Abstract:
A wire container having a housing consisting essentially of recyclable material is provided. The housing has a peripheral wall defining a boundary leading from a first end to a second end of the housing, a plurality of end portions folded inwardly at the second end to define an end wall, and a plurality of support structures coplanar with and coupled to the end wall and extending across the plurality of end portions. A welding wire and container assembly is also provided, in which a coil of welding wire is disposed in the housing and support by the base.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/876,841, entitled “Recyclable Drum Having Inwardly Folded End Portions,” filed Dec. 22, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Drums are used to store a variety of products and materials, such as welding wire, for example. In some arc welding systems, such as MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding systems, metal wire is used as an electrode to produce an arc. The welding wire also acts as filler material for the weld and is consumed during the welding process. Typically, the welding wire is fed from a wire feeder to a hand-held welding gun. A drum may be used to supply the welding wire to the wire feeder. A typical drum used for storing welding wire, or other products and materials, is a hollow cylinder formed of a cellulosic material, such as cardboard, along with various metal parts for support. During lifting, the base of the drum cannot support the weight of the welding wire without some type of non-cellulosic support, such as a pallet straps or metal structures. 
     Once the wire is consumed, the drums typically are discarded because the drums cannot be recycled easily. Recycling is difficult because the fibrous portion of the drum must be separated from the metal portion to recycle either the fibrous portion or the metal portion. That operation can be complex and time consuming. Thus, a typical drum owner ultimately pays to dispose of the empty drum as refuse, rather than regaining some of the cost of the fiber drum by recycling. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     In certain embodiments, a wire container is provided with a housing made of a recyclable material. The wire container has a peripheral wall defining a boundary from a first end to a second end of the housing, a plurality of end portions folded inwardly across the second end to define an end wall, and a plurality of support structures coupled to the end wall. In some embodiments, the housing has a cylindrical wall and the second end has a plurality of triangular portions folded radially inward. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagrammatical view of a wire welding system, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 2  is an elevational view illustrating the lifting of a fiber drum by a forklift, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational view illustrating the lifting of a fiber drum by an overhead lifting mechanism, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of a manufacturing process in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of two fiber drums during the manufacturing process in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a fiber drum with an enclosed end, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the fiber drum and base, in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of an assembled fiber drum with an outside-fitting lid, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of an assembled fiber drum with an inside-fitting lid, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present technique; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the fiber drum of  FIG. 1 , taken generally along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded view of the fiber drum and adapter assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present technique. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed in detail below, some of the embodiments of the present technique provide for a recyclable drum with a base of inwardly folded portions, laminated support structures and a flanged cylindrical lid. The base provides enough strength to support lifting the drum from the top of the drum; in other embodiments, the drum may be lifted from the bottom. Another embodiment provides for a method of manufacturing the drum and constructing the base from inwardly folded portions, laminated support structures, and a flanged cylindrical lid, as is explained in greater detail below. In some embodiments, an outside-fitting cover is used, while in others an inside-fitting cover is used. Of course, such embodiments are merely exemplary of the present technique, and the appended claims should not be viewed as limited to those embodiments. 
     Referring generally to  FIG. 1 , a wire-welding system  12 , such as a MIG welding system, is featured. In the illustrated embodiment, wire-welding system  12  comprises a wire feeder  13 , a power source  14 , a gas cylinder  16 , and a recyclable container  18  containing welding wire  20  and covered with an outside-fitting cover  50 . Preferably, the recyclable container  18  is comprised of a fiber material, such as cellulosic paper, paperboard, or cardboard. As discussed below, the container  18  has a wire support or base, e.g., base  52 , which includes inwardly folded portions and laminations to increase the carrying capacity of the container  18  without the use of metal, extended straps, and so forth. 
