Patent ID: 7557327
Filing Date: 2009-07-07
Classification: B23K

Abstract:
1. A method of pulse welding with a welding wire comprising: (a) moving said welding wire toward a workpiece and through the central passage of a contact tip, said contact tip having an innermost end, and an outermost wire exit end; (b) positively urging said wire to a fixed position within said contact tip; and, (c) passing a pulse weld signal between said fixed position within contact tip, said welding wire and said workpiece to melt said welding wire by said signal and deposit said melted welding wire onto said workpiece, wherein said urging includes moving a pressure element slidably mounted in said opening toward and against said wire; the pressure element made movable by a circular, sheet metal spring surrounding said contact tip and engaging said pressure element to urge said element against said wire moving through said passage, said sheet metal spring having two distal ends spaced from each other and said tip including a circular groove intersecting said opening and holding said spring around said tip, said circular groove including a key structure extending parallel to said given direction and between said distal ends of said spring preventing rotation of said spring in said groove.