Abstract:
Large diameter weld wire and methods for forming a large diameter weld wire are provided, in which weld wire is formed and a sinusoidal shape memory is imparted on the wire to enhance feedability and ease of withdrawal from a storage spool or container.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/684,618, which was filed May 25, 2005, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING WIRE IN A WIRE CONTAINER, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to welding wire packaging and more particularly to winding or coiling large diameter welding wire into the welding wire container to minimize the twist in the welding wire during unwinding.  
       INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE  
       [0003]     Welding wire used in high production operations, such as robotic welding stations, is provided in a large package having well over 200 pounds of wire. In some cases, especially with large diameter wire, the container can hold 2,000 pounds of wire. The welding wire, in these packages, is looped into convolutions of wire loops forming a wire coil extending around a central core or a central clearance bore. One such winding technique is shown in Cooper U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,303 which discloses a method and apparatus for packing wire in a storage drum and which is incorporated by reference herein as background material showing the same.  
         [0004]     In order to achieve a desired flow of welding wire during the unwinding of the container, a cast can be introduced into the welding wire during the winding process. Such a process is shown in Ferguson III U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,864 with is also incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same.  
         [0005]     Another winding technique is shown in Hsu US 2005/0023401. Hsu discloses the use of packing wire in a container using reverse winding. Hsu is incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same. Other wire winding techniques are shown in Crum U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,229; Kraft et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,959,279; Lorenz U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,931; Wilhelm U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,729; Kitselman U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,202; Tillou II U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,977; Kitselman U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,654; and Cole et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,445,077, all of which are incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same.  
         [0006]     In addition to winding the wire into the container, the process of winding can further include modifying the shape of the wire such as straitening the wire or producing a natural cast or cant in the wire. Reynolds U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,435 discloses controlling the wire attitude and is incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same. Eisinger discloses a roller mechanism for forming helical shapes in the wire and is incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same. Labbe U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,919 and Lefever U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,277 disclose rollers used for wire straitening and are incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same. Corbin U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,567 discloses an apparatus for controlling the wire cast and helix and is incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same. Field U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,129 and Asbeck et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,249 disclose systems for forming or crimping wire and are incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same. Pfund U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,185 also discloses an apparatus for wire shaping that utilizes rollers and is incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same. Offer U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,944 discloses utilizing dies to control the shape of the wire and is incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same. Minehisa et al discloses shaping the wire as it is directed to the welding torch and is incorporated by reference herein as background material for showing the same.  
         [0007]     As can be appreciated, any winding technique for welding wire must allow the wire in the container to be used with the wire feeder and, therefore, the wire wound into the container can be designed to work with existing unwinding mechanisms such that an uninterrupted flow of welding wire to the welding operation is achieved. To control the transportation and payout of the wire, an upper retainer or braking device, such as a braking ring, can be used to help control the unwinding of the wire from the wire coil. One such package is shown in Cooper U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,934 which discloses a welding wire drum that utilizes a braking ring to control the unwinding of the welding wire from the wire coil. Cooper U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,934 is also incorporated by reference herein as background material showing the same. Another such packaging is shown in Chung U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,380 which also discloses a welding wire drum, however, Chung discloses a different wire flow controlling apparatus for controlling the payout of the welding wire from the drum. Chung is also incorporated by reference herein for showing the same.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In the welding industry, it is important to provide a reliable way to draw welding wire from a package as a continuous supply of wire to perform successive welding operations. Many techniques have been designed over the years to wind the welding wire into a package and then to unwind the same package to feed a welding operation. The advent of mass use of electric welding, such as in robotic welding, has created a need for larger packages for containing and dispensing large quantities of welding wire. However, as can be appreciated, the size of the welding wire and the consumption rate of the welding operation can influence the desired size of the welding wire packages. This is especially true with large diameter welding wire. As can be also appreciated, larger diameter welding wires will necessitate larger packages to hold the same length of welding wire as smaller diameter wires.  
