Wire feeder for welding

A wire feeder for feeding an electrode wire in a welding system, the wire feeder comprising:

• a drive roller assembly, the drive roller assembly comprising a driving gear and one or more driven gears, wherein said driving gear transfers rotational movement to said one or more driven gears, each of said one or more driven gears having a hub that is sized and shaped to secure a drive roll to grip the electrode wire and to pull the electrode wire from an electrode wire source toward a conduit;
• a first motor to generate a rotational force having a first torque;
• and
• a slip clutch mechanically coupled to the first motor via a first drive shaft and to the driving gear via a second drive shaft,
• wherein the slip clutch includes a first moving part that is fixed relative to the first drive shaft and a second moving part that is configured to rotate freely relative to the first drive shaft,
• wherein the first moving part is configured to frictionally engage the second moving part in a push-type friction arrangement via a clutch pad part and a slip surface disc, and
• wherein the slip clutch is positioned physically between the first motor and the drive roller assembly and is configured to receive the rotational force from the first motor and to regulate the first torque to output a second torque to the driving gear.

A wire feeder for feeding an electrode wire in a welding system, the wire feeder comprising:

• a drive roller assembly, the drive roller assembly comprising a driving gear and one or more driven gears, wherein said driving gear transfers rotational movement to said one or more driven gears, each of said one or more driven gears having a hub that is sized and shaped to secure a drive roll to grip the electrode wire and to pull the electrode wire from an electrode wire source toward a conduit;
• a motor to provide, via a drive shaft, a rotational force having a first torque;
• and
• a slip clutch mechanically coupled to the drive shaft and configured to regulate the first torque to output a second torque to the driving gear,
• wherein the slip clutch includes a first moving part that is fixed relative to the drive shaft and a second moving part that is configured to rotate freely relative to the drive shaft, and
• wherein the first moving part is configured to frictionally engage the second moving part via a clutch pad part and a slip surface disc.