Patent ID: 8338752

Claim:
A welding wire feeder having an assembled configuration and a removed configuration, the feeder comprising: a wire feeding module to feed a wire in conjunction with a welding process, the wire feeding module having a first assembly guide; a housing having a first end and a second end, the housing including a base panel, a top panel and at least two opposed side panels disposed about the wire feeding module in the assembled configuration such that each of the panels define a perimeter edge of an opening at one of the first and second ends of the housing, each of the base panel, top panel and at least two side panels provide an inner surface of the housing, the at least two side panels include an access panel movably attached to the housing, the inner surface including a second assembly guide for engaging the first assembly guide in the assembled configuration, wherein the first assembly guide includes a base portion of the wire feeding module having a recess, and wherein the second assembly guide includes the base panel of the housing, the base panel including a raised notch along the inner surface for engaging the recess of the base portion of the wire feeding module to insert and remove the wire feeding module through the opening in the removed configuration; and one or more attachment means for attaching the housing to the wire feeding module, wherein in the removed configuration, the wire feeding module is configured to feed wire independent of the housing such that the housing is not a functional component of the wire feeding module.