NL2004379A

NL2004379A - Welding wire winder and welding wire feeder.

Info

Publication number: NL2004379A
Application number: NL2004379A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Takuo Hirakawa
Original assignee: Kobe Seiko Sho Kobe Steel Kk
Priority date: 2009-03-16
Filing date: 2010-03-11
Publication date: 2010-09-20
Also published as: CN101837388A; CN101837388B; KR20100105426A; KR101116537B1; NL2004379C2

Abstract

The present invention provides a welding wire winder and a feeder. A chuck mechanism comprises the following components: a pair of opposite conical surfaces; a telescopic mechanism which can cause the pair of conical surfaces to extend in an axial direction C for detaching a winding reel. A rotation shaft is fixedly provided with a fastening mechanism with a pin. Furthermore, the side surface of the winding reel is provided with an axial pin hole. The pin of the fastening component can be inserted into the pin hole of the winding reel for fastening. Furthermore the welding wire winder is provided with a lifting mechanism which can cause a winding reel carrying table for carrying the winding reel to lift when winding reel detachment is performed to the chuck. The winding reel is detached through the extension of the telescopic mechanism. Furthermore in the winding operation process of the welding wire, the winding reel carrying table can be descended for withdrawing. Through the structure, the detachment of the winding reel from the chuck mechanism can be performed reliably and easily.

Description

WELDING WIRE WINDER AND WELDING WIRE FEEDER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a welding wire winderfor winding a solid welding wire or a flux-containingwelding wire. The solid welding wire is formed bycontinuously drawing a wire wound around a bobbin. Theflux-containing welding wire is formed by drawing a wireobtained by molding and rolling a steel strap wound around abobbin into a pipe shape while continuously supplying fluxthereto.

The present invention also relates to a welding-wire-material feeder used to manufacture a welding wire productby continuously feeding a material, such as a steel bar or asteel strap, that is wound around a bobbin in amanufacturing process or to a welding wire feeder used tocontinuously feed the welding wire wound around a bobbin andrewind the welding wire around a small-diameter spool.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to Figs. 15A and 15B, a manufacturing processof a flux-containing welding wire will be described as anexample of a general welding-wire manufacturing process.

Fig. 15A is a schematic block diagram illustrating themanufacturing process of a flux-containing welding wire.

Fig. 15B is a schematic block diagram illustrating a processof rewinding the welding wire manufactured by themanufacturing process shown in Fig. 15A.

First, a steel strap (material) with a weight of about1 ton which is wound around a bobbin is supplied to amanufacturing section by driving a motor (feeding step SI).Then, the thus-supplied steel strap is washed to remove rustpreventive oil adhering thereto, and is dried (degreasingstep S2). Next, a flux-containing wire having a diameter ofabout 3 mm to 5 mm is formed by gradually molding androlling the steel strap into a pipe shape with molding-and-rolling rollers while continuously supplying flux thereto(molding-and-rolling step S3).

Then, the thus-obtained wire is gradually drawn by awire drawing die so that the diameter thereof is reduced toa predetermined diameter in the range of 0.8 mm to 2.4 mm(drawing step S4). Then, the wire is washed to removegrease, such as drawing lubricant, applied to the wire inthe drawing step, and then lubricating oil and rustpreventive oil are applied to the surface of the wire(washing-and-oiling step S5). The thus-manufactured weldingwire is wound around a bobbin (winding step S6).

The welding wire manufactured as described above cannotbe readily handled while it is wound around the bobbinbecause of the weight thereof. Therefore, the bobbin is attached to a feeder, and the welding wire is fed to asmall-diameter reel (feeding step SI) and is rewound aroundthe reel according to the request of the customer (rewindingstep S8).

In a process of manufacturing a solid welding wire, thewire material is formed in a circular shape in cross sectionand it is not necessary to supply flux to the wire material.Therefore, the above-described molding-and-rolling step S3is not necessary. Other steps of the process ofmanufacturing the solid welding wire are the same as thoseof the process of manufacturing the above-described flux-containing welding wire. However, there may be a case inwhich a pickling step, an annealing step, a copper platingstep, etc., are necessary in accordance with the type of thewelding wire to be formed.

The welding wire winder according to the presentinvention relates to a welding wire winder used in thewinding step S6 in the above-described process ofmanufacturing the flux-containing welding wire or the solidwelding wire.

A wire winding method and a wire winding deviceaccording to the related art will now be described withreference to Figs. 16 and 17. Fig. 16 is a schematicperspective view illustrating a wire winding deviceaccording to a first example of the related art. Fig. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a winding device accordingto a second example of the related art.

In the wire winding device according to the firstexample of the related art, a spool 51 is rotated by a motor54 and a wire 55 to be wound around the spool 51 is guidedby a traverser 52. A sensor 57 is provided to detect therotational speed of the spool 51, and a forward/reverserotation servo motor 56 is provided to drive the traverser52. A controller 58 controls the rotation of theforward/reverse rotation servo motor 56 so that thetraverser 52 reciprocates at a speed proportional to therotational speed of the spool 51 determined on the basis ofa signal from the sensor 57 (see Japanese Unexamined UtilityModel Registration Application Publication No. 6-18360) .

According to a wire winding method of the secondexample of the related art, the speed at which a wire 63 isfed is adjusted to a constant speed, and the rotationalspeed of a spool 61 is detected. A winding width in a spoolaxis direction along which the wire 63 to be wound aroundthe spool 61 is moved is adjusted in accordance with thedetected rotational speed of the spool 61. The wire windingdevice according to the second example of the related artincludes a winding mechanism 66 that rotates the spool 61 sothat the wire 63 is wound around the spool 61; a traversemechanism 67 that moves the wire 63 to be wound around the spool 61 in the spool axis direction; a wire-feeding-speedadjusting mechanism that adjusts the speed at which the wire63 is fed to a constant speed; a rotational-speed detectingmeans 69 that detects the rotational speed of the spool 61;and a controller 65 that adjusts the winding width, by whichthe wire 63 is moved, in accordance with the detectedrotational speed of the spool 61 (see Japanese UnexaminedPatent Application Publication No. 2005-219890).

The welding-wire-material feeder or the welding wirefeeder according to the present invention respectivelyrelate to a welding-wire-material feeder used in the feedingstep SI of feeding the material, such as a steel bar or asteel strap in the above-described process of manufacturingthe flux-containing welding wire or the solid welding wireor a welding wire (product) feeder used in the feeding stepS7 of feeding the welding wire before the rewinding step.

A wire supplying method and a wire supplying apparatusaccording to the related art will now be described withreference to Figs. 18 and 19. Fig. 18 is a perspective viewillustrating the state in which a bar material is suppliedfrom a traverse winding bobbin according to a third exampleof the related art, and Fig. 19 is a schematic diagramillustrating the structure of a hoop-material supplyingdevice according to a fourth example of the related art.

