Patent ID: 7002102

Claim:
A toolholder ( 10 ) for coupling a tool ( 12 ), in particular a welding torch or cutting torch, to a handling device ( 14 ), in particular an industrial robot, having a first mount ( 16 ) for fixing the tool ( 12 ) to the toolholder ( 10 ) and having a second mount ( 18 ), such as a housing, for fixing the toolholder ( 10 ) to the handling device ( 14 ), wherein the first and second mounts ( 16 , 18 ) can be displaced or repositioned relative to one another counter to a spring prestressing of spring elements ( 22 , 24 ), and having a protective circuit ( 26 ) for deactivating the handling device ( 14 ) and/or the tool ( 12 ) if predetermined displacements or repositionings are exceeded, wherein a component ( 28 ) connected to the first mount ( 16 ) can be repositioned or driven in the Z-direction ( 30 ) which is the toolholder longitudinal axis and can be displaced in the X- and/or Y-direction ( 32 , 34 ), for instance being pivotable or tiltable, relative to the second mount ( 18 ), and upon displacement in the X- and/or Y-direction ( 32 , 34 ), only a single one or some of a plurality of first spring elements ( 22 ), with a first spring hardness, and upon repositioning in the Z-direction ( 30 ) at least a second spring element ( 24 ), with a second, different spring hardness, are stressed, and the first spring element or first spring elements ( 22 ) and the at least one second spring element ( 24 ) are arranged in series, or in two stages one after the other, characterized in that the spring hardness of a single first spring element ( 22 ) is less than the spring hardness of the at least one second spring element ( 24 ).