Electrode for use in plasma arc working torch

Abstract: An electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch having an insert (3) of refractory metal inserted in a hollow (201) formed in a base electrode (2) is disclosed wherein the insert has a nickel film (41) electroplated and a noble metal film (42) plated thereon and is pressed (51-54) into position. It is also disclosed that a metal (21) having a low melting point is filled in a space defined by the hollow of the base electrode (2) and the end face of the insert (3).

Description: The present invention relates to a main electrode for use in plasma arc working torch which is capable of welding or cutting work. A plasma arc working torch known in the prior art has the general structure shown in Fig. 5, wherein reference numeral 1 designates a plasma electrode which is cooled by a cooling agent. The electrode 1 is composed of a base electrode 2 in tubular form and an insert of refractory metal 3 inserted in a hollow portion at the end of the base electrode 2. The base electrode 2 can be made of copper metal or copper alloy while the refractory metal can be made of hafnium metal or zirconium metal. Reference numeral 4 designates an electrode supporting member for supporting the electrode 1, which is made of electrically conductive material. Reference numeral 5 designates an insulating sleeve around the outer face of the electrode supporting member 4. Reference numeral 6 designates a tip supporting member which is formed around the insulating sleeve 5 and is made of electrically conductive material. A torch body 7 is constructed from the electrode supporting member 4, the insulating sleeve 5 and the tip supporting member 6. Reference numeral 8 designates a tip electrode with a hollow form supported at the end of the tip supporting member 6. The tip electrode 8 has a plasma jet hole 801 formed at the center of the end thereof. Reference numeral 9 designates an insulating cap and reference numeral 10 designates a guide pipe for cooling water. Cooling water supplied from a supply hose 11 cools the main electrode 1 directly, flowing along the path shown by an arrow and finally exiting from the torch through a drain hose 12. In the torch mentioned above, electric power is supplied between the main electrode 1 and the work while a plasma forming gas such as air, oxygen gas or nitrogen gas is blown from the plasma jet hole 801 at the tip electrode 8 to generate a plasma jet. The work can be performed with this plasma jet. In the operation of the torch shown in Fig. 5, high voltage of a high frequency generated by a high frequency generator 14 is applied, through a capacitor 15, between the main electrode 1 and the tip electrode 8 to generate a so-called pilot arc. This pilot arc is projected from the plasma jet hole 801 of the tip electrode 8 by the action of the flow of the plasma forming gas. When the torch (T) is brought near the work 13 while maintaining the pilot arc, a working arc is generated between the main electrode 1 and the work 13. When the working arc has been generated once, the pilot arc at the tip electrode disappears because there is a series resistor 16 in the electrical circuit for generating the pilot arc. It should be noted that the high frequency generator 14 stops its operation with the generation of the pilot arc. The plasma arc working torch in the structure mentioned above has the disadvantage that the main electrode 1 is always cooled but it is heated to a high temperature during operation. US Patent 3,597,649 discloses a main electrode 1 composed of the base electrode 2 and an insert of refractory metal 3 such as hafnium inserted into the hollow of the end of the base electrode 2. However, even with this main electrode 1, the operational life is still short due to the high temperature. On the other hand, the US Patent 3,198,932 discloses a main electrode 1 in which a high temperature insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal is plated with zinc film by immersing into a molten zinc chloride and further plated with silver film by immersing into a molten silver metal. The high-temperature insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal having a zinc film and a silver film plated sequentially thereon is soldered to the hollow of the end of the base electrode 2 using silver solder. In this case, a zinc oxide film is formed on the surface of the plated zinc film and prevents the heat transmission from the zinc film to the silver film. As a result, the heat generated in the insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal is not conveyed rapidly to the base electrode 2. However, this does not result in as high an improvement in the operational life of the main electrode 1 as might be expected. Further, the zinc film obtained by immersing the insert 3 into the molten zinc chloride separates easily from the insert. Therefore, the plated insert is undesirably prone to have the plated films separate therefrom when subjected to external