NL2015382B1

NL2015382B1 - Welding torch support structure.

Info

Publication number: NL2015382B1
Application number: NL2015382A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Hendricus Maria Zwienenberg Antonius
Original assignee: Mhz Machinery
Priority date: 2015-09-01
Filing date: 2015-09-01
Publication date: 2017-03-20

Abstract

A welding torch support structure which comprises a base, an upright, an arm, and a holder for a welding torch, wherein the base supports the upright, the upright supports the arm and the arm supports the holder, and wherein the arm compris- es a first extension section, and the slider is slidingly con nected to the pole and pivotably connected to the arm via connec tion means.

Description

Welding torch support structure

The invention relates to a welding torch support structure comprising a base, an upright, an arm, and a holder for a welding torch, wherein the base supports the upright, the upright supports the arm and the arm supports the holder.

Welding torch holders are known from the welding industry where round metal objects, such as pipes, placed on a welding positioner are welded to other metal objects placed thereon. In those known cases the holders are small and integrated with the welding positioner.

It is generally known that high quality welds arise from an uninterrupted and even distribution of heat along the interface of two or more metal objects that are to be welded together. This is achieved by a constant rotational velocity, provided by a welding positioner and a constant distance of the torch with reference to the interface of the metal objects that are to be welded together, provided by a welding torch support structure. If one or more of the to be welded metal objects comprise protrusions that substantially protrude from the rotational axis of the welding positioner, a collision of the protrusion and the welding torch support structure could result. To prevent this from happening, the welding process needs to be stopped and reinitiated after changing the orientation of the welding torch support structure or the welding positioner, resulting in loss of production time and a lower quality weld due to this interruption.

It is an object of the invention to propose an alternative welding torch support structure which allows for uninterrupted welding of substantially protruding metal objects to other metal objects.

According to the invention an apparatus is proposed in accordance with one or more of the appended claims.

According to a first aspect of the invention the arm comprises a first extension section. This design enables for uninterrupted rotation of metal objects comprising protrusions of different sizes by substantially distancing the upright from the protrusions. Therefore, there is no need to interrupt the welding process, resulting in a higher production rate and a weld of higher quality as compared to welds made by interrupted welding processes.

In the apparatus of the invention the upright comprises a pole and the connection between the upright and the arm is established via a slider that is slidably connected to said pole. This enables the arm to be positioned in-between protrusions extending substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the rotational axis of the welding positioner, while not colliding with these protrusions during rotation, allowing uninterrupted welding of hard to reach interfaces .

To enable maximal configurability the sliding connection between the slider and the pole enables the slider and the arm connected therewith to rotate around the pole in addition to slide along the pole.

Thereafter accurate height positioning and securing of the slider with respect to the pole is effectuated by means of a first spindle, enabling accurate positioning of a welding torch held by the arm in the vicinity of two surfaces that need to be welded together.

The arm is pivotably connected to one extremity of the slider via a first connection point, enabling the angle between the arm and the pole to change. The adjustable angle of the arm with respect to the pole provides flexibility in welding different objects together that are of considerable height or that need to be welded close to the ground and are thus out of reach of the welding torch.

In conjunction therewith and to accommodate for objects of different shapes and sizes that are to be welded together, the slider comprises a second connection point located at an opposite extremity of the slider with reference to the first connection point. Both connection points are distanced along a virtual vertical line parallel to the pole and the arm is pivotably attachable to a selected one of the connection points .

The slider is preferably outfitted with a series of bars wherein each bar is engageable with one end of a beam that is pivotably connected to the arm via an opposite end of said beam, wherein the connection of the beam to the arm is distanced from the connection of the arm to the slider to achieve an adequate amount of support for said arm. The beam stabilizes and secures the arm, thereby stabilizing the position of the welding torch.

While the beam that is engageable with each bar from a series of bars enables a coarse adjustment of the angle of the arm with reference to the pole, a second spindle, located on the slider, enables to more accurately adjust said angle for precise height adjustment of the arm. This is desirable as accurate positioning of the arm is important to prevent collisions with protrusions as well as positioning the welding torch in the vicinity of the surfaces to be welded.

In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention which is specifically suited for vertical welding the positioning of the slider with reference to the pole is driven by an engine. The engine changes the updown position of the welding torch during the welding process at a desired velocity and in a desired up-down direction.

The base of the apparatus comprises a base extension section that can be extended in the same direction as the arm and be secured to the base to stabilize the welding torch support structure and prevent said structure from tipping over due to the combined weight and length of the arm and holder.

In conjunction therewith one or more magnets may be provided at the base that provide additional stability when the welding torch support structure is placed on a metal floor .

One or more wheels are provided at the base to enable efficient transport of the welding torch support structure. These wheels contact the ground when said structure is tilted and ready for transportation, while they do not contact the ground when the apparatus is being configured or is in operation .