     The power source  14  provides electricity to the wire feeder  13 ; the gas cylinder  16  provides inert gas to the wire feeder  13 ; and the container  18  provides welding wire  20  to the wire feeder  13  via a conduit system  21 . In the illustrated embodiment, the wire feeder  13  provides electricity, welding wire  20 , and inert gas to a welding torch  22 . The wire, gas, and electricity are coupled to the torch  22  by a welding cable  24 . In addition, a work clamp  26  is coupled to the wire feeder  13  by a ground cable  28 . The work clamp  26  is secured to a workpiece  30  to electrically couple the workpiece  30  to the wire feeder  13 . The torch  22  controls the operation of the system  12 . When the torch  22  is activated, welding wire  20  is fed through the torch  22  by the wire feeder  13 . When the welding wire  20  contacts the workpiece  30 , an electrical circuit between the workpiece  30  and the wire feeder  13  is completed and an electric arc is produced. The electric arc melts the workpiece  30  and welding wire  20  at the point of contact. The inert gas shields the molten area from contaminants. A power cable  32  conducts electricity from the power source  14  to the wire feeder  13 . A hose  34  channels gas from the gas cylinder  16  to the wire feeder  13 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the container  18  is a hollow, generally cylindrical fiber drum. However, the container  18  may have a shape other than a cylindrical shape. For example, the container  18  may be square, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. A spool of welding wire  20  is disposed within the hollow interior of the container  18 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the container  18  rests on or is secured to a separate bottom support  38 . Bottom support  38  has at least one, and as illustrated, a plurality of holes, or recesses,  40 . As best illustrated in  FIG. 2 , bottom support  38  is adapted to enable the forks  42  of a forklift  44 , or other member of a lifting device, to enter one or more of the plurality of holes, or recesses,  40  and be positioned below the base  52  of the container  18  to lift the container  18 . In the illustrated embodiment, two holes  40  are used, one for each fork  42  of the forklift  44 . However, the container  18  also may be adapted with a single hole, or recess, that enables two forks  42 , or a single lifting member to enter the bottom support  38 . In addition, exit holes may be provided to enable the forks  42  to extend through the bottom support  38 . Furthermore, a lifting device other than a forklift  44  may be used to lift the container  18  via one or more of the holes  40 , or other passages or recesses. For example, lifting straps could be passed through the openings of bottom support  38  to enable an overhead crane to lift the container  18 . Other lifting devices adapted to lift the container from the bottom may also be used, either through the use of the holes  40  or inserted directly under the base  52 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an alternative embodiment in which the container  18  is lifted from the top. In the illustrated embodiment, a lifting mechanism  46  is shown and includes clamps  48  that grip the container  18  at the open end. In this manner, a bottom support  38  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is not used to lift the drum. The lifting mechanism  46  may include any type of clamps, grips, or other device that can attach to and lift the drum from the top. Such clamps or grips may be adapted to grip a portion of the top of the drum or to grip the entire circumference of the top of the drum. As discussed below, the illustrated container  18  has a base  52  strong enough to support the weight of the welding wire  20  when lifted from the top. For example, the base of the container  18  may include inwardly folded portions and laminations to increase the wire carrying capacity of the container without any non-cellulosic supports. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , an exemplary manufacturing process for creating a container  18  is shown. A sheet of recyclable fiber material  60  is secured on a rotating mandrel  62 . In this exemplary process, the fiber sheet  60  has a length of 87.5 inches and a diameter of 23 inches, but other lengths, diameters or dimensions may be used depending on the desired drum size. A cylindrical cutter  64  is positioned adjacent to the fiber sheet  60  and mandrel  62 . The cylindrical cutter  64  has zig-zagging cutting edges  66 , and the cutter is positioned such that the cutting edges  66  align with the center of the mandrel  62  and the fiber sheet  60 . To cut the fiber sheet  60 , the mandrel  62  rotates and the fiber sheet  60  is brought into contact with the cutter  64 . The cutting edges  66  cut a zig-zagging pattern  68  of folding portions into the fiber sheet  60 . In this exemplary process, the folding portions have a triangular shape; however, such shapes are determined by the cutting edges  66  of the cutter  60 , and other shapes may be used. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 5 , the result of the cutting process described in  FIG. 4  is shown. After the cutting process, the fiber sheet  60  is split into two fiber cylinders  68 . In this exemplary embodiment, the length  70  of each cylinder  68 , excluding the folding portions, is 32.25 inches. As a result of the cutting process described in  FIG. 4 , each cylinder  68  has triangular-shaped folding portions  72 . In this exemplary embodiment the length  74  of each folding portion  72  is 11.5 inches, and the distance  76  between the centerpoints of adjacent folding portion is 6 inches. As will be described below, the folding portions are folded inward to form an enclosed end  75  of the cylinder  68 . 