force during the manufacturing period, until completion of the silver soldering to the hollow in the end of the base electrode 2. Further, because the insert 3 is heated to a high temperature during the operation of the plasma arc working torch, the silver soldering material for soldering the insert to the hollow at the end of the base electrode 2 melts and forces the insert 3 to separate from the base electrode 2. US Patent 3,944,778 describes an improved main electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch in a structure as described below. A cooling holder 1 is made of an electrically conductive metal having a high thermal conduction such as copper. There is provided a space 7 between the cooling holder 1 and a related thin insert 2 of a refractory metal. The space 7 is filled with a material having a lower thermal conductivity than that of the cooling holder 1. Since the thermal conduction of the material in the space 7 is lower than that of the cooling holder 1, the heat transmission from the periphery of the thin insert 2 is higher than that from the center of the insert. That is, the purpose of this structure is to localise the arc generating point to the effective center of the refractory metal insert 2 by over-heating forcedly the center of the insert. In other words, the temperature distribution over the working surface of the insert 2 is controlled by over-heating forcedly only the center of the insert. The thinness of the insert 2 is necessary for the achievement of this effect. Such a refractory metal insert, however, having a height considerably smaller than the diameter undesirably results in a short operational life of the plasma arc working torch. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch the operational life of which can be improved by forcing the heat in an insert to flow rapidly to a base electrode. Another object of the present invention is to provide a main electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch, which can be easily manufactured in a reliable way. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch having an insert of refractory metal inserted in a hollow formed in a base electrode which is composed of copper or copper alloy and is cooled by a cooling agent, with a space formed between the bottom face of said hollow and nearest end face of said insert of refractory metal, characterised in that a solid material that has a lower melting point than that of said base electrode and that is molten during plasma arc working is contained in said space. According to a further aspect of the invention, a method of producing an electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch is provided wherein a base electrode which is composed of copper or copper alloy and is to be cooled by a cooling agent is formed with a hollow in which is inserted an insert with a space between the bottom of the hollow and the opposed face of the insert, said space receiving a solid material that has a lower melting point than that of said base electrode and that is molten during plasma arc working, said hollow having a diameter slightly larger than that of said insert of refractory metal and after the insertion thereof the base electrode is subjected to a pressing operation by pressing tools acting inwardly towards the centre of the electrode from the periphery of the electrode around said hollow, and after said pressing operation the electrode is ground so that both heading faces of the resultant base electrode and said insert of refractory metal are positioned at the same plane. Preferably, the insert of refractory metal is sequentially plated with a nickel film and then a noble metal film. In connection with this it may be mentioned that JP 60-247491 describes an electrode which includes a boundary layer on a part of a main body of copper-based material where an electrode of hafnium or zirconium will be pressed in. The boundary layer is made of a specified material with respect to thermal and electrical properties and has a hardness higher than copper. By plating the insert electrochemically with nickel which is in high strength adhesion with the refractory metal such it is possible to reduce considerably the frequency of separation between the insert of refractory metal and the plated nickel or plated noble metal. Furthermore, the plated nickel essentially does not form nickel oxide. As a result, the heat generated during the working of the plasma arc working torch is transmitted rapidly from the nickel film through the noble metal film to be finally absorbed by a cooling agent for the base electrode. Further, the high adhesion strength between the plated nickel film and the insert of refractory metal prevents the separation of the plated nickel film from the insert of refractory metal even when the base electrode is pressed from the periphery to the centre or even when the insert of refractory metal is attached to the hollow of the end of the base electrode under pressure. Further, the