Patent ID: 8803034

Claim:
A wire feed system that is used to manipulate wire within a welder, comprising: a pair of counter-rotating discs disposed along a common longitudinal axis that are longitudinally spaced apart by a first width, including a first disc that rotates in a first direction; a second disc that rotates in a second direction which is opposite the first direction; a drive roll disposed between the first disc and the second disc within the first width in a stacked vertical arrangement and disposed along said common longitudinal pivot axis; and an engaging member that moves the drive roll adjacent to either the first disc or the second disc based on a predetermined condition to advance or retract wire fed within the welding system; wherein the set of counter-rotating discs further includes: an idle roll which is disposed opposite the drive roll to engage the wire within said counter-rotating discs to facilitate advancement or retraction of the wire as the wire passes between the idle roll and the drive roll.