KR20140139085A

KR20140139085A - Wire retaining ring for a welding system

Info

Publication number: KR20140139085A
Application number: KR20147029998A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 허버트 에이치 3세 매튜스; 폴 에이 웨이스브로드
Original assignee: 링컨 글로벌, 인크.
Priority date: 2012-03-26
Filing date: 2013-03-26
Publication date: 2014-12-04
Also published as: DE212013000090U1; WO2013144700A1; JP3197314U; CN104203787A; KR101980412B1; CN104203787B

Abstract

The present embodiment relates to a system 100 that allows uninterrupted flow of a coil welding wire from one vessel to another vessel, wherein the welding wire coil includes a coil top portion 150 and a coil bottom 154. Each container including at least one vertically extending sidewall, a closed bottom, an upper opening for removing the welding wire, and a wire coil receiving cavity in an outer packaging for receiving the wire coil, wherein the feed ends 118, 124 And the back end 122 (126) may be positioned near the top opening. The wire retaining ring 130 is disposed on the upper end of the coil of the container and the other container and the wire retaining ring has a slot extending radially from the center of the coil to allow the trailing end of the coil to be withdrawn to a position remote from the center of the coil .

Description

[0001] WIRE RETAINING RING FOR WELDING SYSTEM [0002]

Cross-reference to related application

This application is incorporated by reference in its entirety into U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 302,491, filed November 22, 2011.

Technical field

The present disclosure relates generally to a system for packaging and uncoiling coils of welding wire for a welding system, and more particularly to a wire retaining ring for distributing coiled wire from a plurality of vessels to a welding system.

The wire is often packaged and stored in a container for transportation to the end user. In particular, wires such as those used for welding or soldering are wound on a coil when packaged in a drum or container. Once shipped to the end user, the wire is dispensed from the container for use in any number of processes. In many cases, the wire is metered out as needed, leaving the entire coil in the container without removing it. To facilitate easy removal, the supplier often incorporates the twist into the wire as it is fed into the drum. This helps to make the wires come out without turning when pulled out.

However, distributing the wire from the coil causes the problem of smoothly unwinding the wire without the formation of entanglement or knots, which may lead to defects or breakage of the wire (in particular), resulting in costly downtime. The wires may be twisted in any number of ways. For example, when the wire is drawn out of the drum, a plurality of wire loops can be lifted from the upper end of the coil and entangled with the wire. In other cases, the wire loop can be released and fall behind the coil to entangle the wire. There is a need for systems and methods to address these and other disadvantages.

(Particularly) the problem of smooth unwinding of the wire is solved by a system for packing and unwinding a welding wire coil according to claim 1 or 6 or a wire holding ring according to claim 12. In an embodiment, a system is employed to package and unroll the coils of the welding wire to allow uninterrupted flow of the welding wire from one vessel to another. The welding wire coil includes a coil top portion and a coil bottom, wherein the feed end of the welding wire extends from the coil top portion and the trailing end of the wire extends from the coil bottom and the trailing end of one container can be coupled to the feed end of another container have. The system includes at least two containers each comprising at least one vertically extending sidewall, a closed bottom, an upper opening for removing the welding wire, and a wire coil receiving cavity in the outer packaging for receiving the wire coil, , The feed end and the back end can be positioned near the top opening. A wire retaining ring is disposed on the top end of the coil in the container and the other container. The wire retaining ring includes a discontinuous inner ring having an inner radius and an inner gap. The outer ring has an outer radius greater than the inner radius, and the outer ring is disposed substantially concentrically with respect to the inner ring. The plurality of spokes extend radially from the inner ring to the outer ring, respectively, and the plurality of spokes intersect the outer ring to create a plurality of segments along the circumference of the outer ring. The plate extends radially from the inner ring to the outer ring, and the plate includes a slot having a slot width. The slot forms a discontinuity in the inner ring and extends from the inner ring in a circular arc to a position radially inward of the outer ring. The slot is disposed at a position that replaces one of the plurality of spokes, and the rear end of the wire is positioned within the slot. The rear end of the wire is positioned closer to the outer ring than the inner ring and / or the spokes are bent at an approximately 90 degree angle upward from the outer point of the outer ring and / or the height of the horizontal plane of the inner ring If the height of the horizontal plane of the discontinuous middle ring is substantially equal to the height of the horizontal plane and / or the height of the horizontal plane of the outer ring is substantially equal, especially if the spokes are generally angled upwardly from the outer ring to the inner ring, Is greater than the discontinuous intermediate ring to the discontinuous inner ring from the outer ring to the discontinuous inner ring. In another embodiment it is also particularly preferred if the rear end of the first coil of wire is located closer to the outer wall than the inner wall and / or the outer wall extends upward at an angle of approximately 90 degrees to the flat body.

In another embodiment, a system is employed to package and uncoil the coils of the welding wire to allow uninterrupted flow of the welding wire from one vessel to another vessel. The welding wire coil includes a coil top portion and a coil bottom, wherein the feed end of the welding wire extends from the coil top portion and the trailing end of the wire extends from the coil bottom and the trailing end of one container can be coupled to the feed end of another container have. The system includes at least two containers each comprising at least one vertically extending sidewall, a closed bottom, an upper opening for removing the welding wire, and a wire coil receiving cavity in the outer packaging for receiving the wire coil, And the feeding end and the rear end can be positioned near the upper opening. A wire retaining member is disposed on the top end of the coil of the container and the other container. The wire holding member includes a flat main body having a peripheral portion, an outer wall extending upwardly from the periphery of the main body, an upper wall extending from the main body and defining an opening in the center of the main body, and a slot having a slot width, Forming a discontinuous portion and extending in an arc shape from the inner wall to a position radially inward of the outer wall. The rear end of the first coil of wire is positioned within the slot.

