Floating electrode welding
AssigneeTec-Option, Inc.
InventorBryan W. Domschot
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A welder having first and second electrodes configured to clamp and weld a fastener to a workpiece at an opening in the workpiece, wherein the first electrode is configured to move in a direction transverse to a clamping direction to center the fastener with the opening. The welder can carry out a method of aligning and welding an internally-threaded nut to a panel at an opening in the panel. The method includes the steps of: centering the opening in the panel relative to a first electrode using a tapered guide pin that extends into the opening; centering the nut relative to the opening using the tapered guide pin; clamping the nut and panel between the first electrode and a second electrode; and welding the nut to the panel by passing current through the nut and panel from one of the electrodes to the other electrode.
Claims20
An electrode assembly for use with a welder to weld first and second workpieces together, the electrode assembly comprising:
- an electrode having a contact surface at a first end and a base at an opposite second end;
- a guide pin protruding from the first end along an axis;
- and
- a conductive support slidingly coupled with the base of the electrode, wherein the contact surface is adapted to contact the first workpiece at an opening in the first workpiece when the guide pin is received in said opening, and
- wherein the conductive support is adapted for electrical connection to a power source when the assembly is installed in the welder to provide a conductive path from one pole of the power source to the electrode such that, when the contact surface contacts the first workpiece and a second electrode connected to an opposite pole of the power source is in electrical contact with the second workpiece, and the workpieces are held together, current flows through the workpieces to form a weld therebetween at the opening.
A welder comprising first and second electrodes configured to clamp and weld a fastener to a workpiece at an opening in the workpiece, wherein the first electrode is able to move in a direction transverse to a clamping direction to center the fastener with the opening.
A method of aligning and welding an internally-threaded nut to a panel at an opening in the panel, comprising the steps of:
- centering the opening in the panel relative to a first electrode using a tapered guide pin that extends into the opening including sliding a conductive support coupled with the base of the first electrode;
- centering the nut relative to the opening using the tapered guide pin;
- clamping the nut and panel between the first electrode and a second electrode;
- and
- welding the nut to the panel by passing current through the nut and panel from one of the electrodes to the other electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.