Quick positioning orbital welding device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9586294-B2
Application number	US-201414778184-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2014
Priority date	Mar 26, 2013
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

Orbital welding device including a body, a welding head carried by one end of the body, and a device for holding the body on a tubular element to be welded, including: cantilever portions of the end of the body, which project in an overhanging manner transversely to a rotation axis of the welding head and beyond the rotation axis; a plurality of through holes formed through the cantilever portions transversally to these portions and to the rotation axis, positioned axially to the side of the welding head; a plurality of pneumatic devices accommodated in the through holes so that each device can selectively extract and lock in an extracted position toward the rotation axis a respective pin adapted to interact with the element to be welded; a pair of manifolds fixed in a laterally removable manner on the outside of the cantilever portions and in hydraulic communication with the through holes and compressed air supply conduits connected to a control box provided with an electrovalve controlled by a manually operated switch.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Orbital welding device comprising an internally hollow body, an orbital welding head carried by the hollow body at a first end thereof, and a holding and centering device adapted in use to hold the body and to center the head on a tubular element to be welded; wherein the holding and centering device comprises: a first and a second cantilever portion of the first end of the hollow body, opposite to each other, which project in an overhanging manner from the hollow body transversally to a rotation axis of the welding head and beyond the rotation axis and which delimit therebetween and at the welding head a concave seat adapted to receive in use a tubular element to be welded arranged coaxially to the welding head; and gripping means carried in reciprocally facing positions by corresponding stretches of the first and second cantilever portions, which stretches project from the side opposite to the hollow body beyond the rotation axis of the welding head, so that the gripping means are adapted to cooperate in use with a tubular element to be welded in diametrically opposite positions with respect to said concave seat; characterized in that the gripping means comprise: a plurality of through perforations obtained through the first and second cantilever portions transversally to the rotation axis of the welding head and at said stretches of the cantilever portions which project on the opposite side with respect to the hollow body, beyond the rotation axis of the welding head; and, for each through perforation, a pneumatic device accommodated in the perforation and comprising a pin selectively extractable from, and retractable into, the perforation on the side of said rotation axis of the welding head, the pin being adapted in use to cooperate at least partially in abutment against a tubular element to be welded; in combination, the holding and centering device further comprising: at least one pair of manifolds carried by the first and second cantilever portions so as to be in hydraulic communication with the interior of said through perforations for feeding the pneumatic devices, which are fluid-tightly accommodated in the through perforations; respective conduits for feeding a fluid under pressure to the manifolds, which are at least partially integrally carried by the hollow body outside and/or inside the same; and a control box separate from the hollow body and provided with an electrovalve controlled by a first manually operated switch and adapted to selectively feed pressurized fluid to the manifolds, through said conduits, for extracting the pins and locking them in extracted position.

2. A device according to claim 1 , wherein said manifolds are defined by internally hollow, profiled elements which extends lengthwise parallel to the rotation axis of the welding head and which are removably fixed laterally on the exterior of the cantilever portions, on opposite side with respect to the welding head, so as to cover respective first ends of the through perforations opposite to the welding head, for fluid-tightly closing said through perforations on the side opposite to the welding head; said conduits being fluid-tightly connected to the manifolds on the side of respective first axial ends of the profiled elements.

3. A device according to claim 2 , wherein the hollow body is L-shaped, the first end of the hollow body being defined by a first wing of the L arranged parallel to the rotation axis of the welding head; the first axial ends of the profiled elements defining the manifolds being facing a second wing of the L, opposite to the first one and arranged perpendicular to the rotation axis of the welding head.

4. A device according to claim 1 , wherein said first manually operated switch is integrally carried by the hollow body along with a first and a second signaling LED and a second manually operated switch; said hollow body being flexibly connected to said control box through said conduits and at least one respective electric cable.

5. A device according to claim 1 , wherein said electrovalve is accommodated within the control box along with a pressure regulator and with at least one electric control element; the pressure regulator being hydraulically connected to the electrovalve, between the latter and a first outer connection of the control box, through which first outer connection the pressure regulator is connectable in use to a pressurized fluid source; the electrovalve being connected to the electric control element and to a second outer connection of the control box hydraulically connected to said conduits; and the electric control element being connected to a third outer connection of the control box.

6. A device according to claim 5 , wherein the second and the third outer connections of the control box are connected to the hollow body through a flexible pipe which ends with a Y-joint in turn connected to said conduits and to an electric cable, respectively, which electric cable is electrically connected to said first manually operated switch.

7. A device according to claim 6 , wherein it is apt to be connected with a CPU and with an electrical power source connected to said first manually operated switch, which is adapted, when it is operated, to firstly control the opening of the electrovalve up to obtaining the locking of the pins in extracted position, then the operation of a first LED integrally carried by the hollow body; a second manually operated switch integrally carried by the hollow body and connected with the electrical power source being adapted to control the operation of the welding head and then the operation of a second LED, up to completing a programmed welding cycle; the first switch being further adapted, upon a second operation thereof, to control the closing of the electrovalve with consequent unlock of the pins and their return to a retracted position into the perforations.

8. A device according to claim 7 , wherein the second switch is adapted, when it is operated, to start the programmed welding cycle and to switch on a second signaling LED, which switches off at the end of the welding cycle.

9. A device according to claim 1 , wherein said concave seat adapted to receive in use a tubular element to be welded is defined by a pair of half-shells removably accommodated between said opposite cantilever portions of the first end of the hollow body and at said gripping means, which are defined by two pairs of said pneumatic devices, which are arranged opposite and, in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the welding head, on the side of the welding head.

10. A device according to claim 1 , wherein it comprises a scissor-like mobile shield carried by the hollow body and adapted to create a closed chamber around the tubular element to be welded to form, in the vicinity of a junction to be welded, an inert atmosphere zone necessary to protect the welded joint during the whole welding operation.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Emiliano Rubini
• Massimiliano Raimondo

Classifications

• B23K37/0258

  Electric supply or control circuits therefor · CPC title

• B23K37/0533

  External pipe alignment clamps · CPC title

• B23K37/0276 Primary

  for working on or in tubes (B23K37/0211 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23K9/0282

  for welding tube sections · CPC title