In a method for supplying a bar material according to the third example of the related art, a traverse windingcoil 71 and a palette 73 are placed on a turntable 74 of anuncoiler 70 such that an axial line of a core of thetraverse winding coil 71 extends vertically. The turntable74 is rotated in an unwinding direction of the traversewinding coil 71, so that a bar material 72 is continuouslyunwound and supplied from an outermost winding layer 75 ofthe traverse winding coil 71 while a side edge portion ofthe traverse winding coil 71 is not in contact with amounting surface (Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2001-220063).

In this method for supplying the bar material 72, thetraverse winding coil 71 is simply placed on the turntable74 such that the axial line of the core of the traversewinding coil 71 extends vertically. Therefore, it is notpossible to continuously unwind and supply the bar material72 while applying a tension thereto. For this reason, thismethod is not suitable for a process of manufacturing awelding wire by continuously feeding a material wound arounda bobbin or for a process of continuously feeding a weldingwire wound around a bobbin and rewinding the welding wirearound a small-diameter spool.

A hoop-material supplying device 80 according to thefourth example of the related art includes aforward/backward moving mechanism 83 for moving a chucking member 82 that chucks a copper wire L, which is unwound andpulled out from an uncoiler 81, in a forward direction inwhich the copper wire L is pulled out and a backwarddirection in which the copper wire L is fed back. The hoop-material supplying device 80 also includes a movable pulley84 around which the copper wire L stretched in a sectionbetween the uncoiler 81 and a back end A of the movable areaof the chucking member 82 is wound. The movable pulley 84can reciprocate in a direction for increasing the stretchinglength of the copper wire L in the above-described sectionand a direction for reducing the stretching length of thecopper wire L in the above-described section.

The hoop-material supplying device 80 includes a wireWR different from the copper wire L, and the wire WRconnects the movable pulley 84 to a support column 86 whichmoves together with the chucking member 82 in accordancewith the forward/backward moving operation performed by theforward/backward moving mechanism 83 (see JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-84241).

In the above-described winding device, the weight ofthe welding wire wound around the bobbin (spool) isgenerally about 1 ton, and it is therefore extremelydifficult to manually attach the bobbin (spool) to achucking means in the winding device. In addition, in thedrawing process performed as a front-end process, the rigidity of the welding wire is increased by work hardeningand a bending tendency is given to the welding wire.Furthermore, a back tension is also applied to the wireowing to the resistance generated in the washing-and-oilingstep performed after the drawing step. As a result, awinding tension of 10 kg to 30 kg is generally applied inthe process of winding the welding wire around the bobbin,and there is a risk that a winding failure or a windingshape defect will occur.

In the hoop-material supplying device 80 according tothe fourth example of the related art, the forward/backwardmoving mechanism 83 and other components have a complexmechanism and the supplying device requires highmanufacturing costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention isto provide a welding wire winder in which a bobbin can bereliably and easily attached to and detached from a chuckingmeans, which is capable of correcting the bending tendencyof the welding wire while causing the welding wire that isbeing wound to traverse, and which can wind the welding wirewithout causing a winding failure or a winding shape defect.

A second object of the present invention is to providea feeder for feeding a welding wire material or a welding wire in which a bobbin can be reliably and easily attachedto and detached from a chucking means, in which a feedingtension can be applied to the welding wire material or thewelding wire in a feeding process, in which the feedingtension can be controlled at a constant value, and which canbe manufactured at a low cost.

To achieve the above-described first object, a weldingwire winder according to the present invention includeschucking means to which a bobbin is attached, the chuckingmeans including a pair of tapered surfaces that face eachother in an axial direction and an extending-and-retractingmechanism capable of attaching the bobbin to the chuckingmeans and detaching the bobbin from the chucking means byrelatively moving the pair of tapered surfaces in the axialdirection.

In addition, the welding wire winder also includes arotating shaft connected to the chucking means and driven bya driving motor to rotate the bobbin so that a welding wireis wound around the bobbin, an engagement member including apin being fixed to the rotating shaft, the pin being movablein the axial direction and engageable with a pin hole bybeing inserted into the pin hole, the pin hole beingprovided in a side surface of the bobbin and extending inthe axial direction; and raising-and-lowering means which,when the bobbin is empty and is to be attached to the chucking means or when the bobbin is full and is to bedetached from the chucking means, raises a bobbin mountingbase, on which the bobbin is mounted, thereby allowing theextending-and-retracting mechanism to attach the bobbin tothe chucking means or detach the bobbin from the chuckingmeans, the raising-and-lowering means lowering the bobbinmounting base to a retracted position during a process ofwinding the welding wire.

With this structure, the bobbin, which weighs about 1ton, can be reliably and easily attached to and detachedfrom the chucking means.

In the welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure, the extending-and-retracting mechanism mayinclude a fluid-pressure cylinder, and an operating pressurecircuit of a fluid pressure for the fluid-pressure cylindermay be provided with a pressure switch that detects thefluid pressure and outputs a pressure reduction signal ifthe fluid pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure orless. With this structure, a warning can be issued if theholding force is insufficient in the state in which thebobbin is attached.

The welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure may further include a disk brake capable ofcarrying out an emergency stop for stopping the rotation ofthe rotating shaft, the disk brake including a brake pad fixed to the rotating shaft and a hydraulic caliper attachedto a winder frame. With this structure, even when, forexample, it is necessary to carry out an emergency stop ofthe winder to avoid danger, the rotation of the rotatingshaft can be reliably stopped in a short time.

The welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure may further include engagement cancelling meanscapable of cancelling the engagement between the pin and thepin hole by pushing the side surface of the bobbin at whichthe pin of the engagement member is inserted into the pinhole when the bobbin is to be detached from the chuckingmeans. With this structure, the engagement between thebobbin and the chucking means can be easily canceled.

The welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure may further include a traverse on which bending-tendency correcting means for correcting a bending tendencyof the welding wire and a guide roller are provided, thetraverse being driven by a dedicated motor. The weldingwire may be guided and wound around the bobbin while thebending tendency is corrected and while a traverse angle anda contact angle are set to respective predetermined anglesin the process of winding the welding wire. With thisstructure, the welding wire is guided while the bendingtendency thereof is corrected, and is wound around thebobbin without causing entanglement or a winding shape defect.

In the case where the traverser is not provided withthe guide roller, the angle at which the welding wire entersthe bending-tendency correcting means vary in accordancewith the movement of the traverser. In the case where thetraverser is provided with the guide roller, the angle atwhich the welding wire enters the bending-tendencycorrecting means is maintained constant. Therefore,compared to the traverser without the guide roller, thebending tendency of the welding wire can be more reliablycorrected by the bending-tendency correcting means.

In the welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure, the bending-tendency correcting means forcorrecting the bending tendency of the welding wire includestwo or more roller groups which each include a plurality ofrollers arranged in a staggered pattern and in which therollers are arranged in different directions. With thisstructure, the bending tendency of the welding wire can bereliably corrected.

In the welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure, a traverse width of the traverser can beadjustable in accordance with positions at which a pair ofstroke end stoppage sensors are disposed. With such astructure, the traverse width can be set to an arbitrarywidth.

