of another embodiment of the present invention including a wire discharge hat. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4 including a spherical resistance element. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a nickel-shaped resistance element according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a cylindrical resistance element according to yet another aspect of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a resistive element having a square elongated cross-sectional shape in accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a spherical resistance element according to yet another aspect of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the top according to another aspect of the present invention including a brake ring. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of an enlarged top portion of yet another aspect of the present invention that includes yet another brake ring. FIG. 13 is an enlarged partial side sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG.

Claims (42)

  A square box with four vertical sidewalls each having an inner wall and four corners extending perpendicularly between the sidewalls, a closed bottom, and a top opening to take out the welding wire; first radius A first vertically extending cylindrical liner having a directional outer surface and a first radially inner surface; wherein the first inner surface has a diameter A and the first liner is radial by the sidewall A second cylindrical liner having a second radially outer surface and a second radially inner surface, wherein the second liner is coaxial The outer surface has a diameter B smaller than the diameter A and the second outer surface defines a radially inner extent of the annular wire cavity and the first inner surface defines a radially outer extent of the annular wire cavity. Be coaxial with the axis as specified And a wire coil made by winding a wire, each winding having an effective winding diameter greater than 50% of the diameter A but smaller than the diameter A. A container for storing and rewinding welding wires.   2. The corner support further comprising four vertically extending corner supports, each of the corner supports being adjacent to the four corners extending vertically between the first liner and the box. Container.   3. A container according to claim 2, wherein said four vertically extending corner supports have cylindrical outer corner support surfaces, said corner support surfaces being in contact with said first outer surface and two of said four inner wall surfaces. .   The wire coil further includes a brake ring for controlling unwinding of the wire, the ring being placed on top of the coil and falling into the cavity in the process of unwinding the wire from the container. The container according to claim 3.   The brake ring is an annular body having an inner side, an outer side, and a bottom surface extending between the inner side and the outer side and the top, the bottom is placed on the coil top, and the inner side is The ring has an upward curved surface extending from the bottom surface to the inner end of the ring to guide the wire from the coil to the top opening, and the ring unwinds the wire from the container 5. A container according to claim 4, which is sized so as to allow free movement of dropping the ring into the cavity during the process.   The brake ring has a substantially planar radially outer portion at the outer side, an inner diameter and a radial distance therebetween, the brake ring including a number of leaf-like protrusions, each leaf-like protrusion being substantially planar. Disposed in the outer portion, whereby the radial distance from the inner diameter to the outer edge varies within each leaf-like portion, and a curved portion above the inner surface is between the brake ring and the second liner An innermost wire withdrawal opening, wherein the curved portion is curved upward from the inner diameter of the planar portion toward the wire withdrawal opening, and the wire withdrawal opening is 5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the container has a diameter smaller than the inner diameter.   The wire coil further includes a brake ring for controlling unwinding of the wire, the ring being placed on top of the coil and falling into the cavity in the process of unwinding the wire from the container. The container according to claim 1.   The brake ring is an annular body having an inner side, an outer side, and a bottom surface extending between the inner side and the outer side and the top, the bottom is placed on the coil top, and the inner side is The ring has an upward curved surface extending from the bottom surface to the inner end of the ring to guide the wire from the coil to the top opening, and the ring unwinds the wire from the container 8. A container according to claim 7, wherein the container is sized to allow free movement of the ring into the cavity during the process.   The brake ring has a substantially planar radially outer portion at the outer side, an inner diameter and a radial distance therebetween, the brake ring including a number of leaf-like protrusions, each leaf-like protrusion being substantially planar. Disposed in the outer portion, whereby the radial distance from the inner diameter to the outer edge varies within each leaf-like portion, and a curved portion above the inner surface is between the brake ring and the second liner An innermost wire withdrawal opening, wherein the curved portion is curved upward from the inner diameter of the planar portion toward the wire withdrawal opening, and the wire withdrawal opening is 8. A container according to claim 7 having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter.   The wire coil has a coil top and the container further has a plurality of resistance elements at the coil top, the resistance elements substantially covering the coil top and in the process of unwinding the wire from the container 3. A container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is dropped into a tee and the first and second liners hold a plurality of the resistance elements at the top of the coil.   The container of claim 10, wherein the plurality of resistance elements includes spherical resistance elements.   The container of claim 10, wherein the plurality of resistance elements includes elongated resistance elements.   The container of claim 10, wherein the plurality of resistance elements include cylindrical resistance elements.   The container of claim 10, wherein the plurality of resistance elements comprise disk-shaped resistance elements.   The container of claim 10, wherein the plurality of resistance elements includes a resistance element that is nickel-shaped.   The container of claim 10, wherein the plurality of resistance elements comprise nickel.   The container according to claim 2, wherein the four vertically extending corner supports have cylindrical outer corner support surfaces, and the corner support surfaces are in contact with the first outer surface and the two inner wall surfaces.   The first liner is a flat sheet having a top end, a bottom end, a first side end, and a second side end, the top end proximate the top opening, and the bottom end is closed 18. A container according to claim 17, wherein the first liner is wrapped within the box such that the first liner is proximate to the bottom and the first and second side edges face each other.   The container of claim 17, wherein the first liner is a molded article.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the box is a cardboard box.   21. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the effective winding diameter is greater than 70% of the diameter A.