Patent ID: 9162312
Filing Date: 2015-10-20
Classification: B23K

Abstract:
1. A drive roll assembly for a push-pull MIG welding torch including a handle connected on one end to a power cable assembly and upstream to a wire feeder and connected on an opposite end to a gooseneck and contact tip assembly, the drive roll assembly comprising: a body block disposed in the handle and connected to the power cable assembly; a motorized driving gear mounted on the body block, the driving gear being insulated from the body block; and an idler wheel rotatably mounted on a mounting arm via a mount, and the mounting arm being pivotally connected to the body block; the idler wheel being spaced from and peripherally adjacent the driving gear; the idler wheel being cooperable with the driving gear to pull welding wire from the power cable assembly through the handle and towards the gooseneck; the idler wheel being made of a highly conductive material that allows for transfer of welding current to the welding wire, wherein the contact tip assembly of said push-pull MIG welding torch provides a primary electrical contact point for transfer of electric current to said welding wire and said idler wheel simultaneously, provides an electrical contact point that is secondary to said contact tip assembly.