In the welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure, an electric conduction bar may be disposed abovea position around a path line of the welding wire andelectricity may be supplied to the electric conduction barand the welding wire that is being wound around the bobbin.If the welding wire breaks and comes into contact with theelectric conduction bar, a closed circuit is formed betweenthe welding wire and the electric conduction bar so that thebreakage of the welding wire is detectable. With thisstructure, a countermeasure against the breakage of thewelding wire, which is an abnormal state, can be quicklytaken and reduction in yield can be prevented.

The welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure may further include a safety cover capable ofsliding in the axial direction, the safety cover beingprovided at a rear side of the bobbin at the side oppositeto a path line of the welding wire that is wound around thebobbin attached to the chucking means. When the safetycover is provided, the bobbin can be prevented from beingtouched by a person during the process of winding thewelding wire.

The welding wire winder having the above-describedstructure may further include a dancer roller device aroundwhich the welding wire is wound in a front-end process and adancer-roller-position detector which detects a dancer roller position of the dancer roller device, and a windingtension applied to the welding wire may be controllable at aconstant tension on the basis of a detection signal obtainedby the dancer-roller-position detector. With this structure,a winding failure or a winding shape defect due to variationin winding tension can be prevented.

To achieve the second object, according to the presentinvention, a feeder for feeding a welding wire material or awelding wire from a bobbin around which the welding wirematerial or the welding wire is wound includes chuckingmeans to which the bobbin is attached, the chucking meansincluding a pair of tapered surfaces that face each other inan axial direction and an extending-and-retracting mechanismcapable of attaching the bobbin to the chucking means anddetaching the bobbin from the chucking means by relativelymoving the pair of tapered surfaces in the axial direction.

In addition, the feeder also includes a rotating shaftconnected to the chucking means and driven by a drivingmotor to rotate the bobbin so that the welding wire materialor the welding wire is fed from the bobbin, an engagementmember including a pin being fixed to the rotating shaft,the pin being movable in the axial direction and engageablewith a pin hole by being inserted into the pin hole, the pinhole being provided in a side surface of the bobbin andextending in the axial direction; and raising-and-lowering means which, when the bobbin is to be attached to ordetached from the chucking means, raises a bobbin mountingbase, on which the bobbin is mounted, thereby allowing theextending-and-retracting mechanism to attach the bobbin tothe chucking means or detach the bobbin from the chuckingmeans, the raising-and-lowering means lowering the bobbinmounting base to a retracted position during a process offeeding the welding wire material or the welding wire.

With this structure, a full bobbin, which weighs about1 ton, can be reliably and easily attached to the chuckingmeans and an empty bobbin can be reliably and easilydetached from the chucking means. In addition, a feedingtension can be reliably applied to the welding wire productor the wire material thereof.

In the feeder having the above-described structure, theextending-and-retracting mechanism may include a fluid-pressure cylinder, and an operating pressure circuit of afluid pressure for the fluid-pressure cylinder may beprovided with a pressure switch that detects the fluidpressure and outputs a pressure reduction signal if thefluid pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure orless. With this structure, an extending-and-retractingmechanism that has a simple structure and that iscommercially available can be used. In addition, a warningcan be issued if the holding force is insufficient in the state in which the bobbin is attached.

The feeder having the above-described structure mayfurther include a disk brake capable of carrying out anemergency stop for stopping the rotation of the rotatingshaft, the disk brake including a brake pad fixed to therotating shaft and a hydraulic caliper attached to a feederframe. With this structure, even when, for example, it isnecessary to carry out an emergency stop of the feeder toavoid danger, the rotation of the rotating shaft can bereliably stopped in a short time.

The feeder having the above-described structure mayfurther include engagement cancelling means capable ofcancelling the engagement between the pin and the pin holeby pushing the side surface of the bobbin at which the pinof the engagement member is inserted into the pin hole whenthe bobbin is to be detached from the chucking means. Withthis structure, the engagement between the bobbin and thechucking means can be easily canceled.

The feeder having the above-described structure mayfurther include a photoelectric sensor disposed above thebobbin attached to the chucking means, the photoelectricsensor being capable of detecting a remaining amount of thewelding wire material or the welding wire fed from thebobbin attached to the chucking means. A control operationmay be performed to decelerate or stop the rotation of the bobbin on the basis of a detection signal obtained by thephotoelectric sensor. With this structure, when theremaining amount of the welding wire material or the weldingwire fed from the bobbin is reduced to zero, the rotation ofthe bobbin can be immediately stopped and the next fullbobbin can be quickly attached to the chucking means.

The feeder having the above-described structure mayfurther include a safety cover capable of sliding in theaxial direction, the safety cover being provided at a rearside of the bobbin at the side opposite to a path line ofthe welding wire material or the welding wire fed from thebobbin attached to the chucking means. With this structure,the bobbin can be prevented from being touched by a personduring the process of feeding the welding wire material orthe welding wire.

The feeder having the above-described structure mayfurther include a dancer roller device around which thewelding wire material or the welding wire is wound in aback-end process; and a dancer-roller-position detectorwhich detects a dancer roller position of the dancer rollerdevice. A feeding tension applied to the welding wirematerial or the welding wire may be controllable at aconstant tension on the basis of a detection signal obtainedby the dancer-roller-position detector. With this structure,the feeding tension can be controlled at a constant tension by an inexpensive structure, and an entanglement or afeeding failure due to variation in feeding tension can beprevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a partially sectioned view illustrating themain section of a welding wire winder according to anembodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the welding wire winder shownin Fig. 1 viewed from the left side;

Fig. 3 is a partially cut-out plan view of the weldingwire winder shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detailed enlarged plan view illustrating atraverser shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the traverser shown in Fig.

4;

Fig. 6 is a front view of a dancer roller deviceincluding a fluid-pressure cylinder;

Fig. 7 is a front view of a dancer roller deviceincluding a counterweight;

Fig. 8 is a sectional side view of Fig. 7 taken alongline VIII-VIII;

Fig. 9 is a partially sectioned view illustrating themain section of a welding-wire-material feeder according toa first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a side view of the welding-wire-materialfeeder shown in Fig. 9 viewed from the right side;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the welding-wire-materialfeeder shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a partially sectioned view illustrating themain section of a welding wire feeder according to a secondembodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a side view of the welding wire feeder shownin Fig. 12 viewed from the right side;

Fig. 14 is a schematic sectional view illustrating thestate in which a welding wire is wound in an unstable mannerin the process of winding back the welding wire around abobbin;

Fig. 15A is a block diagram illustrating amanufacturing process of a flux-containing welding wire;

Fig. 15B is a block diagram illustrating a process ofrewinding the welding wire manufactured by the manufacturingprocess shown in Fig. 15A;

Fig. 16 is a schematic perspective view illustrating awire winding device according to a first example of therelated art;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a windingdevice according to a second example of the related art;

Fig. 18 is a perspective view illustrating the state inwhich a bar material is supplied from a traverse winding bobbin according to a third example of the related art; and

Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating thestructure of a hoop material supplying device according to afourth example of the related art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A welding wire winder according to an embodiment of thepresent invention will now be described with reference toFigs. 1 and 5. Fig. 1 is a partially sectioned viewillustrating the main section of a welding wire winderaccording to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig.

