Patent Publication Number: US-2003230660-A1

Title: Decoiling apparatus and methods for unwinding coiled material

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The subject invention relates generally to apparatuses and methods for unwinding coiled material and, more particularly, to apparatuses and methods for unwinding coiled welding wire.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Invention Background  
       [0004] Over the years, a variety of different automatic or semi-automatic machines have been developed for performing a various welding operations. Such machines typically automatically retrieve welding wire, which may be fabricated from, for example, steel or aluminum to use during welding processes. Such welding wire is usually wound into a coil which is stored and shipped in a container fabricated from cardboard or other material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,160 to Gelmetti, U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,834 to Dragoo et al. and European Patent Application No. 92110219.0 to the Lincoln Electric Company disclose welding wire storage containers. International Application No. WO 88/10230 to British Telecommunications Public Limited Company also discloses a container assembly for handling coiled fiber optic cable.  
       [0005] In a typical container arrangement, the wire is placed between the cylindrical core and the container and is retained in position during shipping by foam blocks that extend through the core and across the top of the coil of wire. To use the wire, the foam shipping blocks are removed and a payout member is attached to the top of the container. The payout member may include a rotating device or payoff arm that has an eyelet and a central conduit for guiding the wire to a wire feeding mechanism associated with the welding machine. In other arrangements, the payoff member has an orifice through which the wire is fed.  
       [0006] When using relatively soft wire, such as aluminum and the like, there is a danger that the wire can form a knot or fold over on itself as it is paid out of the top of the coil and prior to its entry into the orifice located in the lid. Such bending can damage the wire and plug the payout orifice in the lid. Thus, there is a need for apparatus and methods for preventing material being unwound from a coil from folding over or becoming knotted as it is unwound from the coil.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a decoiling guide for a member disposed in a coil having an open cylindrical center area that has a diameter and a height. One embodiment of the decoiling guide comprises a body having a base end that has a base end diameter that is less than the central diameter of the central area of the coil and an unobstructed payoff end that is opposite to the base end. The body has a tapered discharge guide surface adjacent the payoff end and a length that is greater than or equal to the height of the coil.  
       [0008] Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a coil assembly that includes a member that is disposed in a coil that has an open central area and a height. The coil assembly further includes a decoiling guide sized to be removably received within the open central area of the coil and has a height that is substantially equal to or greater than the height of the coil. The decoiling guide has a tapered discharge surface portion for guiding a portion of the member as the coiled member is uncoiled from the coil.  
       [0009] Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a packaging arrangement for welding wire that includes a container that has a top portion, a bottom and a perimetrical shape. The packaging arrangement further includes a coil of welding wire that has a top, a perimetrical shape and an open central area. The coil is received within the container and is supported on the bottom thereof. The packaging arrangement further includes a discharge cone that is removably supported within the open area of the coil and extends from the container bottom to the top of the coil or therebeyond.  
       [0010] Another form of the present invention comprises a method of decoiling a member disposed in a coil that has a height and an open central area. One form of the method includes removably supporting a discharge member having a tapered guide surface within the open central area and decoiling the member from the coil such that a portion of decoiled member is supported by the tapered guide surface of the discharge member during decoiling.  
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0011]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a coil housed in a container and employing one embodiment of a decoiling guide of the present invention;  
     [0012]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the container and schematic view of the coil taken along line II-II in FIG. 1;  
     [0013]FIG. 3 is an elevational view of one form of a decoiling guide of the present invention;  
     [0014]FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional elevation view of another container and schematic view of the coil employing another decoiling guide of the present invention; and  
     [0015]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of another decoiling guide of the present invention within a coil schematically depicted. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
     [0016] Referring now to the drawings for the purposes of illustrating the present embodiments of the invention only and not for the purposes of limiting the same, it is to be understood that standard components or features that are within the purview of an artisan of ordinary skill are omitted from the drawings to enhance clarity of the various embodiments of the invention. One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a decoiling guide system  10  for uncoiling a member  12  disposed in a coil  14 . While the various embodiments of the present invention are particularly well suited for use in connection with coiled welding wire such as, for example, aluminum welding wire for use in connection with automatic or semi-automatic welding machines, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments of the present invention may be successfully employed to decoil a variety of different members disposed in a coil.  
     [0017] More particularly and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a member  12  disposed in a coil  14  that is housed in a shipping container  20 . In this embodiment, the shipping container  20  is fabricated from cardboard. However, the shipping container  20  may be fabricated from a variety of different materials in a variety of different shapes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The container  20  commonly has a bottom  22  and upstanding sidewalls  24  to protect the coil  14  during shipping. If desired, the coil  14  may be disposed in a flexible liner  26  made from, for example, a polymer material. See FIG. 3.  
     [0018] In the embodiments depicted in FIGS.  1 - 3 , the coil  14  is substantially cylindrical in shape and has an open substantially cylindrical central area  16  that has a central diameter D. While the coil depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a cylindrical open area, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various decoiling devices of the present invention may be successfully employed in connection with coils having differently shaped open areas. Coil  14  further has a height H as shown in FIG. 2. As indicated above, coil  14  may comprise a member  12  in the form of, for example, aluminum welding wire that is disposed in the coil  14  in a known manner.  