In yet another embodiment, a wire retaining ring configured to rest on the top end of a wire coil has an inner ring having an inner radius, an outer ring having an outer radius greater than the inner ring and substantially concentrically disposed with respect to the inner ring, And a plurality of spokes extending radially from the inner ring to the outer ring, respectively. The plurality of spokes intersect the outer ring to create a plurality of segments along the circumference of the outer ring. The plate extends radially from the inner ring to the outer ring. The plate includes a slot having a slot width, the slot forming a discontinuity in the inner ring and extending in a circular arc from the inner ring to a position radially inward of the outer ring. The slot is disposed at a location that replaces one of the plurality of spokes and the plate further includes a tab extending partially across the slot at a location proximate to the discontinuity of the inner ring.

This brief description is provided to select a simplified form of the concept described further herein. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the subject matter claimed. Moreover, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages mentioned in any part of this disclosure.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which specific embodiments of the invention and the further advantages are illustrated, as will be described in more detail in the following description. In the drawing:
1 is a perspective view of an endless bulk wire system including a wire retaining ring that positions the leading edge of the wire from the coil in a position that mitigates the risk of entanglement.
2 is a plan view of a wire coil having a wire retaining ring.
3 is a front view of a wire coil having a first embodiment of a wire retaining ring;
4 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a wire retaining ring.
5 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a wire retaining ring.
6 is a front view of a second embodiment of a wire retaining ring.
7 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a wire retaining ring.
8 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a wire holding member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments or implementations of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. This embodiment relates to a wire retention ring adapted to reduce the possibility of entanglement of the feed end and the back end by moving the rear end out of the center of the wire coil. To this end, the wire retaining ring is disposed at the upper end of the wire coil and includes a slot extending radially outwardly from the center of the ring to the outer periphery of the wire coil to position the rear end. Although hereinafter illustrated and described in the context of various exemplary welding systems, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments.

More specifically, the present embodiment relates to an unshielded bulk wire container arrangement, wherein the first container houses a wire coil including a coil top portion and a coil bottom, the feed end of the coil being located at an opening in the center of the coil . The trailing end from the coil is also drawn from the center of the coil, thereby creating a potential entanglement risk between the feed end and the trailing end during the wire feeding operation. This embodiment relates to a wire retention ring that is employed to reduce the possibility of entanglement between wire ends by moving the rear end out of the center of the wire. To this end, the wire retaining ring is disposed on the upper end of the wire coil and includes a slot extending radially outward from the center of the ring to the outer periphery of the wire coil. In this manner, when the container is opened, the trailing end can be manually positioned with the corner of the container without raising the risk of entanglement radially outward in the slots formed in the retaining ring. The trailing end may be connected to a coil in a different vessel to provide an unrestricted supply of wire to the welder. This structure can be repeatedly implemented if it is appropriate to effectively provide unauthorized supply of wire to the welding system.

Figure 1 illustrates a coil system that facilitates the supply of stepless wire for delivery to a welding system, such as an electric or arc welder. The present embodiments relate to a plurality of wire coils interconnected to facilitate transport of welding wire to a welding system and to mitigate entanglement or other situations that may occur when the wire is unwound from the coil. The first vessel 102 is adjacent to the second vessel 104 and the first vessel 102 receives the wire coil 106 and the second vessel 104 receives the wire coil 108. Coils 106 and 108 include a predetermined amount of welding wire wound to form a hollow body having a ring-shaped cross section. In Figure 1, the vessels 102, 104 have a plurality of walls disposed within the vessel to mitigate movement of the coils during shipping or other transport. The first wire coil 106 has a feed end 118 that is unwound with a welding system or other suitable receiving component. The trailing end 122 is welded, fused, or otherwise connected to the feed end 124 of the second coil at point 142.

The first container 102 and the second container 104 are positioned in parallel so that the wire is fed from the container 102 and then automatically switched to feed the wire from the container 104. [ After the wire in the vessel 102 has run out, the wire in the vessel 104 is then pulled from the second vessel ultimately moved to the position of the first vessel and the empty position of the second vessel is moved to the next source of coil wire It is filled by. The two wires are joined (e.g., through standard butt welding) to create an endless welding wire. Is used to mean that the trailing end of the wire in the first vessel 102 is coupled to the feed end 124 of the second coil 108 of wire in the second vessel 104 Which means that at least two vessels are present in the installation. Similarly, the trailing end 126 of the second coil 108 of wire may later be coupled to another vessel, and so on.

The containers may be circular drums, square carton containers with one or more vertical walls, or any container suitable for storage and unloading of the welding wire. 1 includes a welding wire supply in the form of coils 106, 108 having a feed end 118, 124 and a wire with a posterior or aft end 122, 126, respectively. When transported, the trailing end of the coil is loosened and the feeding end is pulled from the coil until it reaches the trailing end at the bottom of the coil. At that time, the trailing end is coupled to the feed end of the next coil to effect automatic switching from one coil to the next. The rear end of the coil 106 is illustrated as starting from the bottom 152 of the coil 106 to illustrate the placement of the rear end of the coil when the vessel is shipped. Thus, when the coil 106 is depleted, the last portion of the coil pulled from the vessel is the posterior or posterior end 122. This portion is the end that ultimately couples to the feed end of the next coil when the coil 106 is replaced by a coil 108 that is depleted and displaced to the position of the first (empty) vessel 102.

