Plasma torch head, body, handle and control circuitry

A cutting torch for discharging a heated gas, comprising a laterally elongated torch body having an upstream end portion, a downstream portion and a laterally elongated first fluid passage that includes an inlet and an outlet, a torch head mounted by the body downstream portion and having a second fluid passage that has an inlet opening to the body outlet and an outlet for discharging heated gas and a laterally elongated handle having a downstream end portion removably retained on the body upstream end portion and a laterally opposite upstream end portion, the handle including a plurality of laterally elongated section transversely separable from one another to permit transverse removable of the body from the handle sections and securable to one another to retain the handle sections to one another to retain the handle sections in fixed relationship to the body and means for securing the handle sections to one another, the handle sections having walls means defining a chamber extending axially therethrough and the body extended thereinto, the wall means including a non-circular first wall for forming a clamping fit with the laterally adjacent part of the upstream end portion of the handle to prevent rotation of the body relative to the handle while permitting transverse separation of at least one section relative to another for transverse removal of the body from at least one remaining section.

Plasma torch apparatus for discharging a heated gas, comprising a laterally elongated torch body having an upstream end portion, a downstream portion and a laterally elongated first fluid passage that includes an inlet and an outlet, a torch head mounted by the body downstream portion and having a second fluid passage that has an inlet opening to the body outlet and an outlet for discharging heated gas and a laterally elongated handle having a downstream end portion removably retained on the body upstream end portion and a laterally opposite upstream end portion, the handle including laterally elongated top and bottom half portions separable from one another to permit removal of the body from the handle portions in a direction perpendicular to the direction of elongation of the top and bottom half portions and securable to one another in clamping relationship to the body and means for securing the handle portions to one another and to clampingly engage the body, the handle portions having walls means defining a chamber extending axially therethrough and having the body extended thereinto for clampingly engaging the upstream end portion of the body, the torch head including a nozzle, and electrode and gas conducting means acting in cooperation with the nozzle and electrode to provide a gas flow path and discharge a plasma, the conducting means including the first and second passage, and electric means extending at least partially through the handle, through the torch body and connected to at least one of the nozzle and electrode for generating a plasma as gas discharges from the gas conducting means, and a closable trigger circuit for triggering a pilot arc, the trigger circuit including a trigger switch resiliently retained in an open position and having a manually depressible closable push button that is resiliently retained in an open condition, the trigger switch being mounted by the handle upper portion to have the its push button extending upwardly of the housing and a manually depressible interlock switch in series with the trigger switch and having a manually depressible closable push button that is resiliently retained in an open condition, the interlock switch being mounted by the handle lower portion to have its push button extending downwardly of the housing, the interlock switch push button being laterally offset from the trigger switch push button in an upstream direction sufficiently for being adapted to be pushed by the users one hand to a closed position by at least one of little finger and ring finger and the trigger switch push button to a closed position by the thumb of the one hand while the user is manually holding the torch handle with said one hand to close the trigger circuit.

Plasma cutting torch apparatus comprising a torch handle, a vertical axially elongated torch head mounted by the torch handle and having a central axis, a nozzle, an electrode having a lower terminal end, electrode and gas conducting means mounting the nozzle and electrode and acting in cooperation with the nozzle and electrode to provide a gas flow path and discharge a plasma arc, the conducting means including second means for threadingly mounting the electrode and a shell having a lower end portion in radially spaced surrounding relationship to the electrode, the shell lower end portion having a lower terminal annular edge at a higher elevation than the electrode lower terminal end, the nozzle being threadedly mounted by the shell and having an annular wall in surrounding relationship to the electrode lower end portion and extending to a lower elevation than the electrode lower terminal end, each of the annular wall and electrode lower end portion having an exterior land extending to a lower elevation than the shell, a torch wrench having first wall means defining a nozzle opening of a size and shape for having the nozzle wall extended thereinto and abuttable against the nozzle land for unthreading the nozzle from the shell and second wall means defining an electrode opening of a size and shape for having the electrode lower end portion extended thereinto and abuttable against the electrode land for unthreading the electrode from the second means, and closable trigger circuit means for triggering a pilot arc, the circuit means including a trigger switch mounted by handle, resiliently retained in an open position and having a manually depressible closable switch member that is resiliently retained in an open condition, and wrench interlock switch mechanism that includes a wrench housing for at least in part housing the wrench and an interlock switch that is electrically connected in series with the trigger switch and having a switch member resiliently retained in an open condition and operable means operated by the wrench abutting thereagainst for moving the interlock switch member to its closed position while the wrench is being housed in the housing, and releasably retaining the interlock switch member in its closed position as long as the wrench is housed in the housing, the wrench housing mounting the interlock switch and having a wrench slot to have the wrench extended thereinto for operating the operable means and retaining the operable means in a position retaining the interlock switch member in its closed condition as long as the wrench is housed in the housing and permitting the interlock switch member resiliently opening when the wrench is removed from the housing.

