Wire feeder tensioner with definitive settings
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsBenjamin David Romenesko, Paul William Garvey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wire feeder includes a tensioner with a discrete number of compressive force settings for applying a desired compressive force to welding wire fed through the wire feeder is provided. The tensioner includes an adjustment knob with a discrete number of detents disposed along a helical surface adjacent an inner bore of the adjustment knob. The tensioner also includes a pin extending from an end of a tensioning post located in the inner bore, the pin being configured to align with the detents of the adjustment knob. Rotation of the adjustment knob adjusts alignment of the pin among the discrete number of detents, which correspond to the discrete number of compressive force settings.
Claims9
A welding system, comprising:
- a welding wire feeder, comprising:
- a welding drive assembly housing;
- a drive wheel configured to rotate with respect to the welding drive assembly housing;
- a clamp arm coupled to the welding drive assembly and configured to pivot at a first end about a clamp arm joint of the welding drive assembly housing, wherein the clamp arm is configured to transfer a compressive force to the drive wheel and to welding wire fed through the welding wire feeder;
- and
- a tensioner coupled to the welding drive assembly and configured to pivot about a tensioner joint of the welding drive assembly housing, wherein the tensioner comprises an adjustment knob, wherein rotation of the adjustment knob adjusts the compressive force transferred to the drive wheel and to the welding wire among a discrete number of compressive force settings, wherein each of the discrete number of compressive force settings corresponds to one of a discrete number of detents formed in the adjustment knob, wherein the discrete number of detents comprises a plurality of detents spaced about a central axis of the tensioner, and the discrete number of detents extends from an inner circumferential surface of the adjustment knob, and wherein the tensioner comprises a pin configured to align with each of the discrete number of detents in the adjustment knob, and the pin is crosswise to the central axis of the tensioner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.