The wire coil 106 further includes a feed end 118 extending between the upper end portion 150 and the coil 106 and a rear end portion 122 extending from the wire coil 106 near the coil bottom 154 do. Feed end 118 is fed from the coil center into a welding operation. The trailing end 122 is positioned to extend from near the floor across the bottom of the coil and then onto the wall 172 toward the center of the coil 106. Similarly, the wire coil 108 further includes a feed end 124 that is drawn from the upper end 152 at the center of the coil 106. The trailing end of the second coil is positioned to engage from the bottom 154 of the coil 108 to the next coil disposed when the first coil 106 is depleted. The wire coils 106 and 108 can be any coil known in the art that is wound by any known winding technique in the art and includes a coil bottom positioned at the bottom of the package and an opposing coil top portion . The wire coils 106 and 108 further include a cylindrical outer surface and a cylindrical inner surface extending between the coil bottom and the coil top. Because of the way in which the welding wire is wound on the vessels 102 and 104, the individual corrugations of the wires 106 and 108 can have a natural posture that creates a radial outward force in the coil and produces an upward spring force in the coil . The upward spring force is maintained and controlled by the wire retaining ring 130, which will be discussed in more detail below. The radial outward force of the coils 106, 108 is at least partially controlled by the walls of the vessels 102,

The interior of the vessels 102, 104 is configured to house the wire coils 106, 108, respectively. In one embodiment, the vessels 102, 104 may be of the drum type having a circular cross section. An alternative embodiment incorporates a cube container having four side walls 156 joined together by a floor panel 160. An insert can be added that creates a polygonal boundary that draws the outer periphery of the coil wires 106, Specifically, corner inserts 158 that create octagonal boundaries can be placed vertically in the vessels 102, 104. Although not shown, the vessels 102, 104 may also include inner wrapping components such as vertically extending liner, vapor barrier, retention mechanism, or other welded wire packaging component. Additionally, containers 102 and 104 may be covered by a container lid (not shown) configured to prevent debris and other contaminants from entering each container.

The wire retaining rings 130 are disposed on the upper end of the coil within the vessels 102, 104, respectively. As illustrated in Figure 1, the wire retaining ring 130 includes three concentrically disposed discrete rings, an inner ring 162, a middle ring 164, and an outer ring 166. The inner ring is connected to the middle ring and the outer ring through a plurality of spokes 168 spaced at regular intervals, preferably regularly around the inner ring, as illustrated. The spokes 168 may have an upward extension proximate the inner ring 162 and proximate the outer ring 166. Alternatively or additionally, the spokes 168 may extend beyond the radius of the outer ring 166 to abut (e.g., within a corner) against the inner wall of the vessel 102, 104. The wire retaining ring 130 includes a slot 134 formed by a first slot rail 136 and a second slot rail 138, as shown in FIG. Slots 134 may be placed in place of spokes 168 for structural consistency and are illustrated in Figures 2 and 4 and extend from inner ring 162 to outer ring 166, The ring includes an inner gap 222 and the middle ring includes an intermediate gap 224. [ In one embodiment, the slot 134 is a single slot extending from the inner ring 162 to the outer ring 166. 4, the slot is comprised of a first slot rail 136 and a second slot rail 138 extending from the inner ring 162 to the outer ring 166. As shown in FIG.

4, a connecting element 412 is disposed on the outer ring 166 and the connecting element is connected to a first vertical rail 414 (not shown) for connecting the first slot rail 136 to the first supplemental rail 214 ). The second vertical rail 416 in the connecting element 412 connects the second slot rail 138 to the second supplemental rail 216. In such an arrangement, the trailing end 122 may be moved away from the center of the coil, similar to the first embodiment in which the clear slot structure is employed. However, regardless of the structure of the slot, it is possible to ensure that no entanglement occurs and to allow the trailing end to move from the trailing end 122 to the feed end of a different coil (e.g., to allow for a simplified connection to the feed end 124) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > loosely < / RTI > In this manner, the rear end 122 from the first wire coil 106 can be placed and held in a position away from the center of the wire coil 106. While the feed end of the wire 118 is being unwound with a welder or other receiving component, the wire aft end 122 does not interfere with such unwinding to avoid entanglement or other negative consequences of interference between the wire ends. Although the coupling element 412 is illustrated as extending past the periphery of the outer ring 166, the design need not be so limited and the coupling element may be terminated at the perimeter edge or internally.

