Welding machine

A welding machine, preferably of the flash welding type, for welding a tail of a first longitudinal metal product together with a head of a second longitudinal metal product along a feeding direction X of said longitudinal metal products, the machine comprising a carriage adapted to slide along the feeding direction X, said carriage supporting

• a first structure connected to said carriage;
• first clamping means, provided on said first structure, for clamping the tail of the first longitudinal metal product or the head of the second longitudinal metal product;
• a second structure slidable with respect to both the first structure and the carriage parallel to the feeding direction X;
• second clamping means, provided on said second structure, for clamping the head of the second longitudinal metal product or the tail of the first longitudinal metal product;
• at least one transformer provided with conductors connected to the first clamping means and the second clamping means, respectively, to supply electric current to said tail and said head;
• wherein the first structure and the second structure are supported in a first part of the carriage delimited by a first beam and a second beam of the carriage that are parallel to the feeding direction, while the at least one transformer is fixed to the carriage and supported in a second part of the carriage, arranged laterally outside the first part,
• wherein the first structure and the second structure define a respective longitudinal axis inclined, with respect to a horizontal plane, by a first acute angle;
• wherein there are provided two upsetting cylinders arranged parallel to said feeding direction X to move the second structure either towards or away from the first structure along the feeding direction X,
• wherein axes of the two upsetting cylinders define a plane Y passing through a passage zone of the longitudinal metal products along the feeding direction X, said passage zone being delimited by said first clamping means and second clamping means;
• wherein a first upsetting cylinder is arranged, at one side relative to said passage zone, at least partially under a first side of the first structure and of the second structure, while a second upsetting cylinder is arranged at a further side relative to said passage zone, substantially at the foot of a second side of the first structure and of the second structure, opposite to the first side,
• characterized in that said plane Y is inclined, with respect to said horizontal plane, by a second acute angle less than said first acute angle and different from zero.