         [0009]     Further, in order to work in connection with the wire feeder of the welder, the welding wire must be dispensed in a non-twisted, non-distorted and non-canted condition which produces a more uniform weld without human attention. It is well known that wire has a tendency to seek a predetermined natural condition which can adversely affect the welding process. Accordingly, the wire must be sufficiently controlled by the interaction between the welding wire package and the wire feeder. To help in this respect, the manufacturers of welding wire have produced wire having a natural cast wherein, if a segment of the wire was laid on the floor, the natural shape of the wire would be formed. In many instances, the desired natural cast is essentially a straight line; however, in order to package large quantities of the wire, the wire is coiled into the package which can produce a significant amount of wire distortion and tangling as the wire is dispensed from the package. However, it has been found that the unwinding of the wire from the wire coil is different for different diameter wire. Small diameter welding wires can be easier to control during the unwinding than larger diameter wires.  
         [0010]     With current winding and unwinding techniques, the welding wire container must be rotated during the unwinding of large diameter wire from the container to prevent the wire from twisting as it exits the wire container. As can be appreciated, providing a mechanism that can rotate a large welding wire package, with a desired degree of control, can be costly and can consume a significant amount of floor space. However, the cost associated with the rotation of the container during the unwinding of the wire is less than the cost associated with the repeated down-time of the welding operation due to wire tangling.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0011]     In accordance with the present invention, provided is an improved method and apparatus of densely packing large diameter welding wire in a storage container, which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art method and apparatus arrangements and allows the wire to be dispensed in a non-distorted and non-tangled manner.  
         [0012]     More particularly, the invention of this application relates to producing a “shape memory” in the wire before and/or during the winding of the wire into the wire coil in the wire container or package. The shape memory is used to package large diameter welding wire, having a diameter of about 0.070 inches or more, such that it is more densely packed in the container, without affecting the ability to smoothly withdraw welding wire during automatic or semi-automatic welding processes. Further, by using the method and/or apparatus of this application, a wire package can be produced that contains a large diameter welding wire and does not need to be rotated during the unwinding of the welding wire from the package.  
         [0013]     According to one aspect of the present invention, the winding of the wire coil includes an apparatus that can have a capstan for pulling the welding wire from the manufacturing process, a rotatable laying head upon a first axis for receiving the wire from the capstan, and a turntable which supports a welding wire storage drum or package. The welding wire can be packaged within the storage drum by rotating the laying head at a first rotational velocity and rotating the capstan at a second rotational velocity in order to determine the loop diameter. Generally, for each loop of welding wire placed within the storage drum, the turntable rotates a fraction of one revolution, thus causing only a small portion of the circumference of the loop to contact the inner surface of the storage drum. An indexing apparatus allows the storage drum and rotatable laying head to be moved relative to the other in sequential steps during loading of the wire within the storage drum.  
         [0014]     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the winding apparatus includes a mechanism to produce a shape memory in the welding wire that is at least partially maintained even after the wire is wound into the coil.  
         [0015]     In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, provided is a weld wire with a predefined shape memory imparted onto the welding wire prior to the welding wire being wound onto a reel, spool, container, or the like. The shape memory of the weld wire is again fully or partially retained by the weld wire as the weld wire is wound and unwound from the container and as the weld wire is fed through a welding machine.  
         [0016]     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, provided is a packaged supply of large diameter weld wire, with a spool or container and a length of welding wire wound on or in the spool or container. The wire has a desired shape memory substantially lying in a single plane when removed the spool or container, where the shape memory is generally a repeating sinusoidal waveform with a wavelength and a height for each waveform cycle. In one example, the wire has a diameter of about 0.079 to 0.190 inches, with the shape memory being a substantially sinusoidal repeating waveform having a wavelength and a height for each waveform cycle.  
         [0017]     In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a weld wire is provided for storage on or in a spool or container, where the wire includes a desired shape memory comprising a substantially sinusoidal repeating waveform having a wavelength and a height for each waveform cycle.  
         [0018]     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, methods are provided for forming a large diameter weld wire for storage on a spool. The methods include forming a weld wire having a diameter of about 0.079 to 0.190 inches, and imparting a desired shape memory on the wire, which shape memory lies substantially in a single plane, wherein the shape memory is generally a repeating waveform, such as a sine wave, having a wavelength and a height for each waveform cycle.  