A plasma torch for cutting metal, comprising a laterally elongated torch body, a laterally elongated handle for mounting the torch body and being manually moved to correspondingly move the torch body during a cutting operation, and an axially elongated plasma torch head mounted by the torch body to extend to a lower elevation than the torch body, the torch head having a central axis, a nozzle an electrode, electrode and gas conducting means mounting the nozzle and electrode and acting in cooperation with the nozzle and electrode to provide a gas flow path and discharge a plasma, the conducting means including an axially extending annular shell mounting the nozzle to extend to a lower elevation than the shell and electrode, an electrode adaptor extending within the shell in radial spaced relationship thereto, electrically connected to the electrode and having a bore extending axially therein, and insulating means mountingly retaining the adaptor radially spaced from the shell, the shell, electrode, electrode adaptor and nozzle being made of electrically conductive material, and holder means mounted by the shell for retaining the nozzle in predetermined spaced relationship to the metal while the metal is being cut, the holder means including an annular insulating holder mounted by the shell and a stand-off mounted by the holder in depending relationship thereto to maintain the holder and thereby the shell and nozzle in spaced relationship to the metal during the cutting operation.

A plasma torch comprising an axially elongated torch head that includes an axially elongated electrode adaptor that has an entry end portion and an axially opposite end portion, the adaptor having first wall means defining a bore extending therethrough, including at least part of a first chamber portion, an axially elongated air tube, an axially elongated electrode having a first end portion and a second end portion that is mounted by the adaptor opposite end portion and in conjunction with the adaptor define at least part of a first chamber having the first chamber portion, the electrode having an elongated bore that has one end opening to the first chambers and an opposite terminal end axially remote from the adaptor, the elongated air tube having an entry end mounted by the adaptor and an axially opposite terminal end located in the electrode bore axially more closely adjacent to the electrode bore terminal end than the opening of the electrode to the first chamber, the air tube and electrode bore being of relative diameters to form an annular clearance space extending from the tube terminal end to the first chamber, an axially elongated torch head shell that includes an entry end portion, a discharge end portion having a discharge end and second wall mans in radial spaced relationship to the adaptor and at least part of the electrode to define a bore extending axially therethrough, a nozzle mounted by the shell discharge end for nearly closing the shell bore discharge end and discharging a plasma, the nozzle being radially and axially spaced from the electrode, insulation means abutting against the adaptor entry end portion and the shell entry end portion for retaining the adaptor in radial spaced relationship to the shell, the air tube, shell, nozzle, adaptor and electrode each being made of an electrically conductive material, the insulation means and at least part of at least one of the adaptor and electrode forming an axially elongated second chamber that opens the nozzle, the adaptor having at least one first passage that opens to the first chamber axially remote from the electrode and to the second chamber remote from the nozzle, the opening of the electrode bore to the first chamber being axially intermediate the air tube terminal end and said first passage and the minimum axial distance of the electrode from the first passage being less than the minimum axial distance of the nozzle from the first passage, a laterally elongated torch body that includes a downstream end portion jointed to the torch head and a laterally opposite upstream end portion, a laterally elongated handle having a downstream end portion removably retained on the body upstream end portion and a laterally opposite upstream end portion, the body upstream end portion having an elongated first part that is of substantially the same peripheral transverse size and shape throughout its length and a second part of at least one of a substantially different peripheral size and shape than that of the first part, the handle including a plurality of laterally elongated sections transversely separable from one another to permit transverse removal of the torch body from the handle sections and securable to one another to retain the handle sections in fixed relationship to the body and means for securing the handle sections to one another, the handle having walls means defining a chamber extending axially therethrough and the body extended thereinto, the wall means including a plurality of laterally spaced first wall parts to form a close fit with the body second part to retain the body in selected laterally adjusted positions relative to the handle before the handle sections are secured together, a non-circular first wall for forming a clamping fit with the laterally adjacent part of the upstream end portion of the handle to prevent rotation of the body relative to the handle, the handle sections comprising a laterally elongated top half portion and a laterally elongated lower half portion, the air conduit having an electrically conductive tubular portion made of an electrically conductive material that has a downstream end portion in electrically conductive relationship to the electrode adaptor and opening though the adaptor to the air tube and an upstream end portion located in the handle chamber that is adapted for connection to a source of air and a negative terminal of an electric source of power, and an insulation portion surrounding the air conduit from closely adjacent to the air tube to the conduit upstream end portion, a high A.C. electrical conductor having one end electrically connected to the shell and a second end portion located in the handle chamber that is adapted for connection to a high A.C. voltage power source, and the air conduit and the high A.C. electrical conductor extending through the torch body, and a manually closable trigger circuit for triggering a pilot arc, the trigger circuit including a trigger switch resiliently retained in an open position and having a manually depressible closable push button that is resilient retained in an open condition, the trigger switch being mounted by the handle upper portion to have the its push button extending upwardly of the housing and a manually depressible interlock switch in series with the trigger switch and having a manually depressible closable push button that is resiliently retained in an open condition, the interlock switch being mounted by the handle lower portion to have its push button extending downwardly of the housing, the interlock switch push button being laterally offset from the trigger switch push button in an upstream direction sufficiently for being adapted to be pushed by the users one hand to a closed position by at least one of little closed position by the thumb of the one hand while the user is manually holding the torch handle with said one hand to close the trigger circuit.

