Welding electrode with replaceable tip
AssigneeWilson Greatbatch Technologies, Inc.
InventorsMarvin Wile, David Warchocki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A resistance welding electrode that is particularly suited for resistance spot welding a workpiece to a substrate without cross-contaminating specific portions of the workpiece is described. This is done by sheathing an internal surface of the welding electrode with a thermoplastic polymeric material. Then, there is only contact between the welding electrode and the workpiece at the very distal end of the electrode adjacent to where the workpiece is to be connected to the substrate. Contamination in this area is not detrimental because subsequent workpiece plating does not take place there.
Claims20
A welding apparatus, which comprises:
- a) a welding electrode;
- b) a tip connected to the electrode, wherein the tip has a bore;
- and
- c) a polymeric sleeve housed inside the bore of the tip.
A tip for a welding electrode, the tip comprising:
- a) a proximal section adapted for connection to a welding electrode;
- b) a distal section;
- c) a bore extending through at least the distal section of the tip;
- and
- d) a polymeric sleeve housed in the bore.
A method for connecting a workpiece to a substrate, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a welding apparatus comprising:
- i) a welding electrode;
- ii) a tip connected to the electrode, wherein the tip is a bore;
- and
- iii) a polymeric sleeve housed inside the bore of the tip;
- b) moving the workpiece into the bore of the tip such that a first distal end of the workpiece in contact with a second distal end of the tip with the polymeric sleeve disposal intermediate at least some portion of the workpiece received within the bore;
- c) moving the welding apparatus such that the first distal end of the workpiece contacts a substrate;
- d) electrically energizing the welding apparatus to cause at least a portion of the first distal end of the workpiece to become molten;
- and
- e) moving the welding apparatus away from the workpiece welded to the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.