Systems and methods for wire surface oxidation removal and/or wire preheating using a tungsten arc

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11446756-B2
Application number	US-201916553522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2019
Priority date	Aug 30, 2018
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus and system for preheating and removing surface oxidation of welding wire using electric arcs one via one or more tungsten electrodes is disclosed. The preheating and cleaning electric arcs may occur between tungsten electrodes, or between one or more tungsten electrodes and welding wire. Electric arc preheating of welding wire allows increased efficiency and deposition rates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for preheating welding wire, the apparatus comprising:
a first tungsten electrode and a second tungsten electrode configured to preheat welding wire via electric arc preheating to the wire prior to delivery of the welding wire to a welding arc.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first tungsten electrode is offset circumferentially from the second tungsten electrode, and wherein welding wire is fed between the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electric arc preheating comprises generating the electric arc between the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the electric arc between the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode is an alternating current electric arc.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein electric arc preheating comprises:
a first electric arc between the first tungsten electrode and the welding wire; and
a second electric arc between the second tungsten electrode and the welding wire.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a contact tip electrically connected to the welding wire, and wherein the contact tip is electrically connected to a preheating power source.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein both the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode have a positive polarity with respect to the welding wire.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a first region comprising shielding gas, wherein the electric arc preheating occurs within the first region.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a wire guide configured to deliver preheated welding wire from the first region to a workpiece; and
a gas diffuser configured to diffuse the shielding gas around the preheated welding wire delivered to the workpiece.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a nozzle configured to diffuse shielding gas around the preheated welding wire.

11. A system for preheating welding wire, the system comprising:
a power source;
a first tungsten electrode electrically connected to the power source; and
a second tungsten electrode electrically connected to the power source;
wherein the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode are configured to generate an electric arc through which a welding wire travels to thereby preheat the welding wire via the electric arc.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first tungsten electrode is offset circumferentially from the second tungsten electrode, and wherein welding wire is fed between the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the electric arc between the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode is an alternating current electric arc.

14. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a first region comprising shielding gas, wherein the electric arc preheating occurs within the first region.

15. A system for preheating welding wire, the system comprising:
a first power source;
a second power source;
a first tungsten electrode electrically connected to the first power source and configured to generate a first electric arc from the first tungsten electrode to a welding wire, wherein the welding wire is connected to the first power source; and
a second tungsten electrode electrically connected to the second power source and configured to generate a second electric arc from the first tungsten electrode to the welding wire, wherein the welding wire is connected to the second power source;
wherein the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode are configured to preheat welding wire via the first electric arc and the second electric arc.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein electric arc preheating comprises:
a first electric arc between the first tungsten electrode and the welding wire; and
a second electric arc between the second tungsten electrode and the welding wire.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a contact tip electrically connected to the welding wire, wherein the contact tip is electrically connected to the first power source and the second power source.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the first power source provides positive direct current power to the first tungsten electrode, and the second power source provides positive direct current power to the second tungsten electrode.

19. The system of claim 18 , further comprising a first region comprising shielding gas, wherein the electric arc preheating occurs within the first region.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Hoeger Michael V

Classifications

• B23K9/1093 Primary

  Consumable electrode or filler wire preheat circuits · CPC title

• B23K9/164

  making use of a moving fluid · CPC title

• B23K9/133

  Means for feeding electrodes, e.g. drums, rolls, motors · CPC title

• B23K9/1075

  Parallel power supply, i.e. multiple power supplies or multiple inverters supplying a single arc or welding current · CPC title

• B23K9/173

  and of a consumable electrode · CPC title