The base of the welding torch support system comprises leveling means in the form of screws and small plateaus attached to said screws at each extremity of the base. A level position of the base is important for vertical welding and to provide stability to the whole structure.

In another preferred embodiment of the apparatus de- scribed in the invention the first extension section is selectable from a set of extension sections comprising different size-groups. This circumvents the problem that the first extension section of the arm is of insufficient length for the welding torch holder to be positioned in the vicinity of the interface between the to be welded objects due to the size of a protrusion. A joint is provided near the end of the arm that is connected to the welding torch holder to be able to move said holder in a plane perpendicular to the arm to effectuate a complete and even weld along the interface of two or more metal objects.

In conjunction therewith an additional joint is provided near the end of the arm that is connected to the welding torch holder to enable rotation of said holder with reference to the arm. A lockable hinge is provided between the extremities of the arm such that one part of the arm can quickly be displaced with reference to another part of the arm that is attached to the slider. If the welding process needs to be interrupted, access to the partly welded metal objects can be provided while the main configuration is preserved, allowing reinitiating the welding process in the exact same position as directly before the interruption, resulting in a higher quality weld since in this way the so-called secondary welding parameters are preserved. In addition, the time required for making a similar weld multiple times can be reduced by enabling quick access to the welded metal objects so that they can easily be replaced by similar to be welded metal objects while the welding support structure does not need to be reconfigured each time.

The required weld type differs for differing metal objects. Therefore, the welding torch holder is replaceable by other types of welding torch holders that comprise different attributes to meet specific secondary welding parameters. One attribute is a fiber optic camera to assist in welding hard to reach places such as pipes from the inside out. Another attribute is an electrical or mechanical weld feeler that follows the object to be welded. Yet another attribute is a rota- tional welding system, to make rotational welds. Yet another attribute is an additional torch integration site for twin-arc welding. A further attribute is an automatic welding wire supply to continuously supply new metal wire tailored to the specific welding process.

To facilitate transportation, it is advantageous that in its transportation position the arm is substantially parallel to the pole so that it occupies less space and can be easily stored, while in its operating position, the arm is substantially perpendicular to the pole, to prevent the arm from colliding with other objects.

The base of the welding torch support structure comprises clamps to secure the apparatus to somewhat tilted surfaces, providing further stability and expanding the applicability of said structure.

Preferably the slider comprises a first integration site for integrating a shielding gas control system to the welding torch support structure to ensure a shielding gas supply is connected to said structure, which protects the weld from harmful environmental influences during the welding process .

Preferably the base comprises a second integration site for additional welding equipment to further expand the applicability of the welding torch support structure.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention that is not limiting as to the appended claims.

In the drawing: -figure 1 shows in a side view an apparatus according to the invention together with different welding torch holders; and -figure 2 shows a 3d view of an apparatus according to the invention.

Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same parts.

In figure 1 a welding torch support system 1 is shown that is suitable to hold a selected one out of a variety of welding torches. The welding torch support system comprises a base 2, an upright 3, an arm 4 and a holder 5.

The upright 3 comprises a pole 7 and a slider 8 that are slidingly connected to each other and wherein said slider 8 is pivotably connected to the arm 4 by connection means 9. The position of the slider 8 with reference to the pole 7 can be adjusted with a first spindle 10. The positioning is not limited to a movement along the length of the pole 7, the slider 8 can be rotated around said pole 7 as well.

The slider comprises a first 11 and a second 12 attachment point, wherein said attachment points 11, 12 are spaced apart and placed substantially parallel to the pole 7. The arm 4 can be pivotably attached to a selected one of said attachment points 11, 12 via the connection means 9.

The slider further comprises a set of bars 13, wherein each bar 13 is at one end engageable with a beam 14 and at an opposite end pivotably connected with the arm 4. The reengagement of said beam 14 to another bar 13 causes the angle of the arm 4 with reference to the pole 7 to change in a stepwise manner . A second spindle 15 is located on the slider 8 to enable the arm 4 to acquire angles with reference to the pole 7 that are in-between the angles of the arm 4 with reference to the pole 7 that can be obtained by engaging the beam 14 with the different bars 13.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the slider 8 is connected to an engine 16 to enable automatic positioning of the slider 8 with reference to the pole 7.

The base 2 comprises a base extension section 17 that can be secured by a securing means 18 wherein said base extension section 17 can be extended to prevent the welding torch support structure 1 from tipping over when in an operating position, and which can be retracted to facilitate transportation of said structure 1.

To stabilize the base 2, the welding torch support structure 1 comprises at least one magnet 19 that keeps the base magnetically attached to a metal surface.

To transport the welding torch support structure 1, wheels 20 are provided at the base 2 of said structure 1. The wheels 20 placed such that when the structure 1 is substan tially tilted, said wheels 20 contact the surface on which said structure 1 is placed and the remainder of said structure 1 does not contact said surface, thereby enabling the structure 1 to be moved.

