Welding nozzle retaining ring

A welding gun comprising:

• a. a tubular insert having a predetermined inner diameter;
• b. an adapter inside and concentric with the insert and having a plurality of spaced apart circumferential grooves with predetermined root diameters therein;
• and
• c. a plurality of elastic welding nozzle retaining rings assembled each in a respective adapter groove, each welding nozzle retaining ring having a plurality of straight segments having the polygon configuration with one of the segments defining a cutout, respective adjacent segments meeting at peaks that contact the insert inner diameter and the segments having respective inner surfaces that contact the associated adapter groove root to thereby provide a radially rigid connection between the insert and the adapter.

A method of assembling a tube having a predetermined inner diameter over a cylinder having a predetermined outer diameter comprising the steps of:

• a. forming a length of elastic material into a ring having a plurality of segments arranged into a polygon configuration with respective adjacent segments joining at peaks that lie along a first circle having a diameter greater than the tube inner diameter;
• b. creating a cutout in one of the ring segments;
• c. placing the ring on the cylinder outer diameter;
• d. sliding the tube over the cylinder and the ring and contacting the ring peaks with the tube inner diameter;
• e. depressing the ring peaks with the tube inner diameter and simultaneously bending the ring segments with the cylinder outer diameter;
• and
• f. simultaneously gripping the cylinder outer diameter with the ring segments and the tube inner diameter with the ring peaks and thereby creating a radially rigid connection between the tube and the cylinder.

A method of assembling a welding gun comprising the steps of:

• a. machining a pair of annular grooves in the outer diameter of an adapter;
• b. forming a pair of retaining rings from respective lengths of elastic wire into a polygon configuration having straight segments with peaks between adjacent segments;
• c. placing the retaining rings in respective adapter grooves;
• d. pushing a welding nozzle over the adapter and the retaining rings;
• and
• e. elastically depressing the peaks of the retaining rings into the adapter groove with the welding nozzle and simultaneously elastically bending the segments of the retaining rings with the adapter groove and thereby producing a slip-fit radially rigid connection between the welding nozzle and the adapter.