         [0019]     The shape memory on the weld wire can be formed from a variety of processes such as, but not limited to, forming the wire as it is being wound into the welding wire container. The shape memory imparted onto the weld wire can occur during the formation of the weld wire and/or by a process subsequent to the formation of the weld wire.  
         [0020]     As a result of the shape memory, the large diameter welding wire can be unwound from the packaged coil of wire without the need to rotate the container during the unwinding of large diameter wires. Further, the unwinding advantages described above can also be achieved without adversely affecting the weld bead formed by the wire produced according to the present invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]     The foregoing, and more, will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out more fully hereinafter in conjunction with a written description of preferred embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is an elevation view illustrating a portion of the packaging system according to the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 2A  is an elevation view showing the bottom half of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 2B  is an elevation view showing the top half of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a plan view taking along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2A ;  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is an elevation view of the turntable system taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2A ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a winding operation according to the present invention;  
         [0028]      FIG. 6  is chart including a mean measurement of the shape memory in the welding wire formed according to the present invention;  
         [0029]      FIG. 7  is illustrates the waveform of the shape memory in the weld wire of the present invention;  
         [0030]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the shape memory in the weld wire along lines  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0031]      FIG. 9  is an elevation view illustrating another exemplary turntable system taken along line  44  of  FIG. 2A ;  
         [0032]      FIG. 10  is a plan view illustrating further details of the turntable system of  FIG. 9 ;  
         [0033]      FIG. 11A  is a top plan view in section taken along line  11 - 11  in  FIG. 7  illustrating a solid submerged arc welding (SAW) electrode that may be manufactured and packaged in accordance with the invention; and  
         [0034]      FIG. 11B  is a top plan view in section taken along line  11 - 11  in  FIG. 7  illustrating a cored submerged arc welding electrode in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0035]     Referring to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same,  FIGS. 1-4  provide background showing a winding operations which can be utilized in relation to the invention of this application. However, it must be noted that while one particular winding arrangement is shown, it should be appreciated that the components described below can be replaced with equivalent components known in the art. Further other winding arrangements could be utilized.  
         [0036]     More particularly, shown is a drum winding system  10  which draws a continuous welding wire  11  from a manufacturing process (not shown). Welding wire  11  is a large diameter welding wire having a diameter greater than about 0.070 inches, such as approximately equal to 3/32 inches to 3/16 inches. Wire  11  can be drawn by a capstan  12  driven by a wire feed motor  14  connected to a pulley  16  which drives a belt  15 . As can be seen, the wire is drawn over a series of rolls and dancer rolls  17   a ,  17   b  and  17   c  which serve to maintain tension to welding wire  11  between the manufacturing process and capstan  12 . As can be seen from  FIGS. 1 and 2 B, welding wire  11  is wrapped about 270 degrees about capstan  12 . This can be used to provide the proper friction and drive capacity to draw welding wire  11  across the dancer rolls  17   a - 17   c . Welding wire  11  can then be fed into a rotatable laying head  21  which is suspended from a winding beam  22 . Rotatable laying head  21  rotates within a bearing housing  23  which is suspended from winding beam  22 . Rotatable laying head  21  can include a laying tube  24  and a journal portion  25  extending therefrom and supported for rotation by a flange  26  and a top and a bottom bearing  27  and  28  located at the top and bottom ends, respectively, of bearing housing  23 . It will be appreciated that journal portion  25  includes both an outer cylindrical surface  31  for contact with bearings  27  and  28  and an inner cylindrical surface  32  defining a hollow shaft interior which allows welding wire  11  to pass from capstan  12  to laying tube  24 .  
         [0037]     A pulley  33  can be keyed into the outer cylindrical surface  31  of journal portion  25  below bearing housing  23 . A corresponding pulley  34  extends from a shaft  35  of a layer drive motor  36 . A belt  37  connects pulleys  33  and  34  in order that layer drive motor  36  drives journal portion  25  and correspondingly drives rotatable laying head  21 .  
