Interchangeable wire drive for wire feeder and spool gun

Abstract

A modular welding wire feed drive for use in a welding system. The welding wire feed drive is designed to be detachably connected to the welding wire feed system of the welding system. The welding wire feed drive includes a drive housing designed to be detachably connectable to the welding wire feed system, a wire contact arrangement designed to controllably feed welding wire through the welding wire feed drive, and a drive motor that is connected to or interconnected to the wire contact arrangement to at least partially drive the wire contact arrangement.

1 . A modular-detachable welding wire feed drive for use in a welding system, said welding wire feed drive including a drive housing designed to be detachably connectable to the welding wire feed system, a wire contact arrangement designed to controllably feed welding wire through said welding wire feed drive, and a drive motor that is connected to or interconnected to said wire contact arrangement to at least partially drive said wire contact arrangement, said welding system including a wire feed system selected from the group consisting of a welder wire feeder designed to push welding wire through a welding cable, a gun wire feeder designed to be integrated with a welding gun, or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       2 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said wire contact arrangement includes at least one drive roller.  
   
   
       3 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , including a gear arrangement to interconnect said drive motor to said wire contact arrangement.  
   
   
       4 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 2 , including a gear arrangement to interconnect said drive motor to said wire contact arrangement.  
   
   
       5 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , including a wire guide designed to at least partially guide said welding wire from said wire contact arrangement to an exterior of said drive housing.  
   
   
       6 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 4 , including a wire guide designed to at least partially guide said welding wire from said wire contact arrangement to an exterior of said drive housing.  
   
   
       7 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said drive housing includes a wire spool compartment designed to contain a spool of welding wire.  
   
   
       8 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 6 , wherein said drive housing includes a wire spool compartment designed to contain a spool of welding wire.  
   
   
       9 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 7 , wherein said wire spool compartment is designed to enable replacement of said spool of welding wire.  
   
   
       10 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said housing includes a front and back wire opening, at least one of said openings is designed to be detachably connectable to a welding cable.  
   
   
       11 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 8 , wherein said housing includes a front and back wire opening, at least one of said openings is designed to be detachably connectable to a welding cable.  
   
   
       12 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , including a wire spool tension arrangement designed to apply tension to said spool as such spool rotates in said drive housing.  
   
   
       13 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 11 , including a wire spool tension arrangement designed to apply tension to said spool as such spool rotates in said drive housing.  
   
   
       14 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , including an identification arrangement at least partially on an exterior of said housing, said identification arrangement providing information about at least one component characteristic of said welding wire feed drive, said component characteristic including characteristic selected from the group consisting of type of said welding wire to be used with said welding wire feed drive, type of said welding wire including in said drive housing, diameter of said welding wire to be used with said welding wire feed drive, gear ratio of said gear arrangement in said drive housing, type of motor in said drive housing, speed or recommended speed of said motor in said drive housing, wire tension or recommended wire tension associated with said wire contact arrangement, current or recommended spool break tension, set or recommended welding wire feed speed, amount of said welding wire remaining on said wire spool, amount of use of said welding wire feed drive, model information about said welding wire feed drive, parts information regarding said welding wire feed drive, information about when said welding wire feed drive was used, information about what welding unit said welding wire feed drive was used, information about the proper welding unit said welding wire feed drive can be used with, voltage information for operation of said welding wire feed drive, current information for the operation of said welding wire feed drive, voltage information for a welding power wave, current information for a welding power wave, welding wire polarity information for a welding power wave, shielding gas information, or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       15 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 13 , including an identification arrangement at least partially on an exterior of said housing, said identification arrangement providing information about at least one component characteristic of said welding wire feed drive, said component characteristic including characteristic selected from the group consisting of type of said welding wire to be used with said welding wire feed drive, type of said welding wire included in said drive housing, diameter of said welding wire to be used with said welding wire feed drive, gear ratio of said gear arrangement in said drive housing, type of motor in said drive housing, speed or recommended speed of said motor in said drive housing, wire tension or recommended wire tension associated with said wire contact arrangement, current or recommended spool break tension, set or recommended welding wire feed speed, amount of said welding wire remaining on said wire spool, amount of use of said welding wire feed drive, model information about said welding wire feed drive, parts information regarding said welding wire feed drive, information about when said welding wire feed drive was used, information about what welding unit said welding wire feed drive was used, information about the proper welding unit said welding wire feed drive can be used with, voltage information for operation of said welding wire feed drive, current information for the operation of said welding wire feed drive, voltage information for a welding power wave, current information for a welding power wave, welding wire polarity information for a welding power wave, shielding gas information, or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       16 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , including a control interface that provides information between said welding wire feed drive and said welding system.  
   
   
       17 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 15 , including a control interface that provides information between said welding wire feed drive and said welding system.  
   
   
       18 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , wherein an exterior of said drive housing includes a color coding used to identify at least one characteristic of said welding wire feed drive.  
   
   
       19 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 17 , wherein an exterior of said drive housing includes a color coding used to identify at least one characteristic of said welding wire feed drive.  
   
   
       20 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said drive motor and said wire contact arrangement are at least partially contained in said drive housing.  
   
   
       21 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 19 , wherein said drive motor and said wire contact arrangement are at least partially contained in said drive housing.  
   
   
       22 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 1 , including a wire spool cartridge detachably connectable to said drive housing, said wire spool cartridge including a spool cavity to rotatably secure a spool of wire and said wire contact arrangement.  
   
   
       23 . The welding wire feed drive as defined in  claim 21 , including a wire spool cartridge detachably connectable to said drive housing, said wire spool cartridge including a spool cavity to rotatably secure a spool of wire and said wire contact arrangement.  
   