insert of refractory metal is pressure-mounted on the hollow of the end of the base electrode and is securely connected to the base electrode by the clamping pressure from the press operation even when the main electrode is heated. During the operation of a plasma arc working torch, the insert of refractory metal is heated to a temperature of about 1000°C at the heading part and to a temperature of about 600°C at the end face opposite the bottom face of the hollow. The low melting point material melts during the working of the torch and improves the thermal conductivity between the end face of the insert of refractory metal and the bottom face of the hollow of the base electrode. Therefore, it is possible to make a thermal connection between the end face of the insert of refractory metal and the bottom face of the hollow of the base electrode by using the molten material even when there is no actual engagement among the bottom face of the hollow of the base electrode, the end face of the insert of refractory metal and the low melting point material between the end face of the insert and the bottom face of the hollow. Accordingly, the heat generated at the insert of refractory metal is transmitted rapidly to the base electrode through the thermal connection due to the molten material to be absorbed by a cooling agent for the base electrode. This can prevent the main electrode from being over-heated and improve its operational life. These and other features of the present invention will become clear from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main electrode according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figs. 2(A) to (F) are cross-sectional views of a main electrode according to a second embodiment of the present invention and illustrate the manufacturing steps of the main electrode; Fig. 3 is a graph illustrating the operational life of main electrodes according to the described embodiments and of a conventional main electrode; Figs. 4(A) to (D) show cross-sectional views of the pressing the main electrode with pressing tools in a number of alternative arrangements; and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of a conventional plasma arc working torch. In Fig. 1 reference numeral 2 designates a base electrode which is composed of copper or copper alloy and is cooled by a cooling agent. Reference numeral 3 designates an insert of refractory metal such as hafnium or zirconium which is formed into, for example, a column. Reference numeral 21 designates a material such as tin, lead or tin-lead alloy having a melting point lower than that of the base electrode 2. The low melting point material 21 first, and the insert of refractory metal 3 next, are tightly inserted in a hollow formed in the base electrode 2 by any available method such as a pressure fitting, welding or caulking. That is, the low melting point material is placed in a space formed between the bottom face of the hollow at the base electrode 2 and the insert of refractory metal 3. As a result, the main electrode 1 consists of the base electrode 2, the low melting point material 21 and the refractory metal insert 3. In the main electrode 1 having such a structure, the low melting point material 21 has a generally ductile character. When the refractory metal insert 3 is tightly inserted into the hollow of the base electrode 2 after the insertion of the low melting point material 21, although there may not be contact over the entire bottom face of the hollow and end face of the insert of refractory metal 3 with the low melting point material 21, because air is included in the air-tight space. During the operation of the plasma arc working torch, the main electrode 1 is heated up to a high temperature. The insert of refractory metal 3 is heated to about 1000°C at its head face and to about 600°C at the end face directed onto the bottom face of the hollow. Accordingly, the low melting point material 21 melts and produces a thermal connection between the end face of the insert and the bottom face of the hollow even when there is no complete contact of the material 21 over the bottom face of the hollow and the end face of the insert. The heat generated in the refractory metal insert 3 during the operation of plasma arc working torch is rapidly transferred through the molten material 21 to the base electrode 2 and is absorbed by a cooling agent for the base electrode 2. As a result, the main electrode 1 is less likely to be heated to a temperature higher than the intended operating temperature and can achieve a longer operational life than a conventional electrode. An alternative embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figs. 2(A) to 2(F). In Figs. 2(A) to (C), reference numeral 3 designates an insert of refractory metal in a given form, for example, a column having a diameter of 1 to 3 mm and a height of 3 to 5 mm. Dust, oil and any oxide at the surface of the insert is cleaned off by an electrolytic process and immersion in an aqueous solution