     [0019] As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the present invention includes a removable decoiling guide  30 . In one embodiment, the decoiling guide  30  has a base end  32  that has a base end diameter D′ that is less than the diameter D of the central area  16  of the coil  14  to enable the decoiling guide  30  to be oriented within the central area  16  of the coil  14  and be supported on the surface on which the coil  14  is supported which may be the bottom  22  of the container  20 . In this embodiment, the decoiling guide  30  may have a height H′ that is greater than or equal to the maximum height H of coil  14 . In this embodiment, the decoiling guide  30  may be conically shaped and may have a payoff end  34  that is opposite to the base end  32 . In this embodiment, the payoff end  34  may be unobstructed. That is, the payoff end  34  may be relatively smooth and may lack any flanges or other protrusions, members, etc. that may affect the payoff travel of the member  12  as it is guided thereon during the uncoiling operation as will be discussed in further detail below.  
     [0020] The decoiling guide  30  may be fabricated from a polymer material such as plastic or the like for ease of handling and manufacturing. However, the skilled artisan will readily appreciate that the decoiling guide  30  may be fabricated from a myriad of other suitable rigid materials that will not impeded payoff of the wire nor cause excessive or undue marking of the wire. In the embodiments depicted in FIGS.  1 - 4 , the decoiling guide  30  is shaped as a substantially continuous cone with a tapered guide means or surface  36  that tapers from the base end  32  to the payoff end  34  at the predetermined included angle “A”. In one form of the present invention, the predetermined included angle “A” is selected from a range of predetermined included angles of ½° to 60°. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a decoiling guide  30 ′ may also be fabricated with a non-tapered lower portion  32 ′ and a tapered upper portion  36 ′ such as the decoiling guide  30 ′ shown in FIG. 5. By way of example only, for a coil that has a maximum starting height of approximately 35 inches and a central area that has a diameter of approximately 13 inches, a decoiling guide that has a height of approximately 41 inches, and a base diameter D′ of approximately 10 inches and a tapered discharge guide surface end with an included angle A of approximately 5 degrees may be used.  
     [0021] In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, a separate closure member or lid (not shown) may be employed during shipping. When the coil  14  is to be used, the closure member is removed from the container  20  and, if the coil  14  is in a flexible liner  26 , the liner  26  is opened to enable a decoiling guide  30  to be removably inserted into the central area  16  of the coil  14 . In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, a payout member  40  is placed on top of the container  20  perimeter and the free end of the member  12  is inserted through an orifice fitting  42  mounted in the top of the payout member  40 . Such payout members  40  are known in the art. The member  12  may then pass through a conduit  44  to a welding or other machine or welding wire feedout mechanism  50  located remote from the coil  14 . The welding machine/welding wire payout mechanism  50  draws the member  12  from the coil  14  and the member  12  is slidably guided by the tapered guide surface  36  of the decoiling member  30 .  
     [0022] Another form of payout member  140  is shown in FIG. 4. In that embodiment, the member  12  is passed through an orifice  142  in the payout member  140  and into a conduit  144  for transfer to a remote machine or apparatus. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the tapered guide surface  36  serves to prevent the member  12  from folding over on its self or becoming tangled as it unwinds from the coil  14  and is fed through the payout member  40 . If prior to the coil being completely used, the welding process is discontinued and the member  12  is detached from the welding machine  50 , the user may simply remove the decoiling member  30  and replace the container closure on the container  20  to store the coil  14  until it is again needed. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the portable nature of the decoiling member  30  enables it to be moved from coil to coil to be used wherever it is needed.  
     [0023] Although various embodiments of the present invention are particularly well suited for use in connection with a system for dispensing coiled aluminum welding wire, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the systems and methods of the present invention may be effectively employed with a myriad of other coiled member arrangements. Other bulk wire delivery systems typically have a cylinder within the core of the coil. The cylinder typically does not touch the wire. The use of the cylinder does not permit the wire to uncoil freely. Typically, when using a cylinder with parallel sides, the wire will constrict around the cylinder and added force is necessary to overcome the constriction. The added force will result in a higher rate of feeding and welding problems (for example burnbacks). By using a tapered core, the wire does not constrict to the same degree and the force necessary to overcome the constriction of the wire around the tapered core is reduced from that found when using a core with parallel sides.  
     [0024] Thus, from the foregoing discussion, it is apparent that various embodiments of the present invention provide the user with a readily portable and reusable device for facilitating the automatic or semiautomatic decoiling of aluminum welding wire or other material that is disposed in a coil. While the present invention has been shown and described in conjunction with examples and preferred embodiments thereof, variations in and modifications to the present invention may be effected by persons of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that the principles described herein may apply in a similar manner, where applicable, to all examples and preferred embodiments and the following claims are intended to cover all equivalent embodiments.