The two retaining rings 130 can be made from a wide variety of materials including, but not limited to, steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, stainless steel, and brass. Alternatively or additionally, the components within the wire retaining ring 130 may comprise a thermoplastic resin, a thermoset resin, a trimer, and / or a polymer. For example, the polymer of the monoolefin or diolefin may comprise polypropylene, polyisobutylene, polybutene-1, polymethylpentene-1, polyisoprene or polybutadiene, as well as cycloolefins such as cyclopentene or novos High density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) may be used as the binder resin . Mixtures of these polymers such as mixtures of polypropylene and polyisobutylene, mixtures of polypropylene and polyethylene (PP / HDPE) can also be used. Also included are copolymers of monoolefins and diolefins with one another or mixtures thereof with other vinyl monomers such as ethylene / propylene, LLDPE and LDPE, propylene / butene-1, ethylene / hexene, ethylene / ethylene pentene, ethylene / (Meth) acrylate, ethylene / vinyl acetate (EVA) or ethylene / acrylic acid copolymer (EAA) with monoolefins and diolefins in the presence of an olefin / diolefin / octene, propylene / butadiene, isobutylene / isoprene, ethylene / alkyl acrylate, And their salts (ionomers) and the trimer of propylene and a diene such as hexadiene, dicyclopentadiene or ethylidene-norbornene and ethylene; As well as mixtures of such copolymers and mixtures thereof with the abovementioned polymers, such as polypropylene / ethylene-propylene copolymers, LDPE / EVA, LDPE / EAA, LLDPE / EVA and LLDPE / EAA are useful.

The thermoplastic resin can also be selected from the group consisting of styrene polymers such as polystyrene, poly- (p-methylstyrene), poly (alpha-methylstyrene), copolymers of styrene, p-methylstyrene or diene or acrylic derivatives such as styrene / butadiene, styrene / Styrene / alkyl methacrylate, styrene / maleic anhydride, styrene / butadiene / ethyl acrylate, alpha-methyl styrene having styrene / acrylonitrile / methacrylate; Polymers of high impact strength from styrene copolymers and other polymers such as polyacrylates, diene polymers or ethylene / propylene / diene trimer; And block copolymers of styrene such as styrene / butadiene / styrene, styrene / isoprene / styrene, styrene / ethylene / butylene / styrene or styrene / ethylene / propylene / styrene. The styrene polymer may additionally or alternatively be a graft copolymer of styrene or alpha-methylstyrene, such as styrene on polybutadiene, styrene on polybutadiene-styrene or polybutadiene-acrylonitrile; Styrene and acrylonitrile (or methacrylonitrile) on polybutadiene; Styrene and maleic anhydride or maleimide on polybutadiene; Styrene, icrylonitrile and maleic anhydride or maleimide on polybutadiene; Styrene, acrylonitrile and methyl methacrylate on polybutadiene, styrene and alkyl acrylate or methacrylate on polybutadiene, styrene and acrylonitrile on ethylene / propylene / diene trimer, styrene and acrylonitrile on polyacrylate Or polymethacrylates, styrene and acrylonitrile on acrylate / butadiene copolymers, as well as mixtures of the styrene copolymers described above.

Nitrile polymers are also useful. These include homopolymers and copolymers of acrylonitrile and its analogs such as methacrylates such as polyacrylonitrile, acrylonitrile / butadiene polymer, acrylonitrile / acryl acrylate polymer, acrylonitrile / alkyl methacrylate / butadiene ABS, including acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene (ABS), and methacrylonitrile.

Polymers based on acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, methyl methacrylate acid and ethacrylic acid and its esters may also be used. Such polymers include polymethylmethacrylate, and ABS type graft copolymers wherein all or a portion of the acrylonitrile type monomer is replaced by an acrylic acid ester or an acrylamide. Polymers including other acrylic type monomers such as acrolein, meta-acrolein, acrylamide and methacrylamide may also be used.

Halogen-containing polymers may also be used. These include resins such as polychloroprene, epichlorohydrin homopolymers and copolymers, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl bromide, polyvinyl fluoride, polyvinylidene chloride, chlorinated polyethylene, chlorinated polypropylene, fluorinated polyvinylidene, Vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride-ethylene copolymer, vinyl chloride propylene copolymer, vinyl chloride-styrene copolymer, vinyl chloride-isobutylene copolymer, vinyl copolymer-vinylidene chloride Styrene-maleic anhydride trimer, vinyl chloride-styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, vinyl chloride-isoprene copolymer, vinyl chloride-chlorinated propylene copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride-vinyl acetate Include acrylonitrile copolymers and internal plasticized polyvinyl chloride-byte trimer, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid ester copolymer, vinyl chloride-maleic acid ester copolymers, vinyl chloride-methacrylic acid ester copolymers, vinyl chloride.

Other useful thermoplastic polymers include homopolymers and copolymers of cyclic ethers, such as polyalkylene glycols, polyethylene oxides, polypropylene oxides or bis-glycidyl ethers; Polyacetals such as polyoxymethylene and those polyoxymethylenes containing ethylene oxide as a comonomer; Polyacetals modified by ABS containing thermoplastic polyurethane, acrylate or methacrylonitrile; A mixture of polyphenylene oxide and sulfide, and a mixture of polystyrene or polyamide and polyphenylene oxide; Polycarbonate and polyester-carbonate; Polysulfone, polyethersulfone and polyether ketone; And dicarboxylic acids and diols and / or hydroxycarboxylic acids or the corresponding lactones such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, poly-l, 4-dimethylol cyclohexane terephthalate, poly- [ 4- (4-hydroxyphenyl) -propane] terephthalate and polyhydroxybenzene, as well as block copolyether esters derived from polyethers having hydroxyl end groups.

Polyamide-6, polyamide-6/6, polyamide-6/10, polyamide-6/9 < RTI ID = 0.0 > , Copolyamides derived from aromatic polyamides obtained by condensation of polyamide-6/12, polyamide-4/6, polyamide-11, polyamide-12, m-xylene, diamine and adipic acid; Polyamides prepared from hexamethylenediamine and isophthalic acid and / or terephthalic acid and optionally elastomers such as poly-2,4,4-trimethylhexamethylene terephthalamide or poly-m-phenylene isophthalamide may be useful . A poly-olefin, an olefin copolymer, an ionomer, or a chemically bonded or grafted elastomer; Or other copolymers of the aforementioned polyamides with polyethers, such as polyethylene glycols, polypropylene glycols or polytetramethylene glycols, or polyamides or copolyamides modified by EPDM or ABS.

Regardless of the material, the rigidity of the wire retaining ring 130 can be increased by increasing the thickness and / or replacing the materials of the rings 162,164, 166 and the spokes 168 during the unwinding of the welding wire from the wire coils May be varied to minimize deflection or distortion of the ring body. This thickness variation of the components is also proportional to the varying weight that can be used for different welding wire types and sizes. For example, the wire retaining ring 130 may have a weight range that is varied for the gauge of the welding wire, the twist on the welding wire, the welding wire material, and other related factors. In an embodiment, the wire retaining ring 130 has a weight of 1 to 7 pounds which can be calibrated for use with a variety of wires, and different models of wire retention rings have different weights if appropriate. For example, the wire retaining ring 130 may have a total weight of 5 pounds when used on welding wires of a wider gauge, while the wire retaining ring 130 may have a weight of 2 pounds when used on relatively thin gauge welding wires . Addition or removal of spokes and / or changes in material thickness may be employed to achieve the desired weight results. In this manner, the wire retaining ring 130 does not interfere with the unwinding of the wire from the coils 106, 108 by compressing or over-compressing the coil.

2 illustrates a plan view of the wire retaining ring 130 illustrating the configuration of the inner ring 162, the intermediate ring 164, and the outer ring 166. As shown in FIG. As shown, the discontinuous rings are concentrically disposed with respect to each other and are connected together through a plurality of spokes 168. Although only a single intermediate ring 164 is shown, substantially any number of intermediate rings may be employed, including removal of the intermediate ring if appropriate for each application. As shown, the trailing end 122 is shown exiting the slot 34 and disposed at a point remote from the inner ring. The feed end 118 is unwound from the coil 106 through an inner ring into a receiving component, such as a welding system.

3 illustrates the height of the horizontal planes defined by the rings in the wire retaining ring 130. FIG. The inner ring 162 is shown raised relative to the intermediate ring 164 and outer ring 166 to allow flexibility in the unwinding of the feed end 118 from the coil 106. The height of the inner ring 162 with respect to the middle ring and outer ring can be varied and can be the same as the inner ring and outer ring in various solids or lower than the inner ring and outer ring. The height of the intermediate ring 164 relative to the outer ring 166 is substantially even. When the height of the inner ring 162 is higher than that of the middle ring 164 and the outer ring 166, the slot 134 can be inclined upward toward the inner ring. This arrangement can facilitate the unwinding of the wire from the coils upwards and out of each vessel through the inner ring.

5 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a wire retention ring showing a wire retention ring 500. FIG. The wire retaining ring 500 includes a discontinuous inner ring 502, a discontinuous intermediate ring 564 and an outer ring 566 that are axially aligned concentrically with respect to one another. The inner ring 562 has a radius A, the middle ring has a radius B, the outer ring has a radius C, the radius C is greater than the radius B, and the radius B is greater than the radius A. [ In addition, the height of the horizontal plane defined by the inner ring is higher than the height of the outer ring to accommodate the wire drawn upward from the center of the inner ring 562. The height of the intermediate ring 564 is substantially the same as the outer ring 566. The height of the inner ring 562 with respect to the intermediate ring 564 is shown in Fig.

A plurality of spokes 568 provide structural support, additional weight to the wire retaining ring 500 and extend from the inner ring 562 to the outer ring 566 to maintain position within the container. Because the spokes are connected to the respective rings 562, 564 and 566, the spokes are angled substantially upwardly from the outer ring toward the inner ring due to the height of the inner ring relative to the outer ring 566 and the middle ring 564 . In one example, the wire retaining ring 500 has eight spokes 568 extending radially from the inner ring 562 to the outer ring 566, respectively, as shown in this embodiment. In a container having eight corners (e.g., at the intersections of eight vertical walls as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), each spoke 568 may be configured to mitigate lateral movement of the wire retention ring 500 within the vessel In the corner. The length of the spokes may be less than, substantially equal to, or greater than the radius C. In one embodiment, the spokes 568 are longer than the radius C. [ The spokes 568 intersect the outer ring to create a plurality of segments having an arc length 592 along the outer ring 566. Because the spokes are arranged at substantially equal offset angles around the outer ring, the segment distance between the spokes has a substantially uniform arc length 592. [ The spokes 568 have an inner end 582 and an outer end 584 and the distal ends 582 and 584 are bent upward at an angle of approximately 90 degrees. This feature can also alleviate the risk of entanglement of the wire by the retaining ring (500).