         [0038]     A control panel  41  can be used to direct the speed of layer drive motor  36  and wire feed motor  14  as well as coordinating the ratio between the speeds of the two motors. The motor speed affects the rotational velocity of laying head  21  and the rotational velocity of capstan  12 . It will be appreciated that the ratio between the laying head rotational velocity and the capstan rotational velocity can be used to control determines a loop size diameter of welding wire  11  in the container.  
         [0039]     Laying tube  24  includes an outer cylindrical surface  42 , an inner cylindrical surface  43 , and a generally closed upper end  44  having inner and outer surfaces  45  and  46 , respectively. A small hole  47  centered about a centerline axis A of laying tube  24  extends between inner surface  45  and outer surface  46 . The lower end of journal portion  25  extends through small hole  47 , and is supported by a small flange  51  at the extreme lower end of journal portion  25  and tack welded in place. The bottom end of laying tube  24  includes a ring  52  extending about the circumference of the lower end of laying tube  24 . Ring  52  has an opening  53  through which welding wire  11  passes from laying tube  24  during the packing operation.  
         [0040]     A turntable  54  is supported for rotation on a turntable support  55 . Turntable support  55  includes a guide track  56 , a force cylinder  57 , and an L-shaped beam portion  58 . As mentioned above, turntable support  55  allows rotation of turntable  54  thereupon, and specifically upon a horizontal beam  61  of L-shaped beam portion  58 . It will be appreciated that as the weight of welding wire  11  is placed within storage drum  62 , a vertical beam portion  63 , which is attached to the rubber guide wheels  64 , rides downward on guide track  56 , which is shown as an H-beam. Thus, L-shaped beam portion  58  rides downward on guide track  56  while storage drum  62  is filled.  
         [0041]     Vertical beam portion  63  includes a finger  65  which extends outwardly therefrom and is pivotally attached at pin  67  to an outward end  68  of a rod  71  which is part of a pressurized cylinder assembly  72 . Pressurized cylinder assembly  72  includes a pressurized cylinder  73 . It will be appreciated that cylinder  73  is pressurized such that when storage drum  62  is empty, cylinder  73  is at equilibrium and L-shaped beam portion  58  is at its highest point on guide track  56 . As storage drum  62  is filled with welding wire  11 , the additional weight placed on turntable  54  causes piston rod  71  to extend downward as shown by arrow X in a controlled descent down guide track  56 . The pressure within cylinder  73  is based upon a predetermined weight to pressure ratio. The controlled descent allows welding wire  11  to be placed within storage drum  62  from the bottom of storage drum  62  adjacent turntable  54  to the top lip of storage drum  62 . Thus, in one embodiment, rotatable laying head  21  does not move in a vertical direction but instead turntable  54  moves in the vertical direction which is parallel to the centerline axis A of laying tube  24 .  
         [0042]     Turntable  54  can be driven for rotation in a manner similar to laying tube  24 . A bearing housing  84  is mounted on horizontal beam  61  of L-shaped beam portion  58 . A journal portion  85  extends downwardly from turntable  54  and is allowed to freely rotate by means of the bearings  86  and  87 . Journal portion  85  can be a cylinder which has an outer cylindrical surface  88  and an inner cylindrical surface  89 . A cogbelt pulley  92  can be keyed to the bottom end of journal portion  85 . Cogbelt pulley  92  is connected to cogbelt pulley  93  by a belt  94 . Cogbelt pulley  93  is driven by a turntable motor  95  through a gearbox  96 . Turntable motor  95  is geared down substantially from laying tube  24  in order than turntable  54  only rotates one fraction of a single revolution relative to a full revolution of laying tube  24 .  
