System and method for true electrode speed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9962785-B2
Application number	US-201414516816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2014
Priority date	Dec 12, 2013
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

The invention described herein generally pertains to a system and method related to detecting a change in height during a welding operation and adjusting one or more welding parameters based on such detected change in height. In particular, a change in a height can be related to two or more revolutions on the workpiece in which the change is due to material being deposited onto the workpiece from the welding operation. Since the material deposited onto the workpiece changes the height of the electrode to the workpiece, one or more welding parameters can be adjusted for compensation. Specifically, an electrode speed can be adjusted to compensate for a change in the height, wherein the electrode speed is a rate that the electrode moves adjacent to the workpiece.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A welder system, comprising:
a welding torch detachably coupled to a track affixed adjacently to a workpiece, wherein the welding torch includes an electrode to perform a welding operation to deposit a layer of material onto the workpiece and the welding operation is on an inner diameter of the workpiece or an outer diameter of the workpiece;
a power source that creates an arc between the electrode and the workpiece;
a depth component that detects a height from the electrode to the workpiece;
a welding torch position component that actuates the welding torch at a first track speed relative to the track and at a first workpiece speed relative to a welding zone on the workpiece;
a wire guide that guides a welding wire toward the welding zone on the workpiece;
a wire guide position component that adjusts a position of the wire guide relative to the workpiece; and
a controller component that calculates, from a change in the height due to a diameter change of the layer of material deposited onto the workpiece, a second track speed relative to the track and different from the first track speed and that maintains the welding torch at the first workpiece speed relative to the welding zone, and wherein the welding torch position component further actuates the welding torch at the second track speed, wherein the controller controls the wire guide position component to adjust a position of the wire guide based on the change in the height from the electrode to the workpiece.

2. The welder system of claim 1 , the welding torch performs the welding operation with two or more deposits of material onto the workpiece.

3. The welder system of claim 1 , further comprising an input component that receives a selection to display the second track speed or the first track speed.

4. The welder system of claim 1 , further comprising a display component that renders a portion of a graphic related to the first track speed and the second track speed.

5. The welder system of claim 1 , further comprising the controller further configured to adjust a welding parameter of the welding operation based on the change in the height.

6. The welder system of claim 2 , wherein each of the two or more deposits of material correspond to a respective revolution around the workpiece.

7. The welder system of claim 4 , wherein the portion of the graphic includes at least one of a text, a number, a letter, a symbol, or a displayed pixel.

8. The welder system of claim 5 , wherein the welding parameter is at least one of an arc voltage, a wire feed speed, a welding torch height relative to the workpiece, an arc current level, an oscillation rate of the electrode, an oscillation width of the electrode, a temperature of welding wire, a temperature of the electrode, a polarity of a current of the arc, a polarity of a current of welding wire, a physical location of the workpiece, or a physical location of the welding torch.

9. The welder system of claim 6 , wherein the two or more deposits of material are a welding sequence for the workpiece.

10. The welder system of claim 5 , further comprising:
the second track speed is less than the first track speed for the welding operation that is an outer diameter welding operation; and
the second track speed is greater than the first speed for the welding operation that is an inner diameter welding operation.

11. The welder system of claim 9 , wherein the welding sequence includes at least one of the following:
at least one root weld;
at least one fill weld; or
at least one cap weld.

12. A welder system, comprising:
an orbital welder having a chassis supported adjacent to a workpiece;
a welding torch coupled to the chassis that includes an electrode;
a power source that creates an arc between the electrode and the workpiece;
a wire feeder that is connected to a supply of welding wire to provide a welding wire to a puddle formed by the electrode;
means for receiving a user input that selects an inner diameter welding operation or an outer diameter welding operation as a selected welding operation;
means for moving the welding torch on a track coupled to the chassis at a first track speed relative to the track and at an electrode speed relative to a welding zone on the workpiece;
means for detecting a change of a height of the electrode from the workpiece during the selected welding operation, wherein the change of the height is due to a diameter change of a layer of material deposited onto the workpiece during welding;
means for guiding a welding wire toward the welding zone on the workpiece;
means for calculating, from the change in the height due to the diameter change of the layer of material deposited onto the workpiece, a second track speed relative to the track and different from the first track speed and that maintains the welding torch at the electrode speed relative to the welding zone, wherein the calculