MXPA00006141A - Coded and electronically tagged welding wire - Google Patents

Abstract

Information pertaining to characteristics of metal welding electrode wire and which characteristics are useful in connection with adjusting welding parameters in an arc welding process and/or selecting between operating modes in a welding system are encoded on welding wire and/or on other memory components such as bar code labels and tags, RFID cards and tags, IC cards, and Touch Memory buttons, and the memory device is scanned prior to and/or at the point of use of the welding wire for enabling tracking of product distribution, manual and/or automatic selection of an operating mode for the welding system, manual and/or automatic adjustment of welding parameters in a given operating mode, consumables inventory, and the like.

Description

WELDING WIRE CODED AND MARKED ELECTRONICALLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the technique of welding and, more particularly, to the coding of metal welding wire with information pertaining thereto, and to the control of automatic and semi-automatic welding apparatus and processes. in the information extracted from the coded welding wire or from other electronically readable storage devices with information pertaining to a given welding wire The present invention is particularly applicable to the coding and use of coded input metal wire and other electronically readable storage devices in relation to the control of automatic or semi-automatic arc welding apparatuses and processes based on the information pertaining to the welding wire Accordingly, the invention will be described with reference to such information of the welding wire and the storage and use of the same in conjunction with the manual and / or automatic control of a welding process or apparatus. Incorporated here as a reference as background information is Bobeczko's patent 5,692,700, which was granted to the beneficiary of the present application and which describes the provision of a bar code on a cover and / or spool to identify the type and size of the product. welding wire on the reel. Electric arc welding is a complicated process, where the numerous interrelated and unrelated parameters affect the deposition of molten metal to a weld pool to effect a welding operation. One such parameter is the welding wire to be used and, in particular, the information pertaining to it which is useful, for example, to determine the processes and apparatuses in which its use is most suitable and the operation parameters of the processes and / or apparatus for a given wire. Other information, such as the date and time of manufacture, the place of manufacture, and the like, can help track the origin of the wire, if a problem would occur that would require contacting the manufacturer. In addition, information such as alloy type, wire diameter, control numbers, lubrication levels, and the like is valuable in controlling a given process or apparatus to optimize welding performance and quality. In particular, the quality of automated welding is significantly affected by variations in the diameter of the welding wire, which can vary by +/- 0.001 inches (0.0254 mm) and still be within the specifications of the welding wire, and such variation can change the deposition rate by up to six percent for a wire with a diameter of 0.035 inches (0.889 mm). The welding wire is pulled, and such variations in diameter result from an effort by the manufacturer to fully extend the life of a die beginning with the die that produces a wire with a slightly smaller size within a given specification. The matrix wears progressively during production, so the size of the wire increases gradually and eventually becomes oversized with respect to the specification. Although it is possible to tightly control the wire diameter during production, such as by frequent replacement of the dies, such production for most practical processes is economically unacceptable. Another major factor affecting the quality of the weld is the variation in the proportion of gases from higher to lower in the protective gas mixture for GMAW or MIG welding. The variation of the gas ratio smaller than a given standard, therefore, can significantly alter the heat input and thus the size, shape and quality of the weld.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, the information pertaining to the metal welding wire of the preceding character is magnetically encoded on it and / or on other electrically or electronically readable devices or components, such as RFID cards or tags. (identification of radio frequency), labels or strips of 5 paper with barcodes, ROM, plates or IC boards (integrated circuits), Touch Memory buttons, and the like. Touch Memory is a registered trademark of the Dallas Semiconductor Corporation of Dallas, Texas. The information pertaining to the wire of The weld can be in a number of different categories, including, for example, generic or fixed information such as the name of the product and / or brand, type of packaging, and the like, and information relevant to the welding wire wound on a given spool. or in a given barrel, such as The chemical composition of the alloy thereof, the weight and / or length of the wound wire, the date, time and location at which the wire was manufactured, the personnel responsible for the manufacturer, and the like. Another category may be variable information such as the diameter of the wire in places there, the surface condition of the wire, winding or twisting conditions, lack of wire roundness, location of anomalies such as fractures in the wire, globular fracture to voltage sputtering, personnel changes during manufacturing, Y similar. In addition to coding the information of the previous character, at the time of the manufacture of the wire, it was also contemplated in accordance with the invention that there may be a backup of information to be registered at the time of using the wire, such as the date and time of use to allow keeping a record of Use, and the amount used to allow the identification of a place in the coil in relation to the initial and terminal ends of the wire. The coded information may be extracted before use and / or in connection with the use of the wire in given welding apparatus. When removed before use, the information allows an operator to manually make the necessary preliminary adjustments of the control system for the welding apparatus to obtain optimum performance thereof, and / or to select between two or more modes of operation. With respect to the coding of information pertaining to the diameter of the wire, for example, the diameter may be coded at predetermined intervals along the length of the wire when it is being manufactured, and the extraction of such information before the start of the operation. of the apparatus allows the operator to adjust the process parameters or anticipate time in the process where a parameter such as the feed rate of the wire to the device needs to be adjusted, to maintain a desired deposition speed in response to diameter variations throughout the length of the wire. When the encoded information is extracted from the wire or other storage device in connection with the operation of the welding apparatus, the extracted information can be used to automatically configure the control system by adjusting an appropriate parameter or parameters to optimize the operation of the apparatus, or to automatically switch between different operating modes of the apparatus, such as the arc welding and pulse arc welding modes mentioned above. Such modes of operation are given by way of example only, and many other modes of operation may be selected from each other, depending on the particular welding apparatus and / or process with which the principles of the present invention are used. Similarly, the parameter of the wire feed speed is given as an example only, and it will be appreciated that many other parameters can be controlled and / or adjusted using the principles of the present invention such as, the arc voltage, arc current, wave shape, length or arc separation, and gas flow rate to name a few. Preferably, the coding on the welding wire or on or in other information storage devices is achieved when the welding wire is removed during the manufacturing process and, in connection with the coding information on the welding wire, This can be achieved by imparting magnetic impulses on it. The coding on the wire can also be done by Manchester coding or MFM (modulated frequency modulation) and at the point of use, the coded information can be read from the wire such as by using the Hall effect, the coil technology of inductive uptake or a magnetoresistive method, after of which the code is deciphered and the information extracted is visually inspected such as on a video screen, and / or registered and / or transmitted to the welding apparatus to achieve the above control or switching functions. When the wire is read in conjunction with the In the operation of the welding apparatus, the reading can take place, for example, in the wire feed device. As mentioned above, the desired information pertaining to the electrode wire can also be be encoded on a Touch Memory button, or on an RFID card or mark, or a bar code label or tag that would be scanned at the location of the welding apparatus by the appropriate electronic reading devices. A Touch Memory button is an integrated memory chip, semiconductor, enclosed in a stainless steel basket 7 ^ &r¿. ^^ V - ís'-at. ^ w measuring, for example, approximately 16 millimeters in diameter and having a height between approximately three and six millimeters. This can be mounted by means of an adhesive or otherwise on an object, such as a spool or barrel of welding wire and can be read or written in response to a momentary contact. The integrated microcircuit of memory is stimulated by a five-volt signal through a single contact with the wire and the ground. An RFID system is similar in application to bar code technology, but uses radio frequency instead of optical signals. The system comprises two main components, namely a reader and a label or memory card, and those components work together to provide a type of contactless information retrieval. In this regard, the reader produces a magnetic field of radio frequency, which is transmitted from the reader by an antenna, and the RFID card contains an antenna which receives the signal from the magnetic field of the reader and an integrated circuit which comprises the incoming signal to an electrical form. The content of the integrated circuit memory is transmitted as an electromagnetic signal back to the reader where the signal is converted back into an electrical form, after which the data is decoded and transmitted to a central computing system. RFID systems can read only or read / write, and the tag can be active or passive. An active label includes a battery to produce a stronger electromagnetic signal back to the reader, which increases the size of the transmission distance between the label and the reader, and RFID systems do not require direct contact with or an observation line Direct with the reader and are very suitable for use in harsh environments. In contrast, barcode and Touch Memory systems require. a relatively clean environment, because they depend on the optical contact and direct with the codified component of the system. Regardless of the storage system used, the scanning of the stored information can take place either before or in connection with the operation of the welding apparatus to facilitate the manual or automatic previous adjustment of the apparatus and thus the welding process to provide manually or automatically a welding procedure commensurate with the characteristics of the electrode. Again, such coded information allows manual or automatic adjustment of the apparatus before and / or during the operation thereof to, for example, compensate for variations in the characteristics of the electrode. Additionally, the stored information preferably includes relevant data to track, distribute the product, use and the like, which can be retrieved at any time to maintain corresponding records, including, at the point or points of use, an inventory of the amount of wire available. In consecuense an outstanding object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for controlling the operation of electric arc welding processes using consumable welding wire based on coded information pertaining to the wire and extracted at the point of use to select between modes of operation and / or control operation of a welding process based on the information extracted. Another object is to provide a method and a system of the above character in which the operating parameters of the welding apparatus can be adjusted during the operation thereof in response to extracted information pertaining to the wire and / or welding apparatus which can change between different modes of operation based on the information extracted. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for encoding metal welding wire with information pertaining to characteristics thereof and / or with information pertaining to the operating parameters of a welding process with which the wire can be used.

Still another object is to provide a welding wire having magnetically encoded information on it belonging to it. Another object is to provide an information storage system for the welding wire by which a wire manufacturer can track wire production and inventory finished products and through which a wire consumer can track the use and inventory of wire. unused material Still another object is to provide a system for encoding information related to a welding wire that allows error detection by a consumer to prevent the use of the wrong welding wire in connection with a particular welding process. Still another object is to provide a method for controlling an electric arc welding process based on the coded information on the welding wire used in the process. A further object is to provide a system for controlling the operation of the electric arc welding apparatus based on the information encoded on the welding wire used with the apparatus. Still another object is to provide a method for operating an electric arc welding process in one of two modes of operation and switching between the modes based on the coded information on the welding wire used in the process or coded in or on devices of electronically readable storage separated from the wire per se. A further object is to provide an improved method for maintaining an inventory of consumables in connection with an arc welding process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above objects, and others, will be partly obvious and partly more fully indicated hereinafter in conjunction with the written description of the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 schematically illustrates the apparatus for magnetically printing coded information on the wire of a metal welding electrode; FIGURES 2A and 2B illustrate different magnetic impressions of magnetic pulses on the electrode wire using the apparatus of FIGURE 1; FIGURE 3 schematically illustrates the information encoded on the wire using the Manchester coding technology; FIGURE 4 schematically illustrates the information encoded on the wire in the form of magnetic pulses of different pulse widths; FIGURE 5 schematically illustrates the information encoded on the wire in the form of magnetic pulses of different frequency; FIGURE 6 schematically illustrates the apparatus for magnetically printing a binary code on the wire of a welding electrode; FIGURE 7 schematically illustrates the information encoded on the wire in the form of magnetic pulses having different binary values; FIGURE 8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the electric arc welding apparatus having different modes of operation and the bar code and other reading and deciphering components for changing the apparatus between the modes of operation; FIGURE 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the use of code reading and deciphering components to control the operating parameters of the welding apparatus; FIGURE 10 is an elevation view from one end of a spool of welding wire provided with a bar code to provide information pertaining to the welding wire wound on the spool; FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of a portion of a flange of the end of a weld wire spool illustrating an RFID mark thereon to provide information pertaining to the wire on the spool; FIGURE 12 is a block diagram similar to that in FIGURE 8 and schematically illustrates the control of the welding apparatus using the encoded devices, including a barcode, RFID tag and Touch button Memory; FIGURE 13 is an elevation view, in section, illustrating the relationship between an RFID tag on a weld wire spool and the tag reader; FIGURE 13A is an elevation view, in section, amplified, of the portion of the reel in FIGURE 13 on which the RFID mark is mounted; FIGURE 13B schematically illustrates the functions of transmitting and receiving signals from the reader and the tag; FIGURE 14 is an elevation view, in section, of a welding wire spool showing a Touch Memory button mounted on the central part thereof; FIGURE 15 is an elevation view, in cross section, of the spool, taken along line 15-15 in FIGURE 14; FIGURE 16 schematically illustrates the read / write circuit between the Touch Memory button, the welding wire and the Touch Memory array controller shown in Figures 14 and 15; FIGURE 17 is an enlarged illustration of the Touch Memory button of the welding wire and schematically illustrates the read / write circuit; FIGURE 18 is a block diagram showing the encoding of the information to a memory device; FIGURE 19 schematically illustrates data encoding in an RFID tag applied to a barrel for storing the welding wire; and FIGURE 20 schematically illustrates a system RFID in connection with the control of a welding process and the maintenance of inventory management with respect to the electrode wire and the protective gas used in the process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, where what is shown is intended to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention only and not the purpose of limiting the invention, Figure 1 illustrates a section of welding wire of metal, which is of an indeterminate length and, in connection with the manufacture thereof, is extracted and rolled onto a spool or spool. In use, as will become apparent hereinafter, the spool is mounted on the welding apparatus in association with a wire feeding device by which the wire is released from the spool and fed to the welding station of the apparatus. As the wire is pulled in connection with the manufacturing process, it moves along a path as indicated by the arrow P in Figure 1 and, according to the present invention, in relation to the coding unit 10 provided along the path and including a writing component 12 in a coding station S along the path P. In this embodiment, the writing component 12 is shown as an inductor coil having adjacent ones, portions of the coil wound upside down adjacent portions 12a and 12b, which the wire W passes as it moves along the path P, and the coding unit 10 further includes a switch 14 for connecting and disconnecting the inductor coil with a suitable AC power source designated by the lines Ll, L2 and L3 through a rectifier 16. A code to be imparted on the wire W is stored in a coding component 18 of the unit encoder 10, and the latter includes, in addition, a counter 20 which, as will be evident hereinafter, sets the time between the sequential codes printed on the wire W, and an oscillator 22 which provides a timer for driving the counter 20. The encoder 18 provides a predetermined information menu and, preferably, information pertaining to the wire in addition to the information in the encoder 18 may be coded on a wire at selected time during the manufacturing process with respect to a given coil of wire feeding such additional information through the encoder 18 via a selectable operable writing device 23. Such additional information may, for example, be information pertaining to variables and / or anomalies that occur during the manufacturing process, such as variations in the diameter of the wire and its surface condition, a fracture or fractures in the wire, a change in the personnel that operates the production machinery, and the like. The information that is stored in the encoder 18, on the other hand, is information that does not vary in relation to a given production course and that, consequently, may include information such as the name and place of the manufacturer, a product designation, a specific wire diameter, the composition of the electrode and the like. A controller 24 detects the movement of the wire along the path P and operates to control the interruption and start of the coding unit so that the latter is active only when the wire W is moving along the path P. The operator 24 also operates to provide input to the encoder 18 to print the encoded information on a wire in relation to tracking the wire between the start and end ends thereof and to allow, for example, providing preset length intervals along the wire to which the diameter of the wire is to be determined and recorded. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the coding unit 10 operates to print magnetic pulses on the wire in response to the output of the encoder 18 through the line 26 to the switch 14 and through which the switch is operated to connect the coil 12. to the power supply 16. As will be appreciated in Figures 2A and 2B, the opposite configuration of the portion of the coil 12a and 12b relative to another provides the magnetic impression on the wire to have fields in which they produce flow expansion Magnetic flow to facilitate the reading of the coded information of the wire. The poles must be aligned in a sequence of N-SS-N or a sequence of S-NN-S, and with the portions of the coil wound upside down as shown in Figure 1, it will be appreciated that the sequences depend on the direction flow of the current through the coil 12. Although only a single coil having portions of the coil wound upside down in Figure 1 is shown, the expansion of the flow can be achieved using two coils. In the embodiment of Figures 1-5, the coded information printed on the wire W is one or more sequentially printed magnetic pulses that provides code segments which, Figures 3-5, are designated by the numbers 1, 3, 2 and 5. It will be appreciated that each of these segments represents a different bit of information with respect to the wire W. As will be appreciated from the previous description of Figure 1, the counter 20 activates the encoder 18 based on the timing of the oscillator 22 and sets the time and thus the distance d between the printed code segments sequentially, and the switch 14 is turned on and off according to the output of the encoder 18 through the line 26 to print the pulse or magnetic pulses of each segment, as well as to provide the distance d between the segments. Preferably, the information printed on the wire of each encoder 18 and / or writer 23 is sent simultaneously from the encoder 18 through the line 27 and encoded in a memory device 28 such as a Touch Memory button, label or RFID card , or label or barcode label. Figure 3 shows a code printed on the W wire by the Manchester coding technique and comprised of code segments 30, 32, 34 and 36, respectively comprised of 1, 3, 2 and 5 transitions from one magnetic polarity to the other , so it will be appreciated that the different numbers of transitions in each code segment represent a different information bit belonging to the electrode W. Figure 4 shows a code comprised of segments 40, 42, 44 and 46 each comprised of a magnetic pulse having different pulse width in the direction of movement of the wire electrode. Based on the unit width of 1 for segment 40, the segments 42, 44 and 46 respectively are multiples of the unit width in 3, 2 and 5. Again, each code segment represents a bit of different information with respect to the welding wire . In Figure 5, the code segments 48, 50, 52 and 54 are shown as magnetic pulses having different frequencies as represented by the designations fl, f3, f2 and f5. Again, the different segments represent different bits of information belonging to the welding wire.

Figure 6 illustrates an arrangement for printing a plurality of magnetic code segments on a weld wire and where the segments have different binary values such as different binary numbers. A number of component parts of the coding array shown in Figure 6 correspond to those in the array shown in Figure 1, whereby the corresponding components are designated in Figure 6 by the same numbers shown in Figure 1. In the embodiment of Figure 6, the coding unit 10A • comprises the encoder 56, the binary counter 58 and the clock 60, and a series of code storage components 62, 64, 66 and 68 which store, respectively, binary codes A, B, C and D to be printed on the welding wire. The coding unit 10A is activated in response to the movement of the wire along the path P by motion detecting device 24 in the manner described above in relation to Figure 1 and, when activated, operates to print on the binary codes A , B, C and D on the wire as described in Figure 7. In this respect in particular, the clock 60 determines the space d between the code segments and the counter 58 activates the sequence output of code segments A, B , C and D of the encoder 56 to the switch 14 for printing on the wire W. In addition, as described in connection with Figure 1, the sensor 24 provides input to the encoder 56, which allows the printing of the tracking information on the wire. As with the code segments of Figures 3-5, each of those segments A, B, C and D represents an information bit belonging to the welding wire W. In this regard, and by way of example only, the code binary A can identify the manufacturer's location and / or fabrication, and binary codes B, C, and D can identify non-variable characteristics of the wire, which are relevant to operating the welding apparatus, to obtain the highest quality work and performance Optimum of the apparatus and that, in this regard, can identify the wire alloy, the specified diameter of the wire and the welding procedure suitable for a specific wire diameter. Again, codes A, B, C, and D provide a predetermined menu of information for encoding the welding wire, and additional information and / or other information pertaining to the W wire that can be encoded thereon through the use of the writing device. 23 in the manner and for the purpose set forth with respect to this in connection with the description of Figure 1. Likewise, it will be appreciated that the information printed on the wire W can be recorded simultaneously on a memory device 28 as described here before Figure 8 schematically illustrates the manner in which the operating conditions and / or the different modes of operation in an electric arc welding process can be controlled in accordance with the coded, stored information pertaining to a welding wire electrode to be used in the process. More particularly in this regard, Figure 8 illustrates, by way of example, an electric arc welding system that includes a welding station to which the electrode wire W is fed from a spool 70 and to which the electrode and a workpiece 72 are connected to an energy supply 74. More particularly in this respect, the wire of the electrode W passes through a contact sleeve 76 connected to a power supply 74 by a line or cable 78. , and the work piece 72 is connected to the power supply by the line 80. To determine the actual arc voltage Va, a voltage detecting device 82 is provided in series with the lines 78 and 80 and has an output line 84. to direct the arc voltage signal to a comparator 86 for the purposes set forth hereinbefore. In Figure 8, the welding system is shown as having a plurality of operating conditions, including different modes of operation, which are controlled in accordance with the present invention as set forth hereinabove, and Figure 8 in conjunction with Figure 9 shows the application of the present invention to the control of the operating conditions in the form of an operation parameter, which can be controlled in conjunction with or independently of the operating modes. Referring first to Figure 8, the welding system is shown, for example purposes only, to be operated to a spray arc mode through a spray arc controller 88, in a pulse arc mode to through a pulse arc controller 90, and in a splash mode through a splash voltage controller 92. Each mode controller operates through a system controller 94 to send the corresponding control program to the supply of energy 74 through line 96. More particularly in this regard, each of the controllers 88, 90 and 92 is operable to send a signal to the system controller 94 through the corresponding output line 88a, 90a and 92a, signal which corresponds to the coded information pertaining to the electrode suitable for the corresponding mode of operation. The encoded information pertaining to the electrode wire on the reel 70 is fed to the system controller 94 through the line 98 / y / or a line 10 and / or a line 101. The lines 98 and 100 are respectively associated with a device of reading and decoding 102 for reading magnetically printed coded information on the wire W, and a reading and decoding device 104 for reading, without contact, coded information on a memory device 106 which, although shown as a brand or RFID card , it could be a bar code or similar. The line 101 is associated with a Touch Memory button 107. The system controller 94 is programmed to compare the encoded information pertaining to the wire to the input signals of the mode controller, and when the input signal of one of the controllers of mode is the same as the input signal belonging to the wire, the system controller operates to connect the controller correspondingly to the power supply 74 so that the welding process operates in accordance with the corresponding mode control program. It should be noted at this point that the absence of magnetic code on the wire or the absence of a memory device 106 or 107 is, for the purposes of the present invention, a code which indicates to the controller 94 that there is no available electrode information. , or otherwise, belonging to the wire W. In accordance with the present invention, the microprocessor controller 94 operates in response to the absence of information pertaining to the welding wire W or to other information pertaining to the operating modes available for changing the welding system to a voltage operating mode in which the voltage of the feedback arc through line 84 to comparator 86 is compared there with reference to the voltage fed thereto through line 109 from a device reference voltage 108 such as a potentiometer. The comparator 86 sends a different signal to the system controller 94 through the line 110, whereby the controller 94 sends a control signal through the line 96 to the enery supply 74 for the subsequent appropriate adjustment of the arc voltage. The reading unit 102 includes a reader 112 having a reading coil 114 through which the wire passes, and it will be noted that the adjacent coil portions of the coil 114 do not have to be oriented to the contrary as the portions do. of the coil of the coder 12 described here in relation to Figure 1. The reading unit includes, in addition, a decoding / decoding component 116 by which the signals corresponding to the coded information extracted from the wire are fed to the microprocessor 94 via the line 98. Preferably, the read / write component 118 is provided at the point of use to receive the signals corresponding to the information extracted from the wire W through the line 120 and to allow a visual and / or printed output of the information. The information relating to the use of the wire, such as the date and time information, the operating personnel and the like, can be fed to the read / write component 118 by a manually operated writing component 122, and a sensor operated for the wire 118 feeds information to the reading / recording component 118 through the line 126 to allow tracking of the amount of wire using, anticipating the location on the spool of the wire of an anomaly such as a wire fracture, places at all along the wire where the adjustment of the process is required to compensate for changes in the diameter of the wire, and the like. In addition, the system controller 94 can write again to the Touch Memory button 107 such as to track the amount of wire used, and the like. Another mode of operation, not shown in Figure 8, could be that of surface tension transfer welding using the STT welder from the Lincoln Electric Company of Cleveland, Ohio. In the STT process, the waveform of the arc current is a controlled parameter and a particular waveform depends on the wire characteristics of the welding electrode. In addition to changing the welding apparatus between different modes of operation as described above in relation to Figure 8, the invention is also applicable to the control of the parameters of the welding process in relation to a given mode of operation of the welding apparatus. Such parameters include, for example, the shape of the wave in relation to the STT welding, the welding wire feed speed, the arc current, the arc voltage, the gas flow rate, the arc separation length and the like. Thus, as will be appreciated from Figure 9, the information belonging to the wire W is extracted by the reader 112 and decoded and decoded in the component 116 can be sent through a line 128 directly to a controller 130 to adjust the corresponding parameter of the welding process. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the information encoded on a memory device 106 or 107 as described above, may be sent from the reading / decoding device 104 directly to a parameter controller 130. Although the above description is with respect to an automatic control of the welding apparatus or process based on the extraction of coded information from the devices including the welding wire, it will be appreciated that the extracted information fed to the reading / recording device 118 can be used by an operator of the apparatus for manually select the appropriate operating mode and / or manually adjust the operating parameters of the process and device. Figures 10 and 11 illustrate spools of welding wire 132 and 132A, respectively, having a flange 134 provided with memory devices of the non-contact type of the character described and discussed above containing the information pertaining to the welding wire on the spool. In the embodiment in Figure 10, the memory device is a bar code in the form of a label 136 securely attached to the rim 134, such as by means of an adhesive bond, and in the embodiment in the Figure 11, the memory device is a brand or button RFID 138 attached to flange 134 and having an attached coil antenna 140. Figure 12 schematically illustrates the use of a bar code 136 of RFID device 138 in connection with the control of the welding system operation mode shown and described herein. previously in connection with Figure 8. Accordingly, the corresponding parts of the welding system illustrated in Figure 8 were designated by the same numbers as in Figure 12, where it will be appreciated that the signal lines 88a, 90a and 92a are respectively connected to the components of the spray arc controller, pulse arc controller and splash voltage controller shown in Figure 8 and that the signal line 109 is connected to the reference voltage component 108 in Figure 8. In the Figure 12, a bar code reader 142 is positioned to read the bar code 136 on the reel 132, which, although not shown with det alle, is in the position mounted on the welding machine. Figure 12 also shows a reader / decoder 144 having an antenna 146 to communicate with the RFID mark 138 which, although not shown for clarity purposes, would be on a wire spool as shown in Figure 11. In addition, Figure 12 shows a Touch Memory button 148 which, as will be apparent hereinafter, can be mounted on a wire spool such as the spool 132 to provide information pertaining to the wire. The reader 142 is connected to the reading / decoding component 144 on the line 150 and the Touch Memory button 146 is connected to the read / decode component on the line 152, whereby the information pertaining to the electrode wire extracted from the memory device The corresponding signal is transmitted to and decoded in the component 144 and then sent through the line 154 to the system controller 94 as a control signal for determining the operation mode of the arc welding system. Again, although not shown, the memory of the reading devices in Figure 12 can operate to control operating parameters in relation to a given mode of operation of the welding process' as described here above with reference to Figure 9. Furthermore, as described in connection with Figure 8, the information extracted from the coded device can be presented and / or printed to allow manual selection of an operation mode and / or manual adjustment of the operating parameters by the operator of the device. welding apparatus. Figure 13 illustrates a reel 132A mounted on a reel support 156, which can be associated with a welding apparatus of a wire feed mechanism associated therewith. As will be appreciated from the above description with respect to Figure 11, the RFID mark 138 is mounted on one of the reel flanges 138 radially outwardly from the axis of rotation of the reel, and a reader 158 for the RFID mark is it is supported adjacent to the spool lip and in a radially outward position relative to the spool holder 156, which provides the reader with alignment with the RFID tag. As will be appreciated from Figures 13, 13A and 13B, and as is well known in connection with RFID memory devices, the reader 158 produces a magnetic field of low level radio frequency transmitted from the reader antenna to the RFID tag as indicated by arrow A in Figures 13 and 13B. The antenna in the RFID mark 138 receives the magnetic field signal from the reader and converts it to an electrical form, by means of which the integrated circuit in the RFID device is powered. The content of the memory in the integrated circuit is then transmitted by the antenna of the RFID tags back to the reader in an altered form of the magnetic field of the reader as indicated by the arrow B in FIGS. 13A and 13B. The electromagnetic signal denotes the data stored in the brand memory. , and the data is decoded and transmitted from the reader via line 160 to the system controller as set forth hereinbefore in relation to Figure 12. As mentioned here above, the Touch Memory 148 button can be mounted on a wire spool for reading and writing information pertaining to the wire on the reel, and Figures 14 and 15 show a structural arrangement for this purpose. More particularly in this regard, the Touch Memory button 148 is mounted in a recess thereof in the central portion 162 of the reel 132, and the W wire wound on the reel includes a remote or internal end Wl placed in electrical contact with the contact or the contact side of the button. As is well known, the contact side of the button is adapted to be brought into contact with a low voltage source of up to five volts and through the ground connection 164 to activate the button memory and, as will be evident here later, the wire W provides the read / write line 152 in Figure 12. More particularly in this regard, as will be appreciated from Figures 16 and 17 of the drawings, the Touch Memory button 148 basically comprises an integrated memory chip, semiconductor, not shown, packaged in a two-piece stainless steel basket having a base 166, which includes a mounting flange that provides ground connection 164, and a touch or contact surface 168 which, as shown in FIG. shown in Figures 15 and 17, is coupled by means of the remote end Wl of the welding wire wound on the spool. The memory button can, for example, be attached to the central part of the spool 132 by a metal mounting component 17, which engages the flange 166 and which, as will be apparent from FIG. 17, then provides ground connection 164 for the memory circuit. As shown in Figure 16, the welding wire W is released from the spool 132 to a welding station WS by an FM wire feeding mechanism, and a central processing unit 172 for the Touch Memory button is operable in conjunction with the system controller 94 for sending a five volt signal to the W wire to activate the Touch Memory button 148 through the wire end Wl and the ground connection 164. After this, the data stored in the button 148 can be read by the processing unit 172 through the line 174 and the processing unit can write again to the button 148 through the line 176. This allows, advantageously, to maintain, for example, a record of the amount of wire used and, in this way, the amount of wire remaining on the spool at any given time. As another example, the data in the memory of the Touch Memory button 148 may include relevant information to locations along the length of the wire in which the welding process will be altered to accommodate, for example, changes in the wire diameter by what, in such places, the controller 94 can make the necessary adjustments through the output line 96. As will be appreciated from Figure 18, the memory device 178, which may be the memory component of an RFID mark or a Touch Memory 148 button, as shown in Figure 18, may be encoded with a variety of data at the time of and in relation to the manufacture of the W wire. As shown in Figure 18, such data may include fixed data. which, for a given welding wire, do not vary from one reel or barrel to the next such as, for example, the name of the manufacturer, product name, brand information / copyright, and the like. Intermittent data that relates to a given weld wire and may vary from one reel or barrel to the next can also be encoded in the memory device, including, the chemical composition of the wire, a specific wire diameter, the date and time of manufacture, place of manufacture and the like. The real-time data that need to be recorded and encoded in the memory device at the time of and in connection with the manufacture of the wire include, for example, the length of the wire on the spool or in the barrel, the actual diameter of the wire in the entire length of the wire, the areas along the length of the wire in which there is a condition of lack of roundness, areas in which the wire is twisted or coiled, the placement or location of anomalies such as a fracture in the wire and the like. As will be appreciated from Figure 18, the last data types are processed in a multiplexer 180, serially arranged and recoded in a recoder 182 and then coded in series in the memory device 178. Additional information that may be encoded in the The memory device for a welding wire given on a reel or in a barrel is related to the welding programs and procedures by which, through the process controller 94, the welding apparatus is controlled to execute a program read from the memory and which may include, for example, the control of process parameters, such as arc voltage, arc current, arc length, gas flow velocity, wire feed speed, globular breaking or by spraying with the voltage and similar. Although the description given here above is with respect to the encoding of information in the memory of a plate or RFID mark or a Touch Memory button to be applied to a spool of welding wire, it will be appreciated as shown schematically in Figure 19, that the data corresponding to what has been described in relation to the Figure 18 can be encoded in the memory device k 178 in relation to the manufacture of the wire W, which is wound in a barrel or drum 184 as opposed to winding on a spool. As mentioned above in connection with Figure 18, the memory device 178 may be the memory component of an RFID tag such as the tag 138 described here above and which, after the wire manufacturing process, would be applied to the drum 184. In connection with the use of the wire drum, the information stored in the memory of the mark 138 can be read by an appropriate reader, if the mark is read / write, it can be written during the use of the wire to maintain a record of the amount of wire left in the drum at any given time. Moreover, although the RFID mark 138 is shown in relation to the drum 184, it will be appreciated from the description herein that the memory device 178 could be the memory component of a Touch Memory button mounted on or in the barrel and that It has appropriate connections for the touch surface and ground connection to access the read / write functions of the same. Figure 20 schematically illustrates the use of RFID tags in relation to the control of a welding process and the maintenance of wire inventories and the use of shielding gas in connection therewith. Although RFID devices are shown, it will be appreciated that the same process control and consumable inventory maintenance can be achieved using Touch Memory devices. More particularly in this regard, Figure 20 schematically illustrates a welding system that includes a system controller 186, a welding wire supply bar 184 having an RFID mark 138 thereon, as described above with reference to to Figure 19, a protective gas tank 188 having an RFID mark 138 mounted thereon, and a welding station WS to which the welding wire and gas are released in connection with the execution of the welding process. The memory component and the RFID mark 138 on the tank 188 includes data related to the amount of gas initially in the tank, and a flow meter 190 that operates during the welding process to send a signal through the line 192 to the system controller 186, which indicates the flow velocity of the gas and thus the amount of gas used. The wire W is fed to the welding station WS through a flow meter 194 which operates during the welding process to transmit a signal through the line 196 to the system controller 186 which indicates the feed rate and in this way the length of welding wire used. The system controller 186 includes a reader 198 for the RFID mark 138 on the gas tank 138, and a reader 200 for the RFID mark 138 on the wire barrel 184. In response to the outputs to the system controller 186 a through the lines 192 and 196, the readers 198 and 200 respectively write the RFID mark 138 on the tank 188 the RFID mark 138 on the barrel 184 to change the corresponding memory so that the latter reflects the use and provides the current quantity of gas and wire in the respective container. In addition, based on the information stored in the memory of the RFID mark 138 on the barrel of wire 184 as described above in relation to Figures 18 and 19, the system controller 186 operates through an output line. 202 to the welding power supply, gas flow control and wire feed devices, not shown, to adjust the wire feed speed, gas flow rate and other welding parameters according to the data in the component of the memory of the RFID mark belonging to the welding wire. further, in connection with Figure 20, an inventory feeding center 204 is provided, with a reader 206 for the RFID mark 138 on a gas tank 188, and a reader 208 for the RFID mark 138 on the wire barrel 184. As indicated by the directional arrows in relation to the reader's antennas, those readers respectively receive data from the RFID tags on the tank 188 and the barrel 184 that reflect the current quantities of gas and wire in the respective receptacles. This information is transmitted to the inventory management center 204, and the information is available from them visually such as on a television screen according to what is indicated by the blocks 210 and / or by impressions according to what is indicated by the block. 212. Although considerable emphasis has been placed here on the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that other embodiments may be devised and that many changes may be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. Accordingly, it should be understood in a distinctive manner that the above descriptive matter should be interpreted only as illustrative of the invention and not as limiting thereof.

Claims (81)

1. A method for magnetically encoding data on a metal welding wire, characterized in that it includes the steps of: a) moving a welding wire along a path; b) providing encoding means along the path, including means in a coding station for printing a magnetic code on the wire to identify information pertaining thereto; and c) activating the coding means to print the code on the wire when the wire moves along the station.

2. The method of compliance with the claim 1, characterized in that the printed magnetic code comprises a plurality of code segments separated in the direction of the path.

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the code segments includes at least one magnetic pulse having a given pulse width in the direction of the path.

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the printed magnetic code includes a plurality of magnetic pulses having different pulse widths in the direction of the path.

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the printed magnetic code includes at least one magnetic pulse having a given frequency.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the printed magnetic code includes at least one binary code.

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the printed magnetic code comprises a first code segment having at least one magnetic pulse having a given pulse width in the direction of the path and a second separated code segment. of the first code segment in such a direction having a different number of pulses than the first code segment, each pulse of the second code segment has a given pulse width.

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the printed magnetic code comprises a first code segment having a magnetic pulse having a first pulse width in the direction of the path and a second code segment separated from the first code segment in such a direction having a magnetic pulse having a second pulse width different from the first pulse width.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the printed magnetic code comprises a first code segment having a magnetic pulse having a first frequency and a second code segment separated from the first code segment in the direction of the path that it has a magnetic pulse that has a second frequency different from the first frequency.

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the printed magnetic code comprises first and second segments of binary code separated in the direction of the trajectory and having different binary values with respect to each other.

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: d) detecting the movement of the wire along the path; and e) activating the encoding means in response to detecting the movement of the wire.

12. The method in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that it also includes the step of registering the identification information on a memory device separated from the welding wire.

The method according to claim 1, characterized in that coding means include an identification information menu belonging to the welding wire and the method includes, in addition, the step of selecting the printing of a code on the information wire of additional identification to the menu information.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that it also includes the step of recording the identification information on a memory device separated from the welding wire.

15. The welding wire having information magnetically encoded thereon, according to the method according to claim 1.

16. A method for controlling an electric arc welding process having a plurality of operating conditions and where a welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and the work piece, characterized in that it includes the steps of: a) providing a stored coded information source belonging to the wire welding to be used in an electric arc welding process; b) explore the stored source to extract the coded information thereof belonging to the wire; and, c) controlling at least one of the plurality of operating conditions of the process according to the information extracted.

The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the operating conditions include first and second modes of operation for the process and the extracted information includes one of the first and second codes, respectively, pertaining to the first and second modes of operation, the method also includes the additional steps of: d) operating the process in the first mode in response to the extracted information that is of the first code; and, e) operate the process in the second mode in response to the extracted information that is of the second code.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the stored coded information source is at least one of a bar code, RFID component, an IC component, and a Touch Memory component.

19. The method according to the claim 16, characterized in that the source of stored coded information is magnetically printed on the welding wire.

The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the scan is for extracting coded information on the wire in the form of at least one code segment from one of a pulse count, a pulse width, a pulse frequency, and a binary value.

The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least two segments having different pulse counts.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least two code segments having different pulse widths.

The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least two code segments having different pulse frequencies.

The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least two code segments having different binary values.

25. The method of compliance with the claim 16, characterized in that the stored coded information source is one of an RFID component, a Touch Memory component and an IC component.

26. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: d) comparing the information extracted with the preselected information; and, e) controlling at least one operation condition based on such comparison.

27. The method of compliance with the claim 26, characterized in that the operating conditions include first and second operating modes for the process and the extracted and preselected information respectively provides first and second codes, the method is characterized in that it also includes the steps of: f) operating the process in the first mode when the first and second codes are the same; and, g) operate the process in the second mode when the first and second codes are different.

28. The method of compliance with the claim 16, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: d) providing the coded information on the welding wire; and, e) explore the advancing wire to extract coded information from the wire.

29. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that it further includes the steps of: d) providing the coded information on a component mounted on a container for the wire; and, e) exploring the component on the container to extract information thereof belonging to the wire.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that the component is one of a bar code, RFID tag and a Touch Memory button.

31. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the welding process is a surface tension transfer process having operating parameters including a shape of the tidal current wave, and adjusting the shape of the wave of the arc current according to the information extracted.

32. A system for controlling an electric arc welding process, wherein a welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and the work piece, characterized in that it comprises, means to provide a source of stored coded information pertaining to the wire, means for scanning the source, sending a signal indicative of the information encoded therein belonging to the wire, and means for controlling the operation of the welding process according to the signal.

33. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that the signal sent is a first signal, means for providing a second signal indicative of the desired information belonging to the welding wire., and comparison means for comparing the first and second signals, the comparison means sends a first control signal when the first signal and the second signal are the same and a second control signal when the first signal and the second signal are different .

34. The system according to claim 33, characterized in that the welding process has first and second modes of operation, and means, which respond to the first and second control signals for the respective process change between the first and second modes. of operation.

35. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that the stored information source is one of the welding wire, an RFID component and a Touch Memory component, and decoding means for receiving and decoding the output signal.

36. The system according to claim 35, characterized in that the welding process has a plurality of operating parameters, the encoded information includes information pertaining to at least one of the parameters, control means for controlling the operation of the process, and the coding means sends a control signal to the control means indicative of the information pertaining to at least one parameter.

37. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that the signal sent is a first signal indicative of a real characteristic of the wire, means for providing a second signal indicative of a desirable characteristic for the wire, and comparison means for comparing the first and second signals and sending first and second control signals, respectively, when the first and second signals are the same and different.

38. The. system according to claim 37, characterized in that the process is operated selectively in a first mode and in a second mode, means responsive to the first and second control signals to change the operation of the process between the first and second modes for the process to operate in one of a first and second modes when the first and second control signals are the same and to operate in the other mode when the first and second control signals are different.

39. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that the welding process is a surface tension transfer process having operating parameters that include the shape of the arc current wave, the encoded information includes information pertaining to at least the shape parameter of the arc current wave, and the signal sent is indicative of the information pertaining to the shape of the arc wave.

40. The system according to claim 39, characterized in that it also includes control means for controlling the process, and means for sending the signal to the control means for adjusting the waveform of the arc current.

41. A method for controlling an electric arc welding process having a plurality of operating conditions and wherein the welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and the workpiece of work, characterized in that it includes the steps of: a) scanning the advancing wire to determine the coded information pertaining to the wire; and, b) controlling at least one of the plurality of operating conditions in response to the information extracted from the wire.

42. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that the operating conditions include first and second modes of operation for the process and the extracted information includes one of the first and second codes, respectively, belonging to the first and second modes of operation , the method is characterized because it also includes the steps of: d) operating the process in the first mode in response to the extracted information that is of the first code; and, e) operate the process in the second mode in response to the second information that is of the second code.

43. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least one code segment of one of a pulse count, a pulse width, a pulse frequency and a binary value.

44. The method according to claim 43, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least two code segments having different pulse counts.

45. The method according to claim 43, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least two coded segments having different pulse widths.

46. The method of compliance with the claim 43, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least two code segments having different pulse frequencies.

47. The method according to claim 43, characterized in that the encoded information includes at least two code segments having different binary values.

48. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: c) comparing the information extracted with the preselected information; and, d) controlling at least one operation condition based on the comparison.

49. The method according to claim 48, characterized in that the operating conditions include first and second modes of operation for the process and the preselected extracted information, respectively, provides a first and second codes, the method is characterized in that it also includes , the steps of: e) operating the process in the first mode when the first and second codes are the same; and, f) operating the process in the second mode when the first and second codes are different.

50. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that the process is a surface tension transfer process having operating parameters that include the shape of the arc current wave, and the adjustment of the shape of the wave of the arc current in response to the information extracted from the electrode.

51. A system for controlling the operation of the electric arc welding apparatus, characterized in that a welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and the work piece, comprising to scan the wire and send a signal indicative of the information encoded therein belonging to the wire, and control means for controlling the operation of the welding apparatus according to the signal.

52. The. system according to claim 51, characterized in that the signal sent is a first signal, means for providing a second signal indicative of the desired information pertaining to a welding wire, and comparison means for comparing the first and second signals, the means of comparison send a first control signal when the first signal and the second signal are the same and a second control signal when the first signal and the second signal are different.

53. The system according to claim 52, characterized in that the welding apparatus has first and second modes of operation, and means responsive to the first and second control signals for respectively placing the apparatus between the first and second modes of operation .

54. The system according to claim 51, characterized in that the encoded information includes code segments and the signal sent is representative of at least one code segment, and decoding means for receiving and decoding at least one code segment.

55. The system according to claim 54, characterized in that the welding apparatus has a plurality of operating parameters, at least one code segment that includes information pertaining to at least one of the parameters, and the encoding means sends a control signal to the control means indicative of the information pertaining to at least one parameter.

56. The system according to claim 51, characterized in that the signal sent is a first signal indicative of a real characteristic of the wire, means for providing a second signal indicative of a desired characteristic for the wire, and comparison means for comparing the first and second signals and send first and second control signals respectively when the first and second signals are the same and different.

57. The system according to claim 56, characterized in that the apparatus is operated selectively in a first and second modes, the means responsive to the first and second control signals to change the operation of the apparatus between the first and second modes for the apparatus to be operable in one of the first and second modes when the first and second control signals are the same and in the other mode when the first and second control signals are different.

58. A method for controlling an electric arc welding process having a plurality of operating conditions and wherein a welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and the workpiece of work, characterized in that it includes the steps of: a) providing a source of stored coded information pertaining to the welding wire to be used in an electric arc welding process; b) explore the stored source to extract coded information from it belonging to the wire; Y. c) selecting one of the plurality of operating conditions of the process according to the information extracted.

59. The method according to claim 58, characterized in that the operating conditions include first and second modes of operation for the process and the extracted information includes one of a first and second codes, respectively, belonging to the first and second modes of operation. operation, the method is characterized, moreover, because it includes the steps of: d) operating the process in the first mode in response to the information that is being extracted from the first code; and, e) operate the process in the second mode in response to the information that is being extracted from the second code.

60. The method according to claim 58, characterized in that the stored coded information source is at least one of the welding wire, an RFID component, an IC component, and a Touch Memory component.

61. A system for operating an electric arc welding process having a plurality of operating modes and wherein a welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing arc and the work piece. characterized in that it comprises means for providing a source of encoded information stored by the wire, means for scanning the source and sending a signal indicative of the information encoded therein belonging to the wire, and means for selecting a mode of operation of the process welding according to such signal.

62. The system according to claim 61, characterized in that the means for providing a source of stored coded information are one of at least the welding wire, an RFID component, an IC component, and a Touch Memory component.

63. A method for controlling an electric arc welding process having a plurality of operating conditions and wherein a welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing arc and the workpiece. of work, the method is characterized because it includes the steps of: a) exploring the advancing wire to determine coded information belonging to the wire; and, b) selecting one of the plurality of operating conditions in response to the information extracted from the wire.

64. The method of compliance with the claim 61, characterized in that the operating conditions include first and second modes of operation for the process and the extracted information includes one of the first and second codes, respectively, pertaining to the first and second modes of operation, the method is characterized in that it also includes , the steps of: d) operating the process in the first mode in response to the extracted information that is of the first code; and, e) operate the process in the second mode in response to the extracted information that is of the second code.

65. The method according to claim 63, characterized in that the encoded information is in a Touch Memory component in electrical contact with a remote end of the advancing wire.

66. A system for operating an electric arc welding apparatus having a plurality of operating modes and wherein a welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and the wire. workpiece, characterized in that it comprises means for scanning the wire and sending a signal indicative of the coded information pertaining to the wire, and means for selecting a mode of operation of the welding apparatus according to said signal.

67. The method according to claim 66, characterized in that the encoded information is a Touch Memory component in electrical contact with a remote end of the advancing wire.

68. The system according to claim 67, characterized in that the remote end is a storage device for the wire and the Touch Memory component is mounted on the storage device.

69. A method for controlling an electric arc welding process where a welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and an electric arc is established between the advancing wire and the work piece, characterized in that it includes the steps of: a) provide a program stored in a memory device to control the process in accordance with the characteristics of a welding wire to be used in the process; b) explore the memory device to extract the program from it; and, c) control the process according to the program.

70. The method according to claim 69, characterized in that the memory device is one of the RFID device and a Touch Memory device.

71. A method for controlling an electric arc welding apparatus to effect a welding process where the welding wire is advanced towards a work piece and a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and the work piece, characterized in that it includes the steps of: a) providing a program stored in a memory device for controlling the apparatus according to the characteristics of a welding wire to be used in the process; b) explore the memory device to extract the program from it; c) control the process according to the program.

72. The method of compliance with the claim 71, characterized in that the memory device is one of the RFID device and a Touch Memory device.

73. A method for tracking and packing a metal welding wire, characterized in that it includes the steps of: a) magnetically encoding data on a welding wire during the manufacture of the wire; b) pack the coded wire; and, c) read the coded data of the wire at transportation, storage and reception points to verify wire distribution.

74. A method to maintain an inventory of consumables in conjunction with the execution of an electric arc welding process, where the welding wire is advanced towards a work piece, a welding arc is established between the advancing wire and the work piece; and the arc is protected by a protective gas, characterized in that it includes the steps of: a) providing a welding wire vessel to be used in an electric arc welding process, an electronic device having a memory for storing information pertaining to the available amount of welding wire in the container; b) measure the amount of wire consumption during the execution of the welding process; and, c) electronically modify the electronic device according to the available amount of wire to reflect wire consumption.

75. The method according to claim 74, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: d) recovering the stored information; and, e) at least one to present and print the recovered information.

76. The method according to claim 74, characterized in that the electronic device is one of an RFID device and the Touch Memory device.

77. The method according to claim 74, characterized in that the electronic device is a first electronic device, and because it also includes the steps of: d) providing a protective gas container to be used in the welding process with a second electronic device having a memory for storing information pertaining to the available amount of gas in the container; e) measure the amount of gas consumption during the execution of the welding process; and, f) electronically modifying the memory of the second electronic device for the available amount of gas to reflect the gas consumption.

78. The method according to claim 77, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: g) recovering the stored information of the second electronic device; and, h) one of at least one presenting and printing the information retrieved from the second electronic device.

79. The method according to claim 77, characterized in that the second electronic device is one of an RFID device and a Touch Memory device.

80. The method of compliance with the claim 77, characterized in that it also includes the steps of: g) retrieving stored information from each of the first and second electronic devices; and, h) at least one to present and print the recovered information.

81. The method according to claim 80, characterized in that the first and second electronic devices are one of an RFID device and a Touch Memory device.