Modular welding machine

A welding machine comprising:

• a machine frame,
• a welding transformer and control means mounted on said machine frame,
• a tooling module having a module frame and being movable as a unit between an uninstalled and installed location relative to said machine frame,
• said tooling module including upper and lower tooling for electric welding and a module connector plate mounted thereon,
• a machine connector plate mounted on said machine frame and having a set of first connector members mounted thereon,
• said module connector plate having a set of second electrical connector members mounted thereon,
• said machine connector plate having an unplugged position in which said first connector members are not operably connected with said second connector members and having a plugged-in position in which said first connector members are operatively connected with said second connector members,
• a first lower tooling contactor member and a first upper tooling contactor member which are fixed relative to said machine frame and which are electrically connected with different terminals of said transformer,
• a second lower tooling contactor member and a second upper tooling contactor member which are mounted on said module frame and electrically connected with said lower and upper tooling, respectively,
• said first lower and first upper tooling contactor members being operably connected, respectively, with said second lower and said second upper contactor members when said tooling module is in said installed location,
• said machine connector plate being in said unplugged position when said tooling module is in said installed position,
• an actuator connected with said machine connector plate for moving said machine connector plate from a retracted position to an extended position when said tooling module is in the installed location for operatively connecting said first and second connector members,
• and guide means for guiding movement of said tooling module on said machine frame between said un-installed and installed locations.

A welding machine comprising:

• a base operating machine including a machine frame and a welding transformer fixedly mounted on said machine frame, said transformer having a pair of secondary terminals,
• a tooling module including tooling for electric welding,
• first and second fixed contactor members in a fixed position on said machine frame and connected, respectively, to said pair of secondary terminals,
• first and second movable contactor members which are fixedly mounted relative to said module frame for movement therewith and electrically connected with said tooling module,
• guide means on said machine frame and follower means on said tooling module for moving said tooling module between an uninstalled location relative to said machine frame and an installed location relative to said machine frame,
• said first and second fixed contactor members being located relative to said guide means on said machine frame and said first and second movable contactor members being mounted on said module relative to said follower means so that said first and second movable contactor members on said module frame are in alignment for mating engagement with said first and second fixed contactor members when said follower means is in engagement with said guide means whereby said first and second movable contactor members are operably connected, respectively, with said first and second fixed contactor members when said tooling module is moved along said guide means to the installed location from said uninstalled location.

A welding machine comprising:

• a base operating machine including a machine frame, a welding transformer, a programmable logic controller, and a machine connector plate, said machine connector plate having a set of first connector members mounted thereon,
• a plurality of tooling modules each having a module frame with welding tooling mounted on the module frame, said tooling module being movable as a unit between an uninstalled and an installed location relative to said base operating machine,
• electrical contactors for electrically connecting said welding transformer to said welding tooling when said tooling module is in said installed location,
• a machine connector plate mounted on said machine frame and having a set of first connector members mounted thereon,
• a tooling module connector plate mounted on said module frame and having a set of second electrical connector members mounted thereon,
• means for moving said machine connector plate from a retracted position to an extended position when said tooling module is in the installed location for operatively connecting said first and second sets of connector members,
• guide means for guiding movement of said tooling module on said machine frame between said uninstalled and installed locations,
• a plurality of module control programs stored in said programmable logic controller each of which is usable for controlling one of said tooling modules,
• each of said tooling modules having a code storage device thereon with stored code which uniquely identifies one of said module control programs,
• and a code reader on said base operating machine coacting with said code storage device for reading the code stored therein when said tooling module is in said installed location,
• said code reading device being electrically coupled with said programmable logic controller whereby the tooling module in the installed location may be operated under the control of the program identified by code stored in said storage device on such module.