Systems, methods, and apparatus to preheat welding wire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12208476-B2
Application number	US-202017132712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2020
Priority date	Dec 10, 2015
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

A contact tip assembly with a preheating tip comprises a welding-type power source configured to provide welding-type current to a welding-type circuit, the welding-type circuit comprising a welding-type electrode and a first contact tip of a welding torch; an electrode preheating circuit configured to provide preheating current through a first portion of the electrode via a second contact tip of the welding torch; and a preheat controller to: monitor a voltage drop across a second portion of the electrode; adjust at least one of the welding-type current or the preheating current based on the voltage drop, the second portion of the electrode comprising at least part of the first portion of the electrode; and control the preheating current based on a hydrogen reduction goal and based on stored parameters associated with a type of the electrode, a chemistry of the electrode, or a wire size.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A consumable wire-fed welding system, comprising:
a welding power source configured to provide welding current to a welding circuit, the welding circuit comprising a welding wire and a first contact point of a welding torch; and
an electrode preheating circuit configured to supply preheating current through a plurality of sections in the welding wire to create a plurality of preheated regions in the welding wire that are spaced apart, wherein the plurality of preheated sections in the welding wire are separated by colder sections in the welding wire.

2. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the welding power source is configured to provide the welding current using a controlled waveform.

3. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of preheated regions in the welding wire are spaced by cooler regions in the welding wire.

4. The consumable electrode-fed wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 3 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit and the welding power source are configured to cause the preheated regions in the welding wire to melt prior to a cooler region in the welding wire that is closer to an arc formed by the welding current than the melted preheated region.

5. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to create the plurality of preheated regions in the welding wire by generating increased current intervals and applying the increased current to the welding wire.

6. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit comprises a capacitor bank configured to generate the increased current intervals by discharging the capacitor bank.

7. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to generate the increased current intervals to be at least 500 Amperes.

8. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to conduct the increased current intervals through the welding wire via the first contact point and a workpiece.

9. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 5 , further comprising a wire feeder configured to feed the welding wire to the welding torch, wherein the wire feeder is configured to feed the welding wire at a first feed rate during the increased current intervals to the welding wire and to feed the welding wire at a second feed rate at times other than the increased current intervals.

10. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to generate the increased current intervals as at least one of a current spike or a current pulse.

11. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to supply the preheating current to the welding wire via the first contact point and a second contact point of the welding torch.

12. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 11 , wherein the first contact point is positioned closer to an arc end of the welding wire than the second contact point.

13. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 11 , wherein the first contact point comprises a first contact tip and the second contact point comprises a second contact tip.

14. The consumable electrode-fed wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a wire feeder configured to feed the welding wire to the welding torch, wherein the wire feeder is configured to feed the welding wire at a constant feed rate.

15. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , where the welding system is configured to perform at least one of a gas metal arc welding process or a submerged arc welding process.

16. The consumable electrode-fed wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to control the preheating current based on a melting temperature of the welding wire.

17. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a stickout sense circuit to determine a stickout distance of the welding wire, the electrode preheating circuit to control the preheating current through the plurality of sections in the welding wire based on the stickout distance.

18. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 17 , wherein the stickout sense circuit comprises a welding current sensor to measure the welding current, the stickout sense circuit to determine the stickout distance based on the measurement of the welding current.

19. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the welding power supply is configured to control a welding parameter associated with the welding current based on the preheating current.

20. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to control a preheating parameter associated with the preheating current based on the welding current.

21. The consumable wire-fed welding system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to supply the preheating current to the welding wire via a second contact point of the welding torch and a third contact point of the welding torch.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Zwayer Jake
• Barhorst Steven
• Uecker James Lee
• Hsu Christopher
• Sigl Dennis
• Patterson Jon Michael

Classifications

• B23K9/24

  Features related to electrodes · CPC title

• B23K9/1093 Primary

  Consumable electrode or filler wire preheat circuits · CPC title