of frolic acid. After that, the insert 3 is plated with nickel film 41 by an electrolytic process, for example using a Woodstrike bath. A nickel film in a suitable thickness of 0.1 to 20 micron meter can be obtained by a current density of 1 to 10 A/dm² and preferably 2 to 4 A/dm² for a plating time of 10 to 15 minutes. After that, the insert 3 is further plated with silver film 42 as shown in Fig. 2(C). The main electrode 1 shown in Fig. 2 also includes a base electrode 2 of copper or copper alloy having a hollow formed in its head. A material 21 such as tin, lead or tin-lead alloy having a melting point lower than that of the base electrode 2 is placed at the bottom of the hollow. The main electrode 1 is composed of the base electrode 2, the low melting point material 21 and the refractory metal insert 3. If the plated insert 3 has a diameter of d, the hollow 201 formed in the base electrode 2 has a diameter d+Δd which is slightly larger than the diameter of the insert. As shown in Fig. 2(D), the material having a low melting point material 21 and the insert 3 are sequentially inserted into the hollow 201 formed at the base electrode 2. As shown in Fig. 2(E), the base electrode 2 is pressed in a direction from the periphery to the center by using pressing tools 51 to 54 (Fig. 4). During pressing, the base electrode 2 is forced to project beyond the end face of the insert of refractory metal 3 to form a projecting portion 202. If a plasma arc working torch has a main electrode 1 with the projecting portion 202, the arc generating point at the main electrode 1 moves around the projecting portion 202 and the operational life of the main electrode 1 is shortened. Therefore, the end face of the base electrode 2 is made flush with the end face of the insert 3 by mechanically removing the projecting portion 202 such as by chip cutting or grinding. As a result, the arc generating point is located only on the end face of the insert of refractory metal 3. This permits the plasma arc working torch to operate in the desired manner. Since the nickel film 41 obtained by the electro-plating process is in a high adhesion strength with the refractory metal, such as hafnium, of the insert 3, the nickel film is not separated from the refractory metal even when it is accidentally subjected to external forces during a manufacturing including the step of pressure-fitting the insert of refractory metal 3 in the hollow 201 of the base electrode 2. In particular, the high strength of the adhesion between the nickel film 41 and the insert of refractory metal prevents the nickel film from separating from the insert when the base electrode 2 is pressed in a direction from the periphery to the center. This permits the insert 3 to be pressure-fitted in the hollow 201 of the base electrode 2. In this way, the main electrode 1 for use in a plasma arc working torch can be more easily manufactured in a reliable manner. Further, during operation of the plasma arc working torch, because the insert 3 is mounted firmly under pressure in the hollow 201 of the base electrode 2, it cannot become disconnected from the hollow 201 when the main electrode 1 is heated during the operation of the torch. In the main electrode according to this embodiment the nickel film does not essentially form the oxide which is resistant to the thermal conduction. Therefore, the heat generated in the insert during operation of the plasma arc working torch is more rapidly transferred from the nickel film to the base electrode 2 through the silver film 42. In addition to this effect, during the operation of the plasma arc working torch, the main electrode is heated up to a high temperature sufficiently enough to melt the material having a low melting point. The molten material completes reliably the thermal connection between the bottom face of the hollow and the insert 3, even if there should not be complete contact over the bottom face of the hollow. Heat generated at the insert of refractory metal 3 is therefore rapidly transferred through the thermal connection to the base electrode 2 and is absorbed by the cooling agent for the base electrode. As a result, the main electrode 1 is less likely to be heated to a temperature beyond the intended operating temperature and can achieve a longer operational life than a conventional main electrode. Fig. 3 is a graph indicating the operational life of various main electrodes in which a dotted line shows the operational life of a conventional main electrode having an insert of refractory hafnium metal. A chain line shows the operational life of a main electrode, according to the first preferred embodiment, comprising a base electrode 2 having the hollow formed therein, an insert 3 of refractory metal inserted in the hollow and a material 21 having a low melting point filling a space defined by the base electrode 2 and the insert 3, and a solid line shows the operational life of a main electrode comprising a base electrode 2 having the hollow formed therein, a