Patent ID: 8129660

Claim:
A buffer device for a welding wire, comprising: a wire buffer storage arranged between a wire feeder provided on a welding apparatus, or an external wire feeding means, and a further wire feeder arranged adjacent a welding torch or within the welding torch, the wire buffer storage comprising a wire core and wire hose surrounding the wire core, wherein the welding wire is conducted between the two wire feeders within the wire core, wherein the wire buffer storage ( 35 ) is designed in a manner that the wire core ( 30 ) is fastened or fixed on one end, with its other end being freely movable, wherein the wire core ( 30 ) together with the welding wire ( 13 ), at least over a partial region, is arranged to be freely movable within the wire guide hose ( 38 ), said wire guide hose extending in a helix-shaped or spiral-shaped manner and having a substantially larger cross section ( 39 ) or inner diameter than the cross section or outer diameter ( 33 ) of the wire core ( 30 ) so that during backward conveyance of the welding wire, the welding wire together with the wire core is pushed backward into the wire guide hose and stored there without displacing the welding wire within the wire core, wherein the storage volume of the wire buffer storage ( 35 ) is defined by the cross section ( 39 ) and length of the substantially larger wire guide hose ( 38 ), and wherein means for detecting the filling level or quantity of welding wire ( 13 ) of the wire buffer storage ( 35 ) are arranged, said detection means detecting the longitudinal movement of the wire core ( 30 ) and, in particular, the free end of the wire core ( 30 ).