A wire slot 534 is formed by a first slot rail 526 and a second slot rail 528 extending from the inner ring 562 all the way to the outer ring 566. The wire slot 534 is generally disposed at a location that replaces the spokes 568 to maintain general structural integrity and has an inner gap 572 in the inner ring to allow continuous slots outwardly from the inside of the wire- An intermediate gap 574 is formed in the intermediate ring. In an embodiment, the width of the inner gap 572 is less than the width of the middle gap 574. It should be noted, however, that the inner gap 572 may have a width that is substantially any size relative to the middle gap 574. [ With the wire slot 534 the user can move the rear end of the wire (e.g., the wire) to a point near the outer ring 566, such as between the middle ring 564 and the outer ring 566, The rear end 122) out of the inner ring 564. [ On the other hand, the feeding end of the wire is drawn out from the inner ring by a welding operation. When the coil is depleted from the top to the bottom of the coil in the vessel, the wire is drawn upward through the wire slot 534, at which time the rear end is lifted out of the first vessel to be the potential end of the second coil in the second vessel . To enable this endless wire configuration, the trailing end is fused, welded, or otherwise coupled to the potential end of the second coil. Since all of the following coils include a wire retaining ring, the wire can efficiently provide an uninterrupted wire feed to the welding system while mitigating any entanglement associated with the wire.

7 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a wire retention ring 700. FIG. The wire retaining ring 700 includes a discontinuous inner ring 762, a discontinuous intermediate ring 764, and an outer ring 766 that are axially aligned or coaxially axially aligned with one another. The inner ring 762 has a radius A, the middle ring 764 has a radius B, the outer ring 766 has a radius C, the radius C is greater than the radius B, and the radius B is greater than the radius A. In addition, the height of the horizontal plane defined by the inner ring 762 is greater than the height of the horizontal plane defined by the outer ring 766 to accommodate the wire drawn in upward motion from the center of the inner ring. The height of the horizontal plane defined by the inner ring 764 is substantially the same as the horizontal plane defined by the outer ring 766.

A plurality of spokes 768 provide structural support for the wire retaining ring 700 and additional weight from the inner ring 762 to the outer ring 766 to maintain the position or index of the wire retaining ring 700 within the container. In the radial direction. Because the spokes are connected to the respective rings 762, 764 and 766, the spokes are angled substantially upward from the outer ring toward the inner ring due to the height of the inner ring relative to the outer ring 766 and the middle ring 764 . In one example, the wire retaining ring 700 has seven spokes 768 that extend radially from the inner ring 762 to the outer ring 766, respectively, as shown in this embodiment. In a container having eight corners (e.g., at the intersection of eight vertical walls as shown in Figures 1 and 2), each of the spokes 768 extends laterally or rotationally within the vessel, In the corner. The length of the spokes may be less than, substantially equal to, or greater than the radius C. In one embodiment, the spokes 768 are longer than the radius C. [ The spokes 768 intersect the outer ring to create a plurality of segments 792 having an arc length along the outer ring 766. Because the spokes 768 are disposed at substantially equal angles around the outer ring 766, the segment 792 has a substantially uniform arc length. The spoke 768 has an inner end 782 and an outer end 784 and the outer end 784 is bent upward at an angle of about 90 degrees. In addition to reducing movement of the ring 700 by the container, these upwardly facing ends 782 and 784 can also mitigate the risk of wire entanglement by the retaining ring 700.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the wire retaining ring 700 also includes a plate 730. Plate 730 extends radially from inner ring 762 to outer ring 766 and is secured to ring 700 at inner ring 762 and outer ring 766. In addition, the plate 730 can also be fixed to the intermediate ring 764. The plate 730 may be secured to the rings 762, 764, 766 by welding, soldering, or other bonding techniques known to those skilled in the art. Plate 730 is provided with a plurality of windows 738 and the member of material provided by the window reduces the amount of surface area of the plate to which the welding wire contacts during unwinding so that the welding wire is received during unwinding from the wire container Thereby reducing the amount of friction.

The plate 730 also includes a slot 734 having a slot width. The slot 734 forms a discontinuity or gap in the inner ring 762 and the intermediate ring 764 and extends radially inward from the discontinuity of the inner ring radially inward of the outer ring 766. The plate 730 is provided with a tab 736 extending partially across the slot 734 at a location proximate the inner gap 764 or discontinuity of the inner ring 762. The tab 736 serves to narrow the slot 734 at the inner ring 762 thereby relieving the trapping or anchoring of the welding wire within the gap 734 during loosening. The tab 736 is provided as a protruding member from one wall of the slot 734 but also that the slot 734 may taper gradually from the outer ring 766 toward the inner ring 762 to achieve the same advantage as the tab (Not shown in Fig. 7). Slot 734 is curved or arcuate and thus extends in an arcuate form from inner ring 762 toward outer ring 766 but may alternatively extend linearly from inner ring 762 toward outer ring 766 Can be extended. The wire slot 734 is generally disposed at a location that replaces the spokes 768 to maintain general structural integrity and has a discontinuity or gap < RTI ID = 0.0 > A discontinuity or gap 774 is formed in the middle ring 764 and in the intermediate ring 764. In an embodiment, the width of the inner gap 772 is less than the width of the middle gap 774. It should be noted, however, that the inner gap 772 may have a width that is substantially any size relative to the middle gap 774. [ The wire slot 734 allows the user to move the distal end of the wire out of the inner ring 762 toward a point near the outer ring 766, such as between the middle ring 764 and the outer ring 766 have. On the other hand, the feeding end of the wire is drawn out of the inner ring 762 by a welding operation. When the coil is depleted from the top to the bottom of the coil in the container, the wire is drawn upward through the wire slot 734, at which time the rear end of the wire is moved out of the first container . To enable this endless wire configuration, the trailing end is fused, welded, or otherwise coupled to the potential end of the second coil. Because all of the following coils can include a wire retaining ring, the wire can efficiently provide an uninterrupted wire feed to the welding system while mitigating any entanglement associated with the wire.