       FIG. 6  shows an exemplary embodiment of a recyclable drum  80  after folding portions  72  have been folded inward to form the enclosed end  75 . The drum  80  has the enclosed end  75  and an opposite open end  77 . In the exemplary embodiment, the folding portions  76  are triangular-shaped and folded radially inward to seal and form the enclosed end  75 . In alternate embodiments, the folding portions  76  may have a different shape or may overlap when folded inward. The enclosed end  75 , in conjunction with the additional support structures described below, generally provide the desired bottom strength of the drum  80 . In certain embodiments, the drum  80  may be constructed to support over 500 lbs, over 1000 lbs, or over 1500 lbs. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , an exploded view of an exemplary fiber drum  80  and all the components that construct the base  52  of the drum are shown. As discussed above, the enclosed end of the drum  80  is formed by the folding portions  76  being folded inward. A plurality of support structures  82 ,  84 , and  86  are secured to the enclosed end  75  of the drum  80 , such as by glue or other adhesive. The support structures  82 ,  84 , and  86  are constructed from fiber sheets, but may be constructed from other suitable material. Further, the material may be chosen to provide additional strengthening properties to the enclosed end of the drum, and all of the support structures need not be constructed of the same material. Circular support structure  82  is secured to the inside of the enclosed end  75  of the drum  80 . A second circular support structure of fiber sheet  84  is secured to the outside of the enclosed end  75  of the drum  80 , such that the folding portions  76  that form the enclosed end  75  of the drum  80  are laminated by circular support structures  82  and  84 . A third circular support structure  86  is secured to circular support structure  82  inside the drum  80 . The third circular support  86  structure has a hole  88  in the center for insertion of a plastic tie down plug. To further seal and support the enclosed end  75  of the drum  80 , a flanged cylindrical lid  91  is secured to the outside of the enclosed end  75  of the drum  80  over the circular support piece  84 . The bottom of the cylindrical lid  91  extends about 0.5-2 inches toward the center of the enclosed end  75  of the drum  80 . In this exemplary embodiment, the outside diameter of the cylindrical lid  91  is about 23 inches, and the inside diameter of the lid is about 21-22.5 inches. The lid extends about 6 inches along the side wall of the drum  80  towards open end  77 . As with the circular support pieces  82 ,  84 , and  86 , the cylindrical lid  91  may be constructed from a fiber sheet or composed of other suitable recyclable material. In certain embodiments, the drum  80 , the support structures  82 ,  84 , and  86 , and the lid  91  are made entirely of cellulosic material without any metal or other dissimilar material that cannot be recycled together. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a cross-section of a the fiber drum  80 , constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique, is shown with an outside-fitting cover  50  over the open end  77  of the drum  80 . The drum  80  has a base  52  formed and sealed by folded portions  76 , the inside-fitting circular support structure  82 , the outside-fitting circular support structure  84 , the inside-fitting circular support structure  86 , and the flanged cylindrical lid  91  coupled together to form a layered structure as discussed above. For example, the layered structure may have the layers  76 ,  82 ,  84 ,  86 , and  91  laminated together with a suitable adhesive. To enclose the open end  77  of the drum  80 , an outside-fitting cover  50  is secured on the open end of the drum  80  as shown in  FIG. 8 . The outside-fitting cover  50  extends down the sides of the drum  80  towards the enclosed end  75 . The outside-fitting cover  50  may be adapted from fiber sheets or other suitable material. Further, the outside-fitting lid  50  need not be comprised of recyclable material and may be reused on different drums, instead of being recycled along with the drum  80 . 
     Turning now to  FIG. 9 , a cross-section of the fiber drum  80 , constructed in accordance with an embodiment the present technique, is shown with an inside-fitting cover  92 . The inside-fitting cover  92  is recessed into the open end  77  of the drum  80 . The edges of the inside-fitting cover  92  extend up towards the open end  77  of the drum  80 . As with the outside-fitting cover  50  discussed above, the inside-fitting cover  92  may be constructed from fiber sheets or composed of other suitable material, and may be reused on different drums. In this alternative embodiment, the inside-fitting cover  92  enables lifting the drum with the cover  92  in place, using an overhead lifting mechanism, also shown in  FIG. 3 . As shown in the figure, when lifting, lowering, or otherwise moving the drum, the clamps  48  grab the outside edge of the drum  80  and the inside edge of the extended portions of the inside-fitting cover  92 . The folding portions  76 , the circular support structures  82 ,  84 , and  86 , and the flanged cylindrical lid  91  cooperatively provide enough strength at the bottom of the drum  80  to support the weight of the welding wire during overhead lifting. 
     Referring generally to  FIG. 10 , a cross-sectional view of the container of  FIG. 1  is illustrated. A conduit adapter assembly  94  is secured to outside-fitting cover  50  to couple the cover  50  and the conduit system  21 . The conduit adapter assembly  94  is inserted through the hole  96  in the cover  50 . The conduit adapter assembly  94  is adapted to guide wire  20  from the container  18  into the conduit system  21 . Other adapter assemblies, such as a conical adapter, may also be used in conjunction with the outside-fitting cover  50  or inside-fitting cover  92 . The bottom support  38  is shown attached to the container  18 . The cylindrical lid  91  has been modified to extend over bottom support  38  to provide for attachment of bottom support  38 . 
     As best illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the conduit adapter assembly  94  comprises a quick-disconnect  98 , a washer  100 , a wire guide  102 , and a plate  104 . The quick-disconnect  98  and wire guide  102  are adapted to secure to each other through the hole  96  in the top portion  59  of the cover  50  and through holes in the washer  100  and plate  104 , respectively. The quick-disconnect  98  and wire guide  102  form a path  106  for welding wire  20  to pass through a hole  96  in the container  18 . The conduit adapter assembly  94  thereby guides the wire into the conduit system  21  and protects the outside-fitting cover  50  of the container  18  from damage due to abrasion from the welding wire  20 . In addition, the quick-disconnect  98  is adapted to be quickly connected to or disconnected from the conduit system  21 . Furthermore, the washer  100  and plate  104  distribute stress caused by the conduit adapter assembly  94  over a larger area of the top portion  59  of the cover  50 . 
     While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.