2 is a side view of the welding wire winder shown in Fig. 1viewed from the left side. Fig. 3 is a partially cut-outplan view of the welding wire winder shown in Fig. 2. Fig.

4 is a detailed enlarged plan view illustrating a traversershown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a front view of the traversershown in Fig. 4.

In the welding wire winder according to the embodimentof the present invention, a bobbin 2 is attached to achucking means 1 and is rotated by a rotating shaft 3 thatis driven by a driving motor M and connected to the chuckingmeans 1, so that a welding wire W is wound around the bobbin2 that is being rotated. The chucking means 1 includes apair of tapered projecting surfaces (tapered surfaces) 4aand 4b that face each other in an axial direction of the rotating shaft 3 and an extending-and-retracting mechanism 5with which the bobbin 2 can be attached to and detached fromthe chucking means 1 by moving the driven tapered projectingsurface 4b, which is one of the tapered projecting surfaces4a and 4b, along the axial direction C.

As described above, the chucking means 1 includes thepair of tapered projecting surfaces 4a and 4b that face eachother in the axial direction C. When the extending-and-retracting mechanism 5 extends, the tapered projectingsurfaces 4a and 4b, which are respectively included in adriving chucking means la and a driven chucking means lb,are fitted to tapered recessed surfaces 2a formed in thebobbin 2 at both ends thereof in the axial direction.Accordingly, the axial center of the bobbin 2 isautomatically aligned with the axial center of the chuckingmeans 1.

A pneumatic or hydraulic fluid-pressure cylinder ispreferably used as the extending-and-retracting mechanism 5since such a fluid-pressure cylinder has a simple structureand is commercially available. In addition, a pneumatic orhydraulic circuit (operating pressure circuit) of a fluidpressure for the fluid-pressure cylinder is preferablyprovided with a pressure switch (not shown) that detects thepneumatic or hydraulic pressure and outputs a pressurereduction signal if the pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure or less.

In such a case, the pressure reduction signal from thepressure switch can be transmitted to a warning means (notshown), such as a warning buzzer or a warning lamp, and awarning that the holding force is insufficient can be issuedwhen the bobbin 2 is being attached or after the bobbin 2 isattached. At the same time, the pressure reduction signalis also transmitted to a controller 13. If a control meansincluded in the controller 13 determines that the pressurehas been reduced to a predetermined pressure or less, thecontrol means preferably activates a disc brake 10, whichwill be described below, to carry out an emergency stop ofthe rotating shaft 3 and transmits a stop signal to thedriving motor M.

An engagement member 6 having pins 6a movable in anaxial direction C is fixed to the rotating shaft 3. Thebobbin 2 is provided with pin holes 2b that extend in theaxial direction C in side surfaces thereof. The pins 6a ofthe engagement member 6 can be engaged with the pin holes 2bin the bobbin 2 by being inserted into the pin holes 2b.

The engagement structure between the pins 6a of theengagement member 6 and the pin holes 2b in the bobbin 2 isprovided to compensate for an insufficient holding forcewith which the bobbin 2 is held by the chucking means 1, sothat the driving torque of the rotating shaft 3 can be reliably transmitted to the bobbin 2. Preferably, thenumber of pairs which each include one pin 6a and one pinhole 2b is two to six.

In addition, an engagement canceling means 7 isprovided. In the process of detaching the bobbin 2 from thechucking means 1, the engagement canceling means 7 cancelsthe engagement between the pins 6a and the pin holes 2b inthe bobbin 2 by pushing the side surface of the bobbin 2 atwhich the pins 6a of the engagement member 6 are insertedinto the pin holes 2b in the axial direction C. As shown inFig. 1, the engagement canceling means 7 includes apneumatic or hydraulic fluid-pressure cylinder 7a and acontact plate 7b attached to a cylinder rod of the fluid-pressure cylinder 7a at an end thereof. The engagementcanceling means 7 is attached to a winder frame that facesthe side surface of the bobbin 2.

A bobbin mounting base 8 on which the bobbin 2 ismounted is provided below the chucking means 1. The bobbinmounting base 8 is used to attach the bobbin 2 to thechucking means 1 or detach the bobbin 2 from the chuckingmeans 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the bobbin mounting base 8 isprovided with a raising-and-lowering means 9. Before orafter a winding process, the raising-and-lowering means 9raises the bobbin mounting base 8 so that the axial centerof the bobbin 2 is aligned with the axial center C of the chucking means 1. In this state, the bobbin 2 can beattached to or detached from the chucking means 1 by anextending and retracting operation performed by theextending-and-retracting mechanism 5. During the process ofwinding the welding wire W, the raising-and-lowering means 9lowers the bobbin mounting base 8 to a retracted position.

Preferably, the raising-and-lowering means 9 includes apneumatic or hydraulic fluid pressure cylinder 9a and a link9b since such a mechanism is simple and is commerciallyavailable. When the fluid pressure cylinder 9a is caused toextend, the link 9b is raised so as to stand upright.Accordingly, the bobbin mounting base 8, which is supportedby a support pin 8a in a pivotable manner, is raised upward.Fig. 2 shows the state in which the bobbin mounting base 8has been raised by the raising-and-lowering means 9. In thecase where the bobbin mounting base 8 and the raising-and-lowering means 9 structured as described above are used,processes of detaching a full bobbin, which is heavy, fromthe chucking means 1 after the completion of the windingprocess and attaching an empty bobbin to the chucking means1 before restarting the winding process can be facilitated.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 1, the disc brake 10includes a brake pad 10a that is fixed with a key to therotating shaft 3 and hydraulic calipers 10b attached to thewinder frame. In the case where, for example, the holding force with which the bobbin 2 is held is insufficient and itis necessary to carry out an emergency stop of the bobbin 2,the rotation of the rotating shaft 3 can be stopped by thedisc brake 10.

An electric conduction bar 11 is disposed above aposition around a path line of the welding wire W, andelectricity is supplied to the electric conduction bar 11and the welding wire W that is being wound around the bobbin2. If the welding wire W breaks and comes into contact withthe electric conduction bar 11, a closed circuit is formedbetween the welding wire W and the electric conduction bar11 and a breakage detection signal is generated. Theconduction current is transmitted to the controller 13, sothat the breakage of the welding wire W can be detected.

The warning means, such as a warning buzzer or a warninglamp, can be activated in response to the breakage detectionsignal. Therefore, a countermeasure against the abnormalstate, that is, the breakage of the welding wire W, can bequickly taken and reduction in yield can be prevented.

A safety cover 12 that can slide in the axial directionC is provided at the rear side of the bobbin 2 at the sideopposite to the path line of the welding wire W that iswound around the bobbin 2 attached to the chucking means 1.During the winding process, the rear side of the bobbin 2,which is being rotated, is covered by the safety cover 12.

Therefore, the rotating portion of the winder can beprevented from being touched by a person. It is necessaryto place a rope or the like at the side of the bobbin 2where the path line of the welding wire W wound around thebobbin 2 is located, so that no one will come near the pathline.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the welding wire winderaccording to an embodiment of the present invention includesa traverser 21 including a bending-tendency correcting means22 for correcting the bending tendency of the welding wire W,a first guide roller 23a, and a second guide roller 23b.