Preferably the base 2 comprises leveling means 21 to obtain a level position of the base 2, such that the welding torch support structure 1 can be correctly positioned.

The arm 4 is provided with a lockable hinge 22 to displace one part of said arm 4 and enable quick access to the welded objects without having to reconfigure the whole welding torch support structure 1.

Figure 2 shows a set of different welding torch holders 23 of which a selected holder 5 can be mounted to the arm 4 .

To provide additional stability when the welding torch support structure 1 is placed on a tilted surface, the base 2 comprises clamps 24 to clamp said structure 1 to said surface .

The base 2 comprises first integration site 25 to integrate additional welding equipment and a second integration site 26 to integrate a shielding gas control system.

Although the invention has been discussed in the foregoing with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, the invention is not restricted to this particular embodiment which can be varied in many ways without departing from the gist of the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiment shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. On the contrary the embodiment is merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims to this exemplary embodiment. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using this exemplary embodiment.

Nomenclature 1. Welding torch support structure 2. Base 3. Upright 4. Arm 5. Holder 6. First extension section 7. Pole 8. Slider 9. Connection means 10. First spindle 11. First attachment point 12. Second attachment point 13. Bars 14. Beam 15. Second spindle 16. Engine 17. Base extension section 18. Securing means for base extension 19. Magnets 20. Wheels 21. Leveling means 22. Lockable hinge 23. Set of holders 24. Clamps 25. First integration site 26. Second integration site

Claims

1. A welding torch support structure (1) comprising a base (2), an upright (3), an am (4), and a holder (5) for a welding torch, wherein the base (2) supports the upright (3), the upright (3) supports the arm (4) and the arm (4) supports the holder (5), characterized in that the arm (4) comprises a first extension section (6).

2. The welding torch support structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the upright {3) comprises a pole (7) and a slider (8), wherein the slider (8) is slidingly connected to the pole (7) and pivotably connected to the arm (4) via connection means (9).

3. The welding torch support structure (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the slider (8) is rotatable around the pole (7).

4. The welding torch support structure (1} according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the height position of the slider (8) with respect to the pole (7) is adjustable by a first spindle (10).

5. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that the connection means (9) is pivotably attachable to a first attachment point (11), wherein said first attachment point (11) is located on the slider (8).

6. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that the first attachment point (11) is located at one extremity of said slider (8) and a second attachment point (12) is provided at another extremity of said slider (8), wherein the connection means (9) is pivotably attachable to a selected one of said attachment points (11, 12).

7. The welding torch support structure (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the attachment points (11, 12) are spaced apart on a vertical imaginary line parallel to the pole (7).

8. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 2-7, characterized in that the slider (8) comprises a series of spaced apart bars (13) placed sub- stantially parallel to the pole (7) of which each bar (13) is engageable with one end of a beam (14), and wherein the opposite end of said beam (14) is pivotably connected to the arm (4) .

9. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 2-8, characterized in that the angle of the arm (4) relative to the pole (7) is adjustable by a second spindle (15).

10. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 2-9, characterized in that the slider (8) is coupled with a drive engine (16).

11. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that the base (2) comprises a base extension section (17), wherein said base extension section (17) is securable with reference to the base with at least one securing means (18).

12. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that the base (2) comprises at least one magnet (19) to secure said structure (1) to a metal floor.

13. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that the base (2) is movable.

14. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 - 13, characterized in that the base (2) comprises at least one wheel (20).

15. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that the base (2) comprises leveling means (21).

16. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1-15, characterized in that the first extension section (6) is replaceable and is selected from a set of extension sections comprising different size-groups.

17. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 - 16, characterized in that the holder (5) is movable in a plane perpendicular to the arm (4).

18. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1-17, characterized in that the holder (5) is rotatable with respect to the arm (4).

19. The welding torch support structure (1} according to any one of claims 1 - 18, characterized in that the arm (4) comprises a lockable hinge (22), located between opposite extremities of said arm (4) to select an orientation of respective parts of the arm (4) with respect to each other, wherein the orientation is lockable.

20. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 - 19, characterized in that the holder (5) is replaceable and is selected from a set of holders (23) comprising different functionalities relating to welding parameters .

21. The welding torch support structure (1) according to claim 20, characterized in that each holder (5) from the set of holders (23) comprises at least one of the following: an electrical or mechanical weld feeler, a camera, a rotational welding system, an integration site for a twin-arc welder, an automated welding wire supply.

22. The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 - 21, characterized in that said structure (1) comprises a transport position wherein the arm (4) is substantially parallel to the upright (3) and an operating position wherein the arm (4) is substantially perpendicular to the upright (3).

23.

The welding torch support structure (1) according to any one of claims 1-22, characterized in that the base (2) comprises clamps (24) to clamp said base (2) to a surface.