         [0043]     As can be best seen from  FIG. 2A ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , turntable  54  includes a bottom platform  101  which is driven for rotation by a top end key assembly  102  of journal portion  85 . As best seen in  FIG. 4 , a slide table  103  is mounted on bottom platform  101  of turntable  54  by way of a large keyway  104  cut into the bottom end  105  of slide table  103 . A key  106  of bottom platform  101  retains slide table  103 . Slide table  103  is capable of movement relative to bottom platform  101  by the sliding of keyway  104  on key  106 . It will be appreciated that key  106  and keyway  104  can be coated with a relatively frictionless surface such as nylon or the like. Additionally, the bearing surface  107  of key  106  can be provided with a track and ball bearings or other type of bearings (not shown) which facilitates ease of movement between slide table  103  and bottom platform  101 .  
         [0044]     Movement of slide table  103  is caused by an indexer working in conjunction with slide table  103 . Preferably, the indexer is a piston and cylinder assembly  110  which depends downwardly from turntable  54 . Piston and cylinder assembly  110  includes two generally identical rod and pistons  111  and  112 , respectively, which are commonly connected by a drive rod  114 . Each of rod and pistons  111  and  112  are spaced apart an equal distance from journal portion  85  of turntable  54 , and generally parallel to the direction of movement between key  106  and keyway  104  as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0045]     Rod and piston  111  can be identical and are, therefore, numbered identically in the drawings. Rod and piston  111  includes piston portion  115  pivotally attached to bracket  116  which extends downwardly from bottom platform  101 , by a pivot pin  117 . Rod portion  118  extends from the opposite end of piston portion  115  to a block  121  which retains drive rod  114  therein. In turn, drive rod  114  extends generally perpendicular to rod portion  118  and is connected to identical block  121  extending from rod and piston  112 . Between blocks  121 , drive rod  114  is connected to a lever  122  at the lever lower end  123 . At a middle portion  124  of lever  122 , lever  122  is pivotally connected by a pin  125  to a bracket  126  extending from the bottom end of bottom platform  101 . At an upper end portion  127  of lever  122 , lever  122  is pivotally connected to slide table  103  by a pin  128 . As can be best seen in  FIG. 4 , lever  122  is permitted to extend through bottom platform  101  to slide table  103  through aligned slots  131  and  132  in each of bottom platform  101  and slide table  103 , respectively. Rod and pistons  111  and  112  are each driven equally by air. An air supply (not shown) is connected to air supply tube  133  at the bottom of journal portion  85 . The inner cylinder surface  89  serves as an air passageway through which air supply is fed upwards to air supply hoses  134  and  135  (seen in  FIG. 3 ) which are then connected to cylinder inlet  136 . With the above arrangement, it will be appreciated that an air supply is capable of driving rod portion  118  of rod and pistons  111  and  112 , which in turn drives lever  122  to move slide table  103  and keyway  104  in a horizontal direction relative to key  106  and bottom platform  101 . The arrangement accomplishes this sliding movement without affecting the ability of turntable  54  and bottom platform  101  to rotate. A fully packed storage drum  62  is shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0046]     The winding apparatus thus allows a storage drum  62  mounted on turntable  54  and specifically mounted with the clips  137  to slide table  103  be filled in a high density manner. As can be seen, welding wire  11  is placed within storage drum  62  by rotation of laying tube  24  about axis A. It will be appreciated that laying tube axis A is offset from the centerline axis B of storage drum  62 .  
         [0047]     The winding mechanism  10  described above can be used to wind welding wire into a storage container or package. Further, winding mechanism  10  can be adapted to wind large diameter wire such that the wire has a desired shape memory, which will be described in greater detail below, to prevent tangling of the welding wire during the unwinding of the wire from the container. Again, as is discusses above, while it has been found that shape memory can be used to improve weldability, it has been found that shape memory can also be used to improve the unwinding of the welding wire from the container and to eliminate the need to rotate the container during the unwinding of the wire from the container.  
         [0048]     Referring also to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , another exemplary turntable system  454  that may be employed in the winding mechanism  10  of  FIGS. 1-4  generally described above. Turntable  454  is supported for rotation on turntable support  55  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 A above) allowing rotation of turntable  454  thereupon, with the drum  62  riding downward on guide track  56  as storage drum  62  is filled. As with turntable  54  described above, turntable  454  is driven for rotation in a manner similar to laying tube  24  via a bearing housing  484  mounted on horizontal beam  61  winding mechanism  10 , with suitable connections of an internal journal portion (not shown) operatively coupled with a cogbelt pulley (e.g., pulley  92  as in  FIGS. 1 and 2 A above) for motor driven rotation of turntable  454  about axis B, wherein turntable  454  may be driven such that turntable  454  rotates only a fraction of a single revolution relative to a full revolution of laying tube  24  in one example. Turntable  454  includes a table  503  with two sets of cylindrical rollers or supports  505  mounted on a top surface thereof to allow providing horizontally slidable vertical support for drum  62 , either directly or with a drum skid structure  62   a  having a lower surface riding on the rollers  505 . Turntable  454 , moreover, may include apparatus for horizontal translation of drum  62  relative to axis A of tube  24  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 A), such as a bottom platform  101  slidably mounted to table  503  and a suitable piston and cylinder assembly (e.g., assembly  110  above) or other suitable means adapted to horizontally translate drum  62  (and hence axis B thereof) relative to the axis A of the tube  24  in a controlled fashion. Alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , drum  62  and table  503  may remain laterally stationary (e.g., with axis A and axis B being a constant distance from one another), with the table  503  being rotated about axis B. Turntable  454  also includes a set of positioner members  510   a - 510   c  mounted to and extending upwardly from table  503  to facilitate repeatable location of drum  62  relative to the rotational axis B of turntable system  454 . In this regard, drum  62  may be loaded from side  511  of turntable system  454  (the right side in  FIGS. 9 and 10 ), for example, using a forklift or other means, with drum  62 /skid  62   a  being slid laterally on rollers  505  to engage members  510 , wherein the exemplary turntable system  454  further includes a piston and cylinder assembly  512  mounted to the bottom surface of table  503  and operably connected to drive a movable clamping apparatus  514  between a first position (shown in phantom in  FIG. 9 ) and a second position in which drum  62  is clamped in a fixed position between a holding member  514   a  of claming apparatus  514  and one or more of the positioner members  510 .  
         [0049]     Referring now to  FIGS. 6-8 ,  11 A, and  11 B, welding wire  11 ,  210  is shown in  FIGS. 6-8  with a desired shape memory dependent on the properties of the wire and the diameter of the wire. In this respect, shown are five wires A-E. These wires represent wires of three different wire diameters and three different grades. More particularly, wire A is a first grade that is a low carbon, medium manganese, medium silicon general purpose submerged arc wire and has a diameter of 4 mm. LINCOLN ELECTRIC sells this wire under the trademark L-61. Wire B is also a 4 mm diameter but is a different grade wire. LINCOLN ELECTRIC sells this wire under the trademark LNS140TB. Wire C is a 4 mm diameter wire and is a third grade wire that is a low carbon, low manganese, low silicon general purpose submerged arc wire. LINCOLN ELECTRIC sells this wire under the trademark L-60. Wire D is a 3.2 mm diameter wire made from the first grade wire described above. Wire E is a 2.4 mm diameter wire made from the second grade wire describe above. The chart shown in  FIG. 6  further includes a preferred or mean wave length L of the shape memory along with a mean height A of the shape memory. While the preferred dimensions are shown, it should be appreciated that the wave length and height can deviate along the length of the wire. Further, the mean itself can deviate without detracting from the invention of this application. While the listed mean may be the preferred sine configuration, the exact mean or preferred dimension of the sine configuration according to the present invention do not need to be produced or achieved. In this respect, these dimensions can deviate in the range of +/−50%+/−35%; +/−25%; +/−15%; +/−10%; +/−5% or +/−3%. Further this deviation can change along the length of the wire.  
