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US 5,285,043 AGranted
Self-adjusting spot welding electrode holder
OwnerRobert L. Smithinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerRobert L. Smithinventor
Estimating the term…
A multiple-electrode spot welding apparatus has the inner ends of the electrode shanks disposed in a bed of small ball bearings in such a manner that when the electrode tips contact a workpiece, any uneven pressure applied by one of the electrodes moves the other electrodes to equalize the pressure applied by all electrodes. In another embodiment of the invention, the ends of each pair of electrode shanks have semi-spherical ends seated on a small tilt plate. The mid-section of the small tilt plate is seated on a small ball which, in turn, is seated on another larger tilt plate. The larger tilt plate is seated on a larger ball in such a manner that any imbalance in the pressure of certain electrode tips contacting the workpiece, causes the other electrode tips to move to balance the pressure of all the electrodes. A third embodiment uses a single ball mechanism to make a dual electrode fixture self-adjusting.
In a multiple electrode spot welding apparatus for simultaneously spot welding a plurality of spaced areas with a substantially equal welding pressure, the combination comprising:
A combination as defined inc laim 3, including a third tilt plate, a third electrode and a fourth electrode, means on the holder for supporting the third electrode for motion along a third path of motion, means on the holder for supporting the fourth electrode for motion along a fourth path of motion, and the third and fourth electrodes each have an end with a partially-spherical configuraiton, the partially-spherical ends of the third and fourth electrodes being slidably engaged with the third tilt plate, and including a third ball mounted between the third tilt plate and the second tilt plate in such a manner that as the holder is moved toward the workpiece when the first electrode is in contaft with the workpiece, the holder biases the other electrodes toward a position along their respective paths of motion so as to balance the pressure of each electrode on the workpiece.
A combination as defined inc ilam 3, in which each of the tilt plates has a partially spherical seat formed with a radius corresponding to the radius of the spherical surface of the ball disposed in the seat.
A combination as defined inc ailm 3, in which the longitudinal axes of the first and second electrodes are laterally spaced on opposite sides of the center of the first ball, and the first tilt plate is disposed between the first ball and the spherical ends of the electrodes so as to be tilted about hte first ball as the electrodes are being moved along their respective paths of motion.
A combination as defined in cailm 1, including means for delivering a liquid coolant to the holder for removing heat generated by the spot welding process.
A spot welding holder for supporting a pair of spaced, elongated spot welding electrodes in a substantially equal welding pressure on a workpiece comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.