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the effective winding diameter is greater than 80% of the diameter A.   23. A container according to any one of claims 1-22, wherein the first radially outer surface is spaced from the inner wall surface.   The container according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the first radially outer surface is in contact with the inner wall surface.   A square box with four vertical sidewalls each having an inner wall and four corners extending perpendicularly between the sidewalls, a closed bottom, and a top opening to take out the welding wire; first radius A first vertically extending cylindrical liner having a directional outer surface and a first radially inner surface; wherein the first inner surface has a diameter A and the first liner is radial by the sidewall A second cylindrical liner having a second radially outer surface and a second radially inner surface, wherein the second liner is coaxial The outer surface has a diameter B smaller than the diameter A and the second outer surface defines a radially inner extent of the annular wire cavity and the first inner surface defines a radially outer extent of the annular wire cavity. Be coaxial with the axis as specified And a wire coil made by winding a wire, where each of the turns has an effective winding diameter that is greater than 50% of the diameter A but less than the diameter A; and substantially the top of the coil A container for storing and rewinding a welding wire, comprising: a plurality of nickel-shaped resistance elements covering;   A square box with four vertical sidewalls each having an inner wall and four corners extending perpendicularly between the sidewalls, a closed bottom, and a top opening to take out the welding wire; first radius A first vertically extending cylindrical liner having a directional outer surface and a first radially inner surface; wherein the first inner surface has a diameter A and the first liner is radial by the sidewall A second cylindrical liner having a second radially outer surface and a second radially inner surface, wherein the second liner is coaxial The outer surface has a diameter B smaller than the diameter A and the second outer surface defines a radially inner extent of the annular wire cavity and the first inner surface defines a radially outer extent of the annular wire cavity. Be coaxial with the axis as specified And a wire coil made by winding a wire, where each of the turns has an effective winding diameter greater than 50% of the diameter A but less than the diameter A; and unwinding the welding wire Means for adjusting the outlet flow of the wire from the coil in the process; a container for the storage and rewinding of the welding wire.   27. The container of claim 26, wherein the control means includes a plurality of resistance elements disposed on the top of the coil.   28. A container according to claim 27, wherein the resistance element comprises a nickel-shaped resistance element.   27. A container according to claim 26, wherein the control means includes a brake ring, the ring being placed on top of the coil and falling into the cavity in the process of unwinding the wire from the container.   The brake ring is an annular body having an inner side, an outer side, and a bottom surface extending between the inner side and the outer side and the top, the bottom is placed on the coil top, and the inner side is The ring has an upward curved surface extending from the bottom surface to the inner end of the ring to guide the wire from the coil to the top opening, and the ring unwinds the wire from the container 30. The container of claim 29, wherein the container is sized to allow free movement of the ring into the cavity during the process.   27. The container of claim 26, wherein the effective winding diameter is greater than 70% of the diameter A. 1) A polygonal container having a plurality of side walls whose outer sides are flat and coaxial with a vertically extending container axis is prepared, wherein each of the plurality of side walls whose outer sides are flat is a top end, a bottom end and an inner wall surface. A space between the top and bottom defining the container height, a plurality of corners extending vertically between the corresponding side walls, a closed bottom, and a top opening for removing the welding wire;
2) providing a cylindrical first liner, wherein the first liner has a top end opposite the bottom end, the first liner being between the bottom end and the top end approximately equal to the container height; The first liner further has a first radially outer surface and a first radially inner surface, the first inner surface having a diameter A and radially outward of the wire cavity. Defines the scope;
3) Place the first liner in the polygonal container so that the first liner is coaxial with the vertical container axis, where the bottom end is adjacent to the closed bottom of the polygonal container. The top end is near the top opening and the first radially outer surface is in contact with the inner wall surface;
4) A plurality of windings of the wire are wound into the wire cavity, where the windings form a wire coil having a coil bottom supported by a coil top opposite the closed bottom. Each winding having an effective winding diameter greater than 50% of the diameter A, but smaller than the diameter A, the original properties being supported by the first liner. Generating a radially outward force to the coil, the coil extending radially between the first liner and a coil center opening coaxially with the axis;
5) providing a second cylindrical liner having a second radially outer surface and a second radially inner surface, wherein the second outer surface has a diameter B smaller than the diameter A; ) Placing the second liner in the polygonal container, wherein the coil center is open such that the second outer surface is coaxial with the vertical container axis, and the second outer surface is Defines the radially inner extent of the wire cavity; for accommodating and rewinding a welded wire coil with inherent properties that are essentially straight in a polygonal vessel, characterized by comprising steps A method of converting into a drum-like container.   The method of claim 32, further comprising providing a plurality of resistive elements and substantially covering the top of the coil with the elements.   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of resistance elements include spherical resistance elements.   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of resistance elements include elongated resistance elements.   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of resistance elements includes cylindrical resistance elements.   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of resistive elements comprises disk-shaped resistive elements.   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of resistance elements comprise nickel-shaped resistance elements.   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of resistive elements comprises nickel.   Further, a plurality of vertically extending corner supports having cylindrical outer corner support surfaces are provided, and the corner supports are in contact with two of the outer liner surface and the plurality of inner wall surfaces. 35. The method of claim 32, comprising placing in the polygonal container.   41. The method of claim 40, wherein placing the angular support extending vertically is prior to placing the first liner.   The method of claim 32, wherein the polygonal container is a square box.