Liquid-cooled welding torch assembly
OwnerGlen A. Jones, Richard L. Jones +1inventors
InventorsGlen A. Jones, Richard L. Jones, Robert Warning
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A liquid-cooled welding torch assembly for use in robotic welding that includes a body tube with a set of male connectors, the body tube guiding an electrode, and a flow of coolant to a welding tip. A supply cable adapter including a set of female connectors corresponding to the set of male connectors. At least one of the male connectors includes a rigid tube with a plurality of axially compressible and radially expandable sealing members coaxially and slidably disposed about the rigid tube, whereby the plurality of axially compressible and radially expandable sealing members expand to create a seal between the at least one of the male connectors and a corresponding one of the set of female connectors.
Claims30
A liquid-cooled welding torch assembly for use in robotic welding, said torch assembly comprising:
- a body tube comprising a set of male connectors, the body tube guiding an electrode, and a flow of coolant to a welding tip;
- and
- a supply cable adapter comprising a set of female connectors corresponding to the set of male connectors, wherein at least one of the male connectors comprises a rigid tube comprising a plurality of axially compressible and radially expandable sealing members coaxially and slidably disposed about the rigid tube, whereby the plurality of axially compressible and radially expandable sealing members expand to create a seal between the at least one of the male connectors and a corresponding one of the set of female connectors.
A liquid-cooled welding torch assembly for use in robotic welding, said torch assembly comprising:
- a body tube comprising a set of male connectors, the body tube guiding an electrode and a flow of coolant to a welding tip;
- and
- a supply cable adapter comprising a set of female connectors corresponding to the set of male connectors, wherein at least one of the male connectors comprises a rigid tube comprising an axially compressible and radially expandable sealing member coaxially disposed about the rigid tube, the axially compressible and radially expandable sealing member having an axial length and a radial thickness, wherein the axial length is greater than the radial thickness, whereby the axially compressible and radially expandable sealing member creates a seal between the at least one of the male connectors and a corresponding one of the set of female connectors when an axial force is applied to the sealing member.
A supply cable adapter for use in a liquid-cooled welding torch, the supply cable adapter comprising:
- an adapter member having an axial length and a width, wherein the axial length is greater than the width;
- a body tube connection end on one end of the adapter member, the body tube connection end comprising a first plurality of female connectors defined by hollow bores in the body tube end of the adapter member;
- a supply end opposite the body tube end, the supply end releasably connectable to a plurality of supply connectors;
- a threaded area adjacent the body tube connection end;
- and
- a strain relief orientation guide positioned adjacent the supply end of the adapter member.
A liquid-cooled welding torch assembly for use in robotic welding, said torch assembly comprising:
- a body tube having a set of male connectors, the body tube guiding an electrode, and a flow of coolant to a welding tip;
- and
- a supply cable adapter having a set of female connectors corresponding to the set of male connectors, the supply cable adapter having an axial length and a width wherein the axial length is greater than the width, and wherein the body tube releasably connects to the supply cable adapter in a predetermined rotationally fixed orientation;
- a mounting cuff sized to slidably fit over an exterior portion of the axial length of the supply cable adapter and having an orientation guide adapted to cooperate with a corresponding orientation guide on the supply cable adapter to maintain a predetermined rotationally fixed orientation with respect to the supply cable adapter;
- and
- a torch mount slidably connectable to an outer portion of the mounting cuff, the torch mount comprising an alignment guide sized to cooperate with a corresponding alignment guide on the mounting cuff to repeatably connect at a predetermined alignment, whereby a repeatable orientation of the body tube is maintained with respect to the torch mount to expedite replacement of the body tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.