A plasma gas cutting torch for discharging a heated gas, comprising a laterally elongated torch body having an upstream end portion, a downstream portion and a laterally elongated first fluid passage that includes an inlet and an outlet, the body upstream end portion having an elongated first part that is of substantially the same peripheral transverse size and shape throughout its length and a second part of at least one of a substantially different peripheral size and shape than that of the first part, a torch head mounted by the body downstream portion and having a second fluid passage that has an inlet opening to the body outlet and an outlet for discharging heated gas and a laterally elongated handle having a downstream end portion removably retained on the body upstream end portion and a laterally opposite upstream end portion, the handle including a plurality of laterally elongated sections transversely separable from one another to permit transverse removal of the body from the handle sections and securable to one another to retain the handle sections to one another to retain the handle sections in fixed relationship to the body and means for securing the handle sections to one another, the handle sections having wall means defining a chamber extending axially therethrough and the body extended thereinto, the wall means including a non-circular first wall for forming a clamping fit with the laterally adjacent part of the upstream end portion of the handle to prevent rotation of the body relative to the handle wile permitting transverse separation of at least one section relative to another for transverse removal of the body from at least one remaining section, the wall means includes a plurality of laterally spaced first wall parts to form a close fit with the body second part to retain the body in selected laterally adjusted positions relative to the handle before the handle sections are secured together, the handle sections comprising a laterally elongated top handle half portion and a laterally elongated lower half potion, the torch head including a nozzle, an electrode and gas conducting means acting in cooperation with the nozzle and electrode to provide a gas flow path and discharge a plasma, the conducting means including the first and second passage, electric means extending at least partially through the handle, through the torch body and connected to at least one of the nozzle and electrode for generating a plasma as gas discharges from the gas conducting means, and a closable trigger circuit for triggering a pilot arc, the trigger circuit including a trigger switch resiliently retained in an open position and having a manually depressible closable push button that is resiliently retained in an open condition, the trigger switch being mounted by the handle upper portion to have the its push button extending upwardly of the hosing and a manually depressible interlock switch in series with the trigger switch and having a manually depressible closable push button that is resiliently retained in an open condition, the interlock switch being mounted by the handle lower portion to have its push button extending downwardly of the housing, the interlock switch push button being laterally offset from the trigger switch push button in an upstream direction sufficiently for being adapted to be pushed by the users one hand to a closed position by at least one of little finger and ring finger and the trigger switch push button to a closed position by the thumb of the one hand while the user is manually holding the torch handle with said one hand to close the trigger circuit.