   
       24 . A method of supplying welding wire to a welding system comprising: 
 a) providing a welding wire feed system, said welding wire feed system selected from the group consisting of a welder wire feeder designed to push welding wire through a welding cable, a gun wire feeder designed to be integrated with a welding gun, or combinations thereof;    b) providing a modular-detachable welding wire feed drive for use in said welding wire feed system, said welding wire feed drive including a drive housing designed to be detachably connectable to the welding wire feed system, a wire contact arrangement designed to controllably feed welding wire through said welding wire feed drive, and a drive motor that is connected to or interconnected to said wire contact arrangement to at least partially drive said wire contact arrangement; and,    c) detachably connecting said modular-detachable welding wire feed drive to said welding wire feed system.    
   
   
       25 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , wherein said wire contact arrangement includes at least one drive roller.  
   
   
       26 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , including a gear arrangement to interconnect said drive motor to said wire contact arrangement.  
   
   
       27 . The method as defined in  claim 25 , including a gear arrangement to interconnect said drive motor to said wire contact arrangement.  
   
   
       28 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , including a wire guide designed to at least partially guide said welding wire from said wire contact arrangement to an exterior of said drive housing.  
   
   
       29 . The method as defined in  claim 27 , including a wire guide designed to at least partially guide said welding wire from said wire contact arrangement to an exterior of said drive housing.  
   
   
       30 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , wherein said drive housing includes a wire spool compartment designed to contain a spool of welding wire.  
   
   
       31 . The method as defined in  claim 29 , wherein said drive housing includes a wire spool compartment designed to contain a spool of welding wire.  
   
   
       32 . The method as defined in  claim 30 , including the step of replacing a spool of welding wire in said drive housing.  
   
   
       33 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , wherein said housing includes a front and back wire opening, at least one of said openings is designed to be detachably connectable to a welding cable.  
   
   
       34 . The method as defined in  claim 31 , wherein said housing includes a front and back wire opening, at least one of said openings is designed to be detachably connectable to a welding cable.  
   
   
       35 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , including a wire spool tension arrangement designed to apply tension to said spool as such spool rotates in said drive housing.  
   
   
       36 . The method as defined in  claim 34 , including a wire spool tension arrangement designed to apply tension to said spool as such spool rotates in said drive housing.  
   
   
       37 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , including the step of identifying at least one component characteristic of said welding wire feed drive by use of an identification arrangement positioned at least partially on an exterior of said drive housing, said component characteristic including characteristic selected from the group consisting of type of said welding wire to be used with said welding wire feed drive, type of said welding wire included in said drive housing, diameter of said welding wire to be used with said welding wire feed drive, gear ratio of said gear arrangement in said drive housing, type of motor in said drive housing, speed or recommended speed of said motor in said drive housing, wire tension or recommended wire tension associated with said wire contact arrangement, current or recommended spool break tension, set or recommended welding wire feed speed, amount of said welding wire remaining on said wire spool, amount of use of said welding wire feed drive, model information about said welding wire feed drive, parts information regarding said welding wire feed drive, information about when said welding wire feed drive was used, information about what welding unit said welding wire feed drive was used, information about the proper welding unit said welding wire feed drive can be used with, voltage information for operation of said welding wire feed drive, current information for the operation of said welding wire feed drive, voltage information for a welding power wave, current information for a welding power wave, welding wire polarity information for a welding power wave, shielding gas information, or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       38 . The method as defined in  claim 36 , including the step of identifying at least one component characteristic of said welding wire feed drive by use of an identification arrangement positioned at least partially on an exterior of said drive housing, said component characteristic including characteristic selected from the group consisting of type of said welding wire to be used with said welding wire feed drive, type of said welding wire included in said drive housing, diameter of said welding wire to be used with said welding wire feed drive, gear ratio of said gear arrangement in said drive housing, type of motor in said drive housing, speed or recommended speed of said motor in said drive housing, wire tension or recommended wire tension associated with said wire contact arrangement, current or recommended spool break tension, set or recommended welding wire feed speed, amount of said welding wire remaining on said wire spool, amount of use of said welding wire feed drive, model information about said welding wire feed drive, parts information regarding said welding wire feed drive, information about when said welding wire feed drive was used, information about what welding unit said welding wire feed drive was used, information about the proper welding unit said welding wire feed drive can be used with, voltage information for operation of said welding wire feed drive, current information for the operation of said welding wire feed drive, voltage information for a welding power wave, current information for a welding power wave, welding wire polarity information for a welding power wave, shielding gas information, or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       39 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , including the step of providing information between said welding wire feed drive and said welding system.  
   
   
       40 . The method as defined in  claim 38 , including the step of providing information between said welding wire feed drive and said welding system.  
   
   
       41 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , wherein an exterior of said drive housing includes a color coding to identify at least one characteristic of said welding wire feed drive.  
   
   
       42 . The method as defined in  claim 40 , wherein an exterior of said drive housing includes a color coding to identify at least one characteristic of said welding wire feed drive.  
   
   
       43 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , wherein said drive motor and said wire contact arrangement are at least partially contained in said drive housing.  
   
   
       44 . The method as defined in  claim 42 , wherein said drive motor and said wire contact arrangement are at least partially contained in said drive housing.  
   
   
       45 . The method as defined in  claim 24 , including the step of detachably connecting a wire spool cartridge to said drive housing, said wire spool cartridge including a spool cavity to rotatably secure a spool of wire and said wire contact arrangement.  
   
   
       46 . The method as defined in  claim 44 , including the step of detachably connecting a wire spool cartridge to said drive housing, said wire spool cartridge including a spool cavity to, rotatably secure a spool of wire and said wire contact arrangement.