Patent ID: 8546727

Claim:
A contact tube for a welding torch, having a longitudinal axis, along which a continuous opening is provided for guiding a welding wire from an inlet area to an outlet area and from an outlet opening in the direction of a workpiece, at least one outlet slot extending in a longitudinal direction and being provided for contacting the welding wire in the outlet area, wherein at least one inlet slot is provided in the inlet area of the contact tube, which is implemented in one piece, the at least one inlet slot in the inlet area and the at least one outlet slot in the outlet area being situated aligned, and a web, which is used as a pivot point, being formed between the at least one outlet slot in the outlet area and the at least one inlet slot in the inlet area, around which pivot point a movement of the parts of the contact tube situated on both sides of the at least one outlet slot and the at least one inlet slot is made possible so that two outlet parts positioned in the outlet area and separated by the at least one outlet slot move toward each other while two inlet parts positioned in the inlet area and separated by the at least one inlet slot move away from each other, when the contact tube is mounted to a torch body.