Orientation and guide mechanism for non-circular weld wire

A welding system for creating a weld at a weld location, the welding system comprising:

• a welding device defining an elongate passageway therethrough configured to deliver a weld wire to a welding location;
• a weld wire extending through the elongate passageway, the weld wire having a non-round profile, wherein the weld wire has an oval or elliptical cross-section;
• an orientation mechanism associated with the welding device, the orientation mechanism having a pair of opposed guide members defining a guide passageway therebetween, wherein the guide passageway has a non-round shape configured to rotationally control an orientation of the weld wire extending therethrough;
• wherein the orientation mechanism is rotatably adjustable to rotationally orient the recessed channel and the weld wire extending therethrough;
• wherein the rotational orientation is adjustable relative to the welding device and/or the welding location;
• wherein the guide members are a pair of rollers or pads having a recessed channel formed in each of the rollers or pads;
• wherein the recessed channels combine to define the guide passageway;
• wherein the system is configured to receive the weld wire having an oval or elliptical cross-section;
• wherein the cross-sectional shape of the guide passageway corresponds to the oval cross-section of the weld wire or the elliptical cross-section of the weld wire.

A method of controlling an orientation of a non-round weld wire being fed through a welding system, the method comprising the steps of:

• conveying a weld wire having a non-round cross-section through a passageway of a welding device, wherein the weld wire has an oval or elliptical cross-section;
• conveying a the weld wire having the non-round cross-section through a rotational orientation mechanism associated with the welding device;
• rotatably adjusting and controlling the rotational orientation of the orientation mechanism and, in response thereto, rotational controlling the rotational orientation of the weld wire about the longitudinal axis thereof;
• whereby the rotational orientation of the weld wire is controllable relative to the welding device or a workpiece to be welded such that the non-round cross-section is selectably aligned relative to the welding device or the workpiece to be welded;
• wherein the rotational orientation mechanism includes a pair of opposed guide members, wherein the guide members are sized to correspond to the non-round shape of the weld wire such that the rotational orientation of the weld wire is maintained as the weld wire passes through a guide passageway of the rotational orientation mechanism;
• wherein the guide member is a pair of rollers or pads having a recessed channel formed in each of the rollers or pads;
• wherein the recessed channels combine to define the guide passageway;
• wherein the system is configured to receive a weld wire having an oval or elliptical cross-section;
• wherein the cross-sectional shape of the guide passageway corresponds to the oval cross-section of the weld wire or the elliptical cross-section of the weld wire.