Contact tip for use in gas metal-arc welding

A contact tip for use in gas metal-arc welding, the contact tip comprising:

• a body comprising an electrically conductive first metallic material, wherein the body has a tubular base portion and two or more fingers connected to the base portion and extending in an axial direction from a front end of the base portion, wherein at least one of the fingers includes a planar side surface, the planar side surface extending in the axial direction;
• at least one wire-feed conduit extending axially through the body in which a welding wire is to be received and advanced, the wire-feed conduit having an inlet opening at a rear end of the contact tip and an outlet port at a front end of the contact tip between the fingers, and
• slots arranged in the body between the fingers in order to separate the fingers from one another, whereby each slot extends in the axial direction from the body's base portion and to the outlet port;
• wherein the contact tip includes a spring surrounding the fingers, wherein the spring includes a second metallic material having a softening temperature above a softening temperature of the first metallic material and is arranged to exert a radially inward spring force on the fingers, wherein the fingers at a temperature substantially below the softening temperature of the first metallic material of the body are spaced apart such that a casing surface of a welding wire is adjustable in the wire-feed conduit, and wherein the fingers at a temperature above the softening temperature of the first metallic material of the body during operation are compressed by the radially inward spring force to exert pressure against the casing surface of the welding wire introduced in the wire-feed conduit, and wherein the spring has an opening in a circumferential direction of the spring, the opening being disposed at the planar side surface of the at least one of the fingers.