The traverser 21 is driven by a dedicated geared motor 24.

The bending-tendency correcting means 22 for correctingthe bending tendency of the welding wire is preferably abending-tendency-correcting roller unit including two ormore roller groups which each include a plurality of bendingcorrecting rollers arranged in a staggered pattern and inwhich the rollers are arranged in different directions. Forexample, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the bending-tendencycorrecting means 22 includes a horizontal roller group 22ain which the rollers are horizontally arranged and avertical roller group 22b in which the rollers arevertically arranged. Each roller is structured such thatthe roller can be moved toward or away from the path line ofthe welding wire W in a direction perpendicular to the path line by an adjustment screw 22c. with this structure, aroller contact pressure that is necessary to correct thebending tendency of the welding wire W can be adjusted.

The traverser 21 is controlled by the controlling meansincluded in the controller 13 so as to guide the weldingwire W in the following manner. That is, the traverser 21is reciprocated in the axial direction C while a traverseangle a (see Fig. 3) between the welding wire W that isbeing wound around the bobbin 2 and the axial direction C ismaintained at a substantially right angle and while thewelding wire W that is being wound around the bobbin 2 isprevented from overlapping itself on the winding surface.

The traverser 21 is reciprocated by rotating a horizontalball screw 25, which extends in the axial direction C, inforward and reverse directions.

At the same time, the traverser 21 is controlled by thecontrolling means included in the controller 13 so as toguide the welding wire W such that the welding wire W thatis being wound extends in a substantially horizontaldirection at the winding surface. At this time, thetraverser 21 is gradually raised so as to maintain a contactangle β between the welding wire W that is being woundaround the bobbin 2 and the winding surface of the bobbin 2at a substantially constant angle. The traverser 21 israised by rotating a vertical ball screw 26, which extends in the vertical direction.

With the above-described structures of the traverser 21and the controller 13, the welding wire W is guided andwound around the bobbin 2 while the bending tendency of thewelding wire W is reliably corrected without causingentanglement of the welding wire W or a winding shape defect.In the case where the traverser 21 is not provided with thefirst guide roller 23a, the angle at which the welding wireW enters the bending-tendency-correcting roller unit 22 varyin accordance with the movement of the traverser 21. In thecase where the traverser 21 is provided with the first guideroller 23a, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the angle at whichthe welding wire W enters the bending-tendency-correctingroller unit 22 is maintained constant. Therefore, comparedto the case in which the traverser 21 is not provided withthe first guide roller 23a, the bending tendency of thewelding wire W can be corrected by the bending-tendency-correcting roller unit 22 in a more stable state.

A traverse width of the traverser 21 can be adjusted inaccordance with the positions where a pair of stroke-endstoppage sensors is disposed. Therefore, the traverse widthcan be set to an arbitrary width. The stroke-end stoppagesensors may be, for example, limit switches or photoelectricsensors, which are commercially available. When one of thestroke-end stoppage sensors detects a contact or a passage of a movable portion of the traverser 21, a detection signalis transmitted to the controller 13. Then, the controller13 transmits a reverse rotation signal for reversing therotational direction of the motor to the geared motor 24.

As described above, in the welding wire winderaccording to the embodiment of the present invention, achucking means includes a pair of tapered surfaces that faceeach other in an axial direction and an extending-and-retracting mechanism capable of attaching a bobbin to thechucking means and detaching the bobbin from the chuckingmeans by relatively moving the pair of tapered surfaces inthe axial direction. An engagement member including a pinis fixed to a rotating shaft, and a pin hole is provided ina side surface of the bobbin. The pin of the engagementmember can be engaged with the pin hole in the bobbin bybeing inserted into the pin hole. A raising-and-loweringmeans is provided to raise a bobbin mounting base on whichthe bobbin is mounted when the bobbin is empty and is to beattached to the chucking means or when the bobbin is fulland is to be detached from the chucking means. During aprocess of winding the welding wire, the raising-and-lowering means lowers the bobbin mounting base to aretracted position. Therefore, the bobbin can be reliablyand easily attached to or detached from the chucking means.

In addition, a traverser is provided which includes a bending-tendency-correcting roller unit for correcting thebending tendency of the welding wire and a guide roller andwhich is driven by a dedicated geared motor. The weldingwire that is being wound around the bobbin is guided suchthat the traverse angle and the contact angle are set torespective predetermined angles while the bending tendencyof the welding wire is corrected. Thus, the welding wire isguided while the bending tendency of the welding wire iscorrected, and is wound around the bobbin without causingentanglement of the welding wire or a winding shape defect.

With reference to Figs. 6 to 8, a structure will bedescribed in which a dancer roller device around which thewelding wire is wound in a front-end process (processperformed before the welding wire reaches the first guideroller 23a in Fig, 3), In this structure, a winding tensionapplied to the welding wire is controlled by the dancerroller device. Fig. 6 is a front view of a dancer rollerdevice 31 including a fluid pressure cylinder 36. Fig. 7 isa front view of a dancer roller device 41 including acounterweight. Fig. 8 is a sectional side view of Fig. 7taken along line VIII-VIII.

In the dancer roller device 31 including the fluidpressure cylinder 36, the welding wire W is wound aplurality of turns around a fixed roller 32 and a dancerroller 33. Then, the welding wire W is caused to pass through the traverser 21 of the above-described welding wirewinder and is wound around the bobbin 2. The position ofthe dancer roller 33 in the horizontal direction can bevaried in accordance with the extension and retraction ofthe fluid pressure cylinder 36. A dancer arm 34 isconnected to the dancer roller 33 in a pivotable manner.

A rotary encoder (dancer-roller-position detector) 35is connected with a coupling (not shown) to a rotating shaft34a of the dancer arm 34. The rotary encoder constantlydetects the position of the dancer roller 33 in thehorizontal direction on the basis of a voltage change, andtransmits a position detection signal to a controller (notshown).

In the case where the winding tension applied to thewelding wire W is low, the controller outputs a signal tocontrol a cylinder rod 36a of the fluid pressure cylinder 36such that the cylinder rod 36a retracts. Accordingly, thedancer roller 33 is moved horizontally to, for example, aposition shown by 33a and the tension applied to the weldingwire W is increased as a result. Conversely, in the casewhere the winding tension applied to the welding wire W ishigh, the cylinder rod 36a of the fluid pressure cylinder 36is controlled such that the cylinder rod 36a extends.Accordingly, the dancer roller 33 is moved horizontally to,for example, the original position and the tension applied to the welding wire W is reduced as a result. In thismanner, the winding tension is adjusted to a constant value.