         [0050]      FIGS. 11A and 11B  illustrate two exemplary welding electrode wires  11 ,  210  in section taken along line  11 - 11  in  FIG. 7  having diameters “d” greater than about 0.070 inches, wherein the wire  11 ,  210  of  FIG. 11A  is a solid submerged arc welding (SAW) electrode that may be manufactured and packaged in accordance with the invention, and the wire  11 ,  210  of  FIG. 11B  is a cored submerged arc welding electrode in accordance with the invention. The solid wire electrode  11 ,  210  of  FIG. 11A  includes a solid electrode material  652 , and may also include an outer coating  651 . The exemplary cored type electrode  11 ,  210  of  FIG. 11B  has a metallic outer sheath  654  surrounding an inner core  656 , where the core  656  may include granular flux material for providing a shielding gas and protective liquid (e.g., slag) to protect a molten weld pool during welding, and/or may comprise alloying materials to set the material composition of the weld joint material.  
         [0051]     As can also be appreciated, while metric wires are shown in the example, the invention of this application is not limited to metric wires. Further, it has been found that the shape memory of this application can be utilized to allow welding wire having diameters as large as 0.0.079 inches to 0.190 inches to be unwound from a wire container without the need to rotate the container during the unwinding of the wire. Further, while this method has been found to be of particular effectiveness for this range, the invention of this application should not be limited to this range.  
         [0052]     By including a shape memory which includes this sine-like wave, it has been found that large diameter wires can be unwound from a wire coil in a wire package or container without the need to rotate the package during the unwinding. Further, it has been found that the wire is unwound in a tangle free manner when the sine-like wave form is produced in the welding wire either during the winding process or before the winding process including, but not limited to, during the production of the welding wire.  
         [0053]     In one embodiment, the above-described shape memory is formed during the winding process, namely, during the winding of the coil in the wire container that is used by the end user. In this respect and with reference to  FIG. 5 , shown is a winding apparatus  200  that can be used to produce the desired sine wave. Apparatus  200  includes a de-spooler  201  having a supply of welding wire supply  202  wherein a large diameter wire  210  is drawn from wire supply  202  and the sine-like shape memory is formed before the wire is wound into the container. Wire supply  202  rotates about a supply axis  203  and wire  210  is directed toward a dancer  240 . In this respect, dancer  240  functions to maintain a desired tension in wire  210  as it moves through apparatus  200 .  
         [0054]     Dancer  240  includes two dancer rolls  242  and  244  and can be any dancer known in the art including a dancer with a different number of rollers including, but not limited to, three rollers. With respect to apparatus  200  and dancer  240 , roller  242  is a fixed roller and roller  242  is configured to move relative to roller  242  to maintain the desired tension in wire  210  while in apparatus  200 . This movement of roller  242  can be by any known method in the art.  
         [0055]     As wire  210  exits dancer  240 , it is directed toward a straightener  250  that can be used to remove any undesirable shape memory in wire  210 . As can be appreciated, wire  210  can have unwanted shape memory formed in the wire during the wire manufacturing process and/or during the wire storage on wire supply reel  202  or even as it passes through dancer  240 . In essence, straightener  250  acts to straighten welding wire  210  after it is removed from the wire supply to, in effect, “kill” any prior cast, helix or pitch in the wire pulled from wire supply  202 . Straightener  250  can include two sets of rollers  252  and  254 . Roller set  252  can have five killing rolls  255 - 259  and roller set  254  can have five killing rolls  265 - 269 . However, straightener  250  can be any know straightener in the art.  
         [0056]     After wire  210  exits straightener  250 , it is directed toward a capstan  220  which creates the driving force to propel the wire through apparatus  200  and into the container. As with other aspects of apparatus  200 , the arrangements used for directing the wire from one mechanism to another can be any know arrangement and, therefore, additional details are not including in this application in that they are known in the art. Capstan  220  includes a capstan roller  270  and can include a capstan guard  272 . The wire travels about capstan roller approximately 270 degrees coaxial with a capstan axis  280 . The wire is in contact with a peripheral capstan edge  282  of capstan roller  270 . The wire is then directed toward a cylinder assembly  300  which will be discussed in greater detail below.  