material having a low melting point 21 inserted in the hollow and an insert of refractory metal plated with nickel film and silver film according to the second embodiment. It is clear from Fig. 3 that the main electrodes according to the embodiments described of the present invention has an operational life more than two or three times longer than that of the conventional electrode. The following are the cutting conditions of the plasma arc working torch of Fig. 3. Cutting speed; 40cm/min; Cutting length; 30cm/ one time Electric current; 120 A; Cutting material; SS41 steel, plate thickness = 16mm; Cutting time for one time = 45 seconds. Figs. 4(A) to (D) show a number of alternative arrangements of pressing tools 51 to 54 for pressing the base electrode in a direction from the periphery to the center. As shown in Figs. 4(B) to (D), after pressing, there are formed a pair or pairs of flat surfaces parallel to each other. In this case, it is possible to use a pair of the parallel pressed surfaces as a tool engagement for mounting the main electrode onto or dismounting it from a plasma arc working torch. Accordingly, it is possible to omit a manufacturing step for forming a tool engagement on the main electrode. As a result, it is possible to manufacture the main electrode 1 at a lower cost. It has been described how the insert of refractory metal 3 can be most preferably electro-plated with nickel by using a Woodstrike bath. However, it is possible to use any other nickel electroplating bath such as a sulfamine acid bath or a Watt bath if the manufacturing process is acceptable as regards, for example, the plating speed or the adhesion strength between the plated nickel film and the insert of refractory metal. Further, from the point of view of thermal conduction and manufacturing cost, it is best to apply silver film to the refractory metal insert having the nickel film electroplated thereon. However, it is possible to use gold, platinum or rhodium in place of silver.

Claims: An electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch having an insert (3) of refractory metal inserted in a hollow (201) formed in a base electrode (2) which is composed of copper or copper alloy and is cooled by a cooling agent, and a space is formed between the bottom face of said hollow (201) and nearest end face of said insert (3) of refractory metal, characterised in that a solid material (21) that has a lower melting point than that of said base electrode (2) and that is molten during plasma arc working is contained in said space. An electrode according to claim 1 wherein said insert (3) of refractory metal has a nickel film (41) and a noble metal film (42) sequentially plated thereon. An electrode according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said hollow (201) has an initial diameter slightly larger than that of said insert (3) of refractory metal, and said insert is secured in said hollow by pressure deformation of the material of the base electrode around the hollow in a direction from the periphery to the centre of the electrode. An electrode according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the base electrode (2) and the insert (4) of refractory metal have ground leading faces in a common transverse plane. A method of producing an electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch wherein a base electrode (2) which is composed of copper or copper alloy and is to be cooled by a cooling agent is formed with a hollow in which is inserted an insert (3) with a space between the bottom of the hollow and the opposed face of the insert, characterised in that a solid material (21) that has a lower melting point than that of said base electrode (2) and that is molten during plasma arc working is received in said space to be enclosed therein by said insert, that said hollow has a diameter slightly larger than that of said insert (3) of refractory metal and after the insertion thereof the base electrode (2) is subjected to a pressing operation by pressing tools (51-54) acting inwardly towards the centre of the electrode from the periphery of the electrode around said hollow, and that after said pressing operation the electrode is ground so that both heading faces of the resultant base electrode (2) and said insert (3) of refractory metal are positioned at the same plane. A method according to claim 5 wherein the insert (3) is plated sequentially with a nickel film (41) and a noble metal film (42) before insertion into the hollow (201). A method according to claim 5 or claim 6 wherein said pressing tools (51-54) for pressing said base electrode (2) in an inward direction comprise more than two tools and are capable of producing at least one pair of pressed surfaces parallel to each other.

Inventors: FUJIWARA HIROSHI, OKADA TOSHIHIKO, UCHIDA MASANOBU, FUJIWARA, HIROSHI, OKADA, TOSHIHIKO, UCHIDA, MASANOBU
Applicants: DAIHEN CORP, DAIHEN CORPORATION
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B23K10
IPC codes: H05H1