In the dancer roller device 41 including acounterweight shown in Fig. 7, the welding wire W is wound aplurality of turns around a first fixed roller 42 and adancer roller 43. Then, the welding wire W is wound arounda second fixed roller 44, is caused to pass through thetraverser 21 of the above-described welding wire winder, andis wound around the bobbin 2. A first weight 46a hangs froma shaft frame 43a of the dancer roller 43. A chain 47 isconnected to the shaft frame 43a of the dancer roller 43 at one end thereof, and a second weight 46b is connected to the other end of the chain 47. Thus, the dancer roller 43 is suspended by the chain 47 that is stretched around a sprocket 45.

When, for example, the dancer roller 43 is moved upwardor downward in accordance with the variation in tensionapplied to the welding wire W, the chain 47 connected to theshaft frame 43a of the dancer roller 43 also moves upward ordownward in accordance with the movement of the dancerroller 43. When the chain 47 moves upward or downward, thesprocket 45 is rotated accordingly. The rotation of thesprocket 45 is transmitted to a displacement detector(dancer-roller-position detector) 48, such as apotentiometer, through a gear 45a disposed coaxially with the sprocket 45 and a gear 48a. Since the rotation istransmitted to the displacement detector 48, the position(displacement) of the dancer roller 43 is continuouslydetected and a position (displacement) detection signal istransmitted to the controller 13.

With this structure, the variation in the windingtension applied to the welding wire W is detected and thebalance between the conveying speed at which the weldingwire W is supplied to the winder and the winding speed iscontrolled. This is because the speed variation is one ofthe causes that make the winding tension unstable and it isnecessary to make the speed variation as small as possible.In the case where the winding speed of the welding wire W ishigher than the conveying speed thereof, the dancer roller43 moves upward. Then, when the position of the dancerroller 43 is detected by the displacement detector 48, thecontrol means included in the controller 13 reduces thewinding speed of the winder. Thus, the winding speed isadjusted such that the winding speed becomes equal to theconveying speed of the welding wire W.

Conversely, in the case where the winding speed of thewelding wire W is lower than the conveying speed thereof,the dancer roller 43 moves downward. Then, when theposition of the dancer roller 43 is detected by thedisplacement detector 48, the control means included in the controller 13 increases the winding speed of the winder.

Thus, the winding speed is adjusted such that the windingspeed becomes equal to the conveying speed of the weldingwire W. In this manner, the winding speed is controlledsuch that the variation in the winding tension applied tothe welding wire W can be reduced. Thus, the conveyingspeed and the winding speed are adjusted to a constant value.

As described above, in the welding wire winderaccording to the present invention, a chucking meansincludes a pair of tapered surfaces that face each other inan axial direction and an extending-and-retracting mechanismcapable of attaching a bobbin to the chucking means anddetaching the bobbin from the chucking means by relativelymoving the pair of tapered surfaces in the axial direction.

An engagement member including a pin is fixed to a rotatingshaft, and a pin hole is provided in a side surface of thebobbin. The pin of the engagement member can be engagedwith the pin hole in the bobbin by being inserted into thepin hole. A raising-and-lowering means is provided whichraises a bobbin mounting base when the bobbin is attached toor detached from the chucking means. During a process ofwinding the welding wire, the raising-and-lowering meanslowers the bobbin mounting base to a retracted position.

Thus, a welding wire winder in which the bobbin can bereliably and easily attached to or detached from the chucking means can be provided.

In addition, the welding wire winder according to thepresent invention includes a traverser which includes abending-tendency correcting means for correcting the bendingtendency of the welding wire and a guide roller and which isdriven by a dedicated motor. Therefore, the welding wire isguided while the bending tendency of the welding wire iscorrected, and is wound around the bobbin without causingentanglement of the welding wire or a winding shape defect.

In addition, the welding wire winder according to thepresent invention includes a dancer roller device aroundwhich the welding wire is wound in a front-end process. Adancer-roller-position detector is provided to detect theposition of the dancer roller. The winding tension appliedto the welding wire can be controlled at a constant tensionon the basis of a detection signal obtained by the dancer-roller-position detector. Therefore, a winding failure or awinding shape defect due to variation in winding tension canbe prevented.

A welding-wire-material feeder according to a firstembodiment of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to Figs. 9 to 11 and Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is apartially sectioned view illustrating the main section ofthe welding-wire-material feeder according to the firstembodiment of present invention. Fig. 10 is a side view of the welding-wire-material feeder shown in Fig. 9 viewed fromthe right side. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the welding-wire-material feeder shown in Fig. 9. In the welding-wire-material feeder according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention, the dancer roller device shown in Fig. 6is used to control a feeding tension.

The welding-wire-material feeder according to the firstembodiment of the present invention is used to manufacture awelding wire (product) by continuously feeding a material,such as a steel bar or a steel strap, wound around a bobbinin a manufacturing process.

The structure of the welding-wire-material feeder shownin Figs. 9 to 11 is basically the same as the structure ofthe welding wire winder shown in Figs. 1 to 3. Therefore,the same or corresponding components are denoted by the samereference numerals, and explanations of the structures andfunctions thereof are thus omitted.

When the chucking means 1, the bobbin mounting base 8,and the raising-and-lowering means 9 shown in Figs. 9 to 11are used, a full bobbin, around which a welding wirematerial R is wound and which weighs about 1 to 2 tons, canbe reliably and easily attached to the chucking means 1.Then, after the completion of the feeding process, thebobbin, which has become empty, can be reliably and easilydetached from the chucking means 1. In addition, the feeding tension can be reliably applied to the welding wirematerial R. Since an inexpensive, commercially availableextending-and-retracting mechanism is used, the cost can bereduced.

A photoelectric sensor 28 capable of detecting theremaining amount of welding wire material R fed from thebobbin 2 attached to the chucking means 1 is disposed abovethe bobbin 2 attached to the chucking means 1. Thephotoelectric sensor 28 transmits a detection signal to thecontroller 13, and the controller 13 outputs a controlsignal for decelerating or stopping the rotation of thebobbin 2. Therefore, when the remaining amount of thewelding wire material R fed from the bobbin 2 is reduced tozero, the rotation of the bobbin 2 can be immediatelystopped and the next full bobbin can be quickly attached tothe chucking means 1.

The welding-wire-material feeder having the above-described structure preferably includes a tensioncontrolling means for controlling the feeding tension of thewelding wire material R in a back-end process. The tensioncontrolling means may be, for example, a dancer rollerdevice around which the welding wire material R is wound.

The device shown in Fig. 6 is used as the dancer rollerdevice.

As described above, in the welding-wire-material feeder according to the first embodiment of the present invention,the bobbin 2 is attached to the chucking means 1 and isrotated by the rotating shaft 3 that is driven by thedriving motor M and connected to the chucking means 1.Accordingly, the welding wire material R wound around thebobbin 2 is fed from the bobbin 2 that is being rotated.

The chucking means 1 includes a pair of tapered surfaces 4aand 4b that face each other in an axial direction C and anextending-and-retracting mechanism 5 with which the bobbin 2can be attached to and detached from the chucking means 1 byrelatively moving the tapered surfaces 4a and 4b in theaxial direction C.