         [0057]     In one embodiment, capstan  220  can be utilized to create, at least in part, the desired shape memory in wire  210  after it has been straightened by straightener  250 . In this respect, the movement of wire about edge  282 , based on the diameter of capstan roller edge  282 , the diameter of the welding wire and other factors, can impart a desired shape memory into the wire. Further, capstan  220  can move relative to other components in apparatus  200  to form the desired sine configuration. This can include relative movement of axis  280  in one or many directions. In addition, the rotation speed or RPM of capstan can be varied to produce the sine configuration. And even further, the wire can be rotated relative to capstan  220  to produce a sine configuration. However, as is also discussed above, arrangement  200  merely represents one method of producing the desired shape memory of the present invention. Other techniques that do not utilize the capstan could be used to create the shape memory.  
         [0058]     Once the cast wire leaves capstan  220  it is directed toward a spinning guide assembly  300  which includes a spinning guide  310  and a cylinder assembly  320 . Guide assembly lays the wire in a desired pattern in the container including, but not limited to, laying the wire in a pattern designed to maximize the density of the wire in the container. Spinning guide  310  can also be used to, at least in part, create the desired shape memory in the wire.  
         [0059]     In greater detail, cylinder assembly  320  is supported by a frame (not shown) that suspends the assembly above an excentrated rotating table  330  and a wire container  332  which will be discussed in greater detail below. Spinning guide assembly  300  further includes an outer cylindrical surface  340  that can include a guide channel  342  positioned about outer cylindrical surface  342 . However, guide channel  340  does not need to be a surface mounted channel to work as described. The wire passes from capstan  220  through guide assembly  300  to layer wire  210  in a wire cavity  344  in a container  345  as a wire coil  346 . As is shown, coil  346  is only partially formed.  
         [0060]     As wire  210  passes through assembly  300 , it travels through channel  342  and, at the same time, guide assembly  300  can be rotated about guide axis  350 . This combination of the rotation about axis  350  and the engagement with channel  342  can be utilized to produce a desired wire coil pattern such as a pattern to maximize the package wire and can also be utilized to at least in part produce the desire sine like shape memory in the wire.  
         [0061]     As is stated above, rotating table  330  is separate from assembly  300  and can move relative to assembly  300 . In greater detail, container  345 , which can be any welding wire container known in the art, is supported by table  330  and, therefore, can move relative to assembly  300 . Table  330  includes a rotating top  360  attached to a motor  362  such that the motor can propel the top and thus container  345  about a container axis  366 . The top is rotationally joined to a lift or elevator  368  which can move up and down or, in other words, axially along axis  366 . The actions of rotating top  360  and lift  368  are both relative to assembly  300  and they have separate functions. Further, these components are generally known in the art and are, therefore, not described in detail herein.  
         [0062]     The rotation of top  360  and container  345  work in connection with assembly  300  to wind the wire into cavity in a dense fashion. While discussed in greater detail in Cooper U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,303, which is incorporated by reference herein, the convolutions of wire have a loop diameter that is less than the diameter of container wall  370 . Further, it is desires to have the majority of convolutions the same or similar diameters. Therefore, assembly  300  is positioned relative to table  330  such that axis  350  is spaced from axis  366 . As a result, as wire  210  flows from channel  242 , and assembly  300  makes a full rotation about axis  350 , a convolution of wire  210  is produced off center of axis  350 . In order to maximize the wire in cavity  344 , top  360  is rotated which, in turn, rotates container  345 , while another convolution of wire is positioned in the wire cavity. This process of rotating the container while the wire is passed through assembly, orients the convolutions in such a way that they, as a group, form a cylindrical wire coil extending from central opening  372  to wall  370 .  
         [0063]     As can be appreciated, as wire  210  is loaded into cavity  344 , a top end  374  of coil  346  grows vertically in cavity  344 . Accordingly, as the wire volume increases in cavity  344 , top  360  is lowered at the same rate to maintain wire exit  380  at a generally constant spacing from coil top  374 . As is shown, only a fraction of the wire has been positioned in cavity  344  and, therefore, wire exit  380  and coil top  374  are near the bottom of the container.  
         [0064]     Again, the apparatuses shown in this application represent several embodiments of the invention of this application, however, they do not represent an exhaustive list of all methods of producing the desire shape memory of this application.  
         [0065]     While considerable emphasis has been placed on the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that other embodiments and/or equivalents thereof can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principals of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.