Patent ID: 6831251
Filing Date: 2004-12-14
Classification: B23K

Abstract:
Method of monitoring a feed force on a welding wire as the welding wire (13) is fed from a wire supply reel (14) to a welding torch (10), the feed force being implied by at least one welding wire feeder (27) and another welding wire feeder (28) for applying the feed force acting on the welding wire (13) in a feed direction, and the feed force is directly detected in a wire feed between the at least one welding wire feeder (27) and the other welding wire feeder (28), characterised in that a displacement of the welding wire (13) transversely to the feed direction caused by the feed force is detected in a tubular sensor (31) between the at least one welding wire feeder (27) and the other welding wire feeder (28), the feed force or rate of the at least one welding wire feeder (27) or the other welding wire feeder (28) is varied in dependence on the extent of the transverse displacement within the interior of the tubular sensor, and the welding wire is deflected by a baffle system (48) in the interior of the tubular sensor from a centered rectilinear position in a predetermined direction whereby the direction of deflection of the welding wire is automatically determined when the required feed force is exceeded.