In addition, in the welding-wire-material feeder, anengagement member 6 having pins 6a movable in an axialdirection C is fixed to the rotating shaft 3. The bobbin 2is provided with pin holes 2b that extend in the axialdirection C in side surfaces thereof. The pins 6a of theengagement member 6 can be engaged with the pin holes 2b inthe bobbin 2 by being inserted into the pin holes 2b. Araising-and-lowering means 9 is provided which raises abobbin mounting base 8, on which the bobbin 2 is mounted,when the bobbin 2 is to be attached to or detached from thechucking means 1. In this state, the bobbin 2 can beattached to or detached from the chucking means 1 by anextending and retracting operation performed by the extending-and-retracting mechanism 5. During a process offeeding the welding wire material R, the raising-and-lowering means 9 lowers the bobbin mounting base 8 to aretracted position. Therefore, processes of attaching afull bobbin to the chucking means 1 and detaching the bobbinfrom the chucking means 1 after the bobbin becomes empty canbe reliably and easily performed, and the feeding tensioncan be reliably applied to the welding wire material R.

A welding-wire-product feeder according to a secondembodiment of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to Figs. 12 to 14 and Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 12is a partially sectioned view illustrating the main sectionof a welding wire feeder according to the second embodimentof present invention. Fig. 13 is a side view of the weldingwire feeder shown in Fig. 12 viewed from the right side.

Fig. 14 is a schematic sectional view illustrating the statein which the welding wire is wound in an unstable manner inthe process of winding back the welding wire around a bobbin.In the welding wire feeder according to the secondembodiment of the present invention, the dancer rollerdevice shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is used to control the feedingtension.

The welding wire feeder according to the secondembodiment of the present invention is used to continuouslyfeed the welding wire wound around a bobbin and rewind the welding wire around a small-diameter spool. The secondembodiment of the present invention differs from the above-described first embodiment in that a traverser is providedand that the dancer roller device has a different structure.Other structures of the second embodiment are the same asthose of the first embodiment. Therefore, only thetraverser and the dancer roller device will be described.

In the welding-wire-material feeder according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention, no traverser isprovided to reciprocate the welding wire material R in thewinding width direction of the bobbin 2. In addition, thedancer roller device for applying the feeding tension to thewelding wire material R includes a fluid-pressure cylinder.

In contrast, the welding-wire-product feeder accordingto the second embodiment of the present invention includes atraverser 21. The traverser 21 includes a guide roller 25,an extending-and-retracting means 29a, and guide rods 29b.The guide rods 29b are slidably supported by the extending-and-retracting means 29a such that the guide rods 29b canreciprocate in the horizontal direction. Ά fluid-pressurecylinder, a ball screw, etc., may be used as the extending-and-retracting means 29a.

If a winding shape defect occurs in the process ofrewinding the welding wire W around a small-diameter spoolusing the welding wire feeder, the traverser 21 is used to operate the welding wire feeder as a winder for winding backthe welding wire W from the spool to the bobbin 2.

In the case where the traverser 21 is not used in theprocess of operating the welding wire feeder as a winder forwinding back the welding wire W from the spool to the bobbin2, there is a risk that the following problem will occur.That is, referring to Fig. 14, a previously wound weldingwire W may be placed on a crest section and a subsequentlywound welding wire W may be placed on a root section. Inthis case, there is a risk that the previously wound weldingwire W on the crest section will be displaced toward theroot section and be placed on the subsequently wound weldingwire. In such a case, if the welding wire W that has beenwound back to the bobbin 2 is rewound around the small-diameter spool again, entanglement of the welding wire Wwill occur.

In the welding wire feeder according to the secondembodiment of the present invention, the traverser 21 servesto maintain a suitable winding shape in the process ofwinding back the welding wire W from the small-diameterspool to the bobbin 2. Therefore, when the welding wire Wthat has been wound back to the bobbin 2 is rewound aroundthe small-diameter spool again, entanglement of the weldingwire W can be prevented.

This type of traverser 21 will be described in more detail. Preferably, the guide roller 25 included in thetraverser 21 can be horizontally extended by the extending-and-retracting means 29a to a position 25a shown by the two-dot chain lines in Fig. 12. That is, the traverser 21preferably can traverse over substantially a half of thewinding width of the bobbin 2, that is, from a path line Wlof the welding wire W at the center of the bobbin 2 to apath line W2 at an end portion of the bobbin. In a sideview, as shown in Fig. 13, the path lines W1 and W2 of thewelding wire W are located between a path line Wa for whenthe rewinding operation is started and the bobbin is emptyand a path line Wb for when the rewinding operation iscompleted and the bobbin is full.

The guide roller 25 included in the traverser 21 isstructured such that the axial center Cr thereof can beinclined with respect to the path line Wl. Preferably, theguide roller 25 is inclined such that the crossing angles Θ1and Θ2 between the axial center Cr and the path lines Wa andWb are close to the right angle. In such a case, contactfriction between the guide roller 25 and the welding wire Wcan be reduced.

Referring to Fig. 12, when the guide roller 25 isextended by the extending-and-retracting means 29a, theguide roller 25 comes into contact with the welding wire Wat the path line Wl. Then, when the guide roller 25 is further extended, the guide roller 25 reaches the path lineW2 while being in contact with the welding wire W. Then,when the guide roller 25 is retracted by the extending-and-retracting means 29a, the welding wire W returns to the pathline Wl. Then, when the guide roller 25 is furtherretracted by the extending-and-retracting means 29a (whenthe guide roller 25 is moved further toward the left thanthe path line Wl in Fig. 12), the welding wire W remains atthe path line Wl owing to the rewinding tension appliedthereto.

Then, the extending-and-retracting means 29a causes theguide roller 25 to repeat the above-described traversingmovement, so that a suitable winding shape can be maintainedwhen the welding wire W is wound back from the small-diameter spool to the bobbin 2. As a result, entanglementcan be prevented when the welding wire product W is rewoundaround the small-diameter spool again. In this way, theguide roller 25 is caused to traverse by substantially ahalf of the winding width of the bobbin 2. Therefore, asuitable winding shape can be maintained in the process ofwinding back the welding wire W from the small-diameterspool to the bobbin 2.

The welding wire feeder according to the secondembodiment of the present invention is provided with thedancer roller device 41 including a counterweight as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. With this structure, the variation in thewinding tension applied to the welding wire W is detectedand the balance between the feeding speed and the conveyingspeed at which the welding wire W is fed from the feeder iscontrolled. The control system is the same as that in theabove-described case where the dancer roller device is usedin the winder.

As described above, according to the welding wirefeeder according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention, the traverser 21 having a simple structure isprovided for use in the process of winding back the weldingwire W from the small-diameter spool to the bobbin 2.Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the traverser 21 can bereduced. In addition, a suitable winding shape can bemaintained by the traverser 21 in the process of windingback the welding wire W around the bobbin 2, andentanglement of the welding wire W can be prevented in theprocess of rewinding the welding wire W around the small-diameter spool again.

In the above-described explanations of the structuresaccording to the embodiments of the present invention, thedancer roller device including the fluid-pressure cylindershown in Fig. 6 is used in the welding-wire-material feederaccording to the first embodiment and the dancer rollerdevice including the counterweight shown in Fig. 8 is used in the welding wire feeder according to the secondembodiment. However, conversely, the dancer roller deviceincluding the counterweight may be used in the welding-wire-material feeder according to the first embodiment and thedancer roller device including the fluid-pressure cylindermay be used in the welding wire feeder according to thesecond embodiment.