The wire retaining ring 700 can be made of a variety of materials including, but not limited to, steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, stainless steel, brass, as well as the wide variety of metal and plastic materials discussed above.

8 is a top perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a wire retention ring, showing a wire retention member 800. Fig. The wire retaining member includes a substantially flat body 860 having a periphery, an inner wall 862, and an outer wall 866. 8, the periphery of the flat body is octagonal, and such a configuration is designed so that the number of corners 810 of the retaining member 800 is equal to the number of corners of the vessel of the welding wire. When the retaining member 800 is placed in the welding wire container, this arrangement alleviates the lateral or rotational movement of the wire retaining ring in the container during unwinding of the welding wire. Of course, the circular perimeter and other polygonal periphery shapes are also contemplated and can be configured to correspond to the inner shapes of the various welding wire containers. The flat body 860 also includes a plurality of view slots 868 that are provided to allow the user to monitor the height of the welding wire in the vessel when the wire is unwound. The view slots 868 shown in FIG. 8 are equally spaced apart through the flat body and extend in an arc shape from the inner wall 862 toward the outer wall 866, but the slots can also extend straight from the inner wall toward the outer wall, But may be extended to other types of slots.

A tab 836 is provided on the inner wall 862 to extend partially across the slot 834 at a location proximate to the discontinuity of the inner wall 862. The tab 836 serves to narrow the slot 834 at the inner wall 862 thereby relieving the trapping or securing of the welding wire within the gap 834 during loosening. A tab 836 is provided as a protruding member from one wall of the slot 834 but also that the slot 834 may taper gradually from the outer ring 866 toward the inner ring 862 to achieve the same advantage as the tab Is expected.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the inner wall 862 is truncated conical in shape and extends upwardly from a substantially flat body 860. At its upper end, the inner wall 862 defines a hole 850 that is circular in shape and disposed in the center of the flat body 860. When inserted into the container of the welding wire, the hole 850 is oriented so as to be coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the coil of the welding wire. In other words, the hole 850 and the coiled welding wire share a common axis. The outer wall 866 also extends upwardly from the substantially flat body 860 and extends continuously around the periphery of the flat body. 8, outer wall 866 is provided in the form of a plurality of walls that intersect at corner 810, and the number of corners 810 is equal to the number of corners inside the vessel. In such a polygonal configuration, each wall has a wall length 892 and the wall length is substantially equal to the length of the inner wall of the welding wire container.

Instead of one of the view slots 868, a wire slot 834 is provided. The wire slot 834 has a slot width and defines a discontinuity or gap in the inner wall 862. The wire slot 834 extends radially from the discontinuity of the inner wall 862 to a position radially outwardly of the outer wall 866. The slot 834 is curved or arcuate and thus extends in an arc from the inner wall 862 toward the outer wall 866, but may alternatively extend linearly from the inner wall toward the outer wall. The wire slot 834 is generally disposed at a location that replaces the view slot 868 to maintain general structural integrity and the inner gap 872 or discontinuity of the inner wall 862 extends outwardly from the inside of the wire retaining member 800 Are formed to enable continuous slots. With wire slot 834, a user can move the rearward end of the wire out of the inner wall 862 toward a point near the outer wall 866. On the other hand, the feeding end of the wire is drawn out from the inner wall 862 by a welding operation. When the coil is depleted from the top to the bottom of the coil in the container, the wire is drawn upward through the wire slot 834, at which time the rear end of the wire is moved out of the first container . To enable this endless wire configuration, the trailing end is fused, welded, or otherwise coupled to the potential end of the second coil. Because all of the following coils can include a wire retaining ring, the wire can efficiently provide an uninterrupted wire feed to the welding system while mitigating any entanglement associated with the wire.

The wire retaining ring 800 can be made from a variety of materials including, but not limited to, steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, stainless steel, brass, as well as a wide variety of metal and plastic materials as described above.

The foregoing examples are merely illustrative of various possible embodiments of various aspects of the present invention, and equivalents and / or modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification and the accompanying drawings. In particular, the terms used to describe such components (including references to "means") in connection with the various functions performed by the components (assemblies, devices, systems, circuits, etc.) It will be appreciated that any of the disclosed structures for performing the functions in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention and any (non-structural) hardware, software, or combination thereof Are intended to correspond to components. In addition, while particular features of the invention have been disclosed in connection with only one of several embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of another embodiment as would be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application . Also, to the extent that the terms "comprises", "includes", "having", "having", "having", or their derivatives, are used in the detailed description and / It is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the terminology.

The foregoing description discloses the invention, including the best mode, and uses examples to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any device or system and performing any integrated method. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims, if they have structural elements that do not differ from those of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements.