Alternatively, the dancer roller device including thefluid-pressure cylinder or the dancer roller deviceincluding the counterweight may be used in both the welding-wire-material feeder according to the first embodiment andthe welding wire feeder according to the second embodiment.

In addition, in the above-described explanations of thewelding wire feeder according to the second embodiment ofthe present invention, the traverser includes the guideroller that can be horizontally extended and retracted bythe extending-and-retracting means having a simple structureand that traverses by substantially a half of the windingwidth of the bobbin. However, the guide roller may, ofcourse, traverse over the entire winding width of the bobbin.

Claims

A welding wire winder, comprising: a clamping device to which a reel is attached, wherein the clamping device comprises two conical surfaces facing each other in an axial direction and a straightening and retracting mechanism for securing the reel to the clamping device and releasing the reel from the clamping device by relatively moving the pair of conical surfaces in the axial direction; a rotating shaft connected to the clamping device and driven by a drive motor to rotate the reel so that a welding wire is wound around the reel, and a coupling member comprising a pin attached to the rotating shaft, wherein the pin is movable in the axial direction and connectable to a pin hole by being inserted into the pin hole, the pin hole being provided in a side surface of the reels extending in the axial direction; and a lifting and lowering device which, when the reel is empty and must be attached to the clamping device or if the reel is full and needs to be released from the clamping device, raises a base for placing the reel on which the reel is placed, thereby enabling the draw and retract mechanism to attach the reel to the clamping device or disengage the reel from the clamping device, wherein the lifting and lowering device lowers the base for placing the reel to a retracted position during a winding process of the welding wire.

The welding wire winder according to claim 1, wherein the stretch-and-pull mechanism comprises a fluid pressure cylinder, and an operating pressure circuit of a fluid pressure for the fluid pressure cylinder is provided with a pressure switch that detects the fluid pressure and outputs a pressure reduction signal when the fluid pressure is reduced to a pre-pressure certain pressure or less.

The welding wire winder according to claim 1, further comprising: a disc brake capable of performing an emergency stop for stopping rotation of the rotating shaft, the disc brake comprising a brake disc attached to the rotating shaft and a hydraulic caliper secured to a chassis of the wrapper.

The welding wire winder according to claim 1, further comprising: a means for canceling the coupling capable of canceling the coupling between the pin and the pin hole by pressing either surface of the reel into which the coupling portion is inserted into the pin hole , when the reel of the clamping device is to be released.

The welding wire winder according to claim 1, further comprising: a traversing device on which a deflection inclination means for correcting the bending inclination tendency of the welding wires are provided with a guide roller, the traversing device being driven by a separate motor, the welding wire being guided and is wound around the reel while the bending inclination is corrected and while a traversing angle and a contact angle are set to respective predetermined angles in the winding process of the welding wire.

The welding wire winder according to claim 5, wherein the bending inclination correction means for correcting the bending inclination inclination of the welding wire comprises two or more roller groups each comprising multiple rollers arranged in a zigzag pattern in which the rollers are placed in different directions.

The welding wire winder according to claim 5, wherein a traversing width of the traversing device is adjustable in accordance with positions in which two stop sensors are provided for at the end of the stroke.

The welding wire winder according to claim 1, wherein an electrically conductive rod is disposed above a position around a line of the welding wire and electricity is supplied to the electrically conducting rod and the welding wire, which is wound around the reel, and wherein, when the welding wire breaks and comes into contact with the electrically conductive rod, a closed circuit is formed between the welding wire and the electrically conducting rod, so that the breaking of the welding wire is detectable.

The welding wire winder according to claim 1, further comprising: a safety cover capable of slidingly moving in the axial direction, the safety cover being provided on a rear side of the reel, on the side opposite a web line of the welding wire and attached to the clamping device reel is wound.

The welding wire winder according to claim 1, further comprising: a dance roll device around which the welding wire is wound in a front-end process; and a dance roll position detector that detects a dance roll position of the dance roll device, wherein a winding voltage applied to the welding wire is controllable to a constant voltage on the basis of a detection signal obtained by the dance roll position detector.

11. A feeding device for feeding a welding wire material or a welding wire of a reel around which the welding wire material or the welding wire is wound, the feeding device comprising: clamping device to which the reel is fastened, wherein the clamping device comprises two conical surfaces facing each other in an axial direction and an extension and retraction mechanism capable of securing the reel to the clamping device and releasing the reel from the clamping device by relatively moving the pair of conical surfaces in the axial direction; a rotating shaft connected to the clamping device and driven by a drive motor to rotate the reel so that the welding wire material or the welding wire of the reel is supplied, and a coupling part comprising a pin attached to the rotating shaft, wherein the pin is movable in the axial directional and connectable with a pin hole by being inserted into the pin hole, the pin hole being provided in a side surface of the reel and extending in the axial direction, and a lifting and lowering device which, when the reel is to be attached to the clamping device or of the clamping device must be released, a base for placing the reel on which the reel is placed raises, thereby enabling the extension and retraction mechanism to fix the reel to the clamping device or to detach the reel from the clamping device, wherein the lifting and lowering device lowers the base for placing the reel to a retracted position moves during a winding process of the welding wire material or welding wire.

The supply device of claim 11, wherein the stretch-and-pull mechanism comprises a fluid pressure cylinder, and an operating pressure circuit of a fluid pressure for the fluid pressure cylinder is provided with a pressure switch that detects the fluid pressure and outputs a pressure reduction signal when the fluid pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure or less.

The feeder according to claim 11, further comprising: a disc brake capable of performing an emergency stop for stopping the rotation of the rotary shaft, the disc brake comprising a brake disc attached to the rotary shaft and a hydraulic caliper secured to a chassis of the feeder .

The feeder of claim 11, further comprising: a means for canceling the coupling capable of canceling the coupling between the pin and the pin hole by pressing either surface of the reel into which the coupling portion is inserted into the pin hole , when the reel of the clamping device is to be released.

The feeding device of claim 11, further comprising: a photoelectric sensor disposed above the reel attached to the clamping device, wherein the photoelectric sensor is capable of detecting the remaining amount of welding wire material or welding wire supplied from the reel connected to the clamping device wherein a control operation is performed to delay or stop the rotation of the reel on the basis of a detection signal obtained by the photoelectric sensor.

The feeder according to claim 11, further comprising: a safety cover capable of sliding in the axial direction, the safety cover being provided on a rear side of the reel, on the side opposite a web line of the welding wire material or the welding wire that of the welding wire material clamp-fastened reel is supplied.

The feeding device of claim 11, further comprising: a dance roll device around which the welding wire material or welding wire is wound in a back-end process; and a dance roll position detector that detects a dance roll position of the dance roll device, wherein a supply voltage applied to the welding wire material or the welding wire is adjustable to a constant voltage on the basis of a detection signal obtained by the dance roll position detector.