100: system 102, 104: container
106, 108: Coil 118: Feed end
122: rear end 124: feed end
126: rear end 130: retaining ring
134: Slots 136, 138: Slot rails
142: Position 150: Near the top
152: bottom part 154: coil bottom
160: floor panel 162: inner ring
164: intermediate ring 166: outer ring
168: spokes 172: upper wall
214: Replacement Rails 216: Replacement Rails
222: inner gap 224: middle gap
412: connecting element 414: vertical rail
416: vertical rail 500: retaining ring
526: Slot rail 528: Slot rail
534: wire slot 562: inner ring
564: intermediate ring 566: outer ring
568: spoke 572: inner gap
574: intermediate gap 582: inner end
584: outer end portion 592: length
700: retaining ring 730: plate
734: Slot 736: Tab
738: Windows 762: Inner ring
764: Middle ring 766: Outer ring
768: Spoke 772: Gap
774: gap 782: inner end
784: outer end portion 792: segment
800: retaining member 810: corner
834: Slot 836: Tab
850: hole 860: body
862: inner wall 866: outer wall
868: Slot 872: Inner gap
892: Length A, B, C: Radius

Claims

A system (100) for wrapping and unwinding coils (106, 108) of a welding wire to allow uninterrupted flow of welding wire from one vessel to another vessel, the welding wire coil comprising a coil top portion (150) Wherein the feed end of the welding wire extends from the upper end of the coil and the trailing end of the wire extends from the bottom of the coil and the trailing end of one of the vessels extends to the feed end of the other vessel A system that can be coupled,
At least two containers (102, 104) each including at least one vertically extending sidewall, a closed bottom, an upper opening for removing the welding wire, and a wire coil receiving cavity in the outer packaging for receiving the wire coil, ;
Wherein the feed end (188; 124) and the posterior end (122; 126) are positioned near the upper opening, wherein the feed end (188; 124) The wire holding ring
A discontinuous inner ring (162) having an inner radius and an inner gap;
An outer ring (166) having an outer radius greater than the inner radius and substantially concentrically disposed with respect to the inner ring;
At least two spokes (168) extending radially from the inner ring to the outer ring, respectively, and intersecting the outer ring to create a plurality of segments along a circumference of the outer ring; And
And a plate (730) radially extending from the inner ring to the outer ring, the plate including a slot (734) having a slot width, the slot forming a discontinuity in the inner ring, A plurality of spokes extending in an arcuate shape toward a position facing the inward direction and disposed at a position in place of one of the plurality of spokes,
Wherein the trailing end of the first coil of the wire is positioned within the slot.

The system of claim 1, wherein the wire retaining ring further comprises a tab (736) extending partially across the slot at a location proximate to the discontinuity of the inner ring.

3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two vessels each include a number of vertical walls, and the number of spokes is equal to the number of vertical walls.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the vertical walls are connected to each other in an end-to-end configuration at an inner perimeter of each container to produce a number of corners equal to the number of walls, with each spoke being disposed within a corner.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Further comprising a discontinuous intermediate ring (164; 764) disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring, the discontinuous intermediate ring being disposed substantially concentrically axially with respect to the discontinuous inner ring and the outer ring, Wherein the median radius is greater than the inner radius and less than the outer radius.

A system (100) for wrapping and unwinding coils (106, 108) of a welding wire to allow uninterrupted flow of welding wire from one vessel to another vessel, the welding wire coil comprising a coil top portion (150) Wherein the feed end of the welding wire extends from the upper end of the coil and the trailing end of the wire extends from the bottom of the coil and the trailing end of one of the vessels extends to the feed end of the other vessel A system that can be coupled,
At least two containers (102, 104) each including at least one vertically extending sidewall, a closed bottom, an upper opening for removing the welding wire, and a wire coil receiving cavity in the outer packaging for receiving the wire coil, ;
Wherein the feed end (188; 124) and the posterior end (122; 126) are positioned near the top opening, and wherein the wire hold The member,
A flat body having a periphery;
An outer wall extending upwardly from the periphery of the body;
An inner wall extending upward from the body and defining a hole in the center of the body; And
A slot having a slot width, forming a discontinuity in the inner wall, and extending in an arc shape from the inner wall to a position radially inward of the outer wall,
Wherein the trailing end of the first coil of the wire is positioned within the slot.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the wire retaining member further comprises a tab extending partially across the slot at a location proximate to the discontinuity of the inner wall.

8. The system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the welding wire container comprises a plurality of vertical walls, respectively, and the number of corners in the outer wall is equal to the number of vertical walls.

9. The container of claim 8, wherein the vertical walls are connected to each other in an end-to-end configuration at an inner perimeter of each container to create a number of corners equal to the number of walls, with each corner of the outer wall being disposed within a corner of the container In system.

10. The system according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the flat body includes a plurality of view slots.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of view slots are spaced at regular intervals from a flat body to a position corresponding to a corner of an outer wall.

A wire retaining ring configured to be disposed on an upper end of a wire coil,
An inner ring having an inner radius;
An outer ring having an outer radius greater than the inner ring and substantially concentrically disposed with respect to the inner ring;
A plurality of spokes each extending radially from the inner ring to the outer ring and intersecting the outer ring to create a plurality of segments along a circumference of the outer ring; And
A plate extending radially from the inner ring to the outer ring
Wherein the plate comprises a slot having a slot width and wherein the slot defines a discontinuity in the inner ring and extends in an arcuate fashion from the inner ring toward a radially inward side of the outer ring, Wherein the plate further comprises a tab extending partially across the slot at a location proximate to the discontinuity of the inner ring.

13. The method of claim 12,
A plurality of spokes each extending radially from the inner ring to the outer ring and each of the plurality of spokes intersecting the outer ring to create a plurality of segments along a circumference of the outer ring, Wherein the wire retaining ring is disposed at a position in place of the retaining ring.

14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the intermediate ring is larger than the inner radius and smaller than the outer radius, the middle ring is disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring, and the intermediate ring is located between the inner ring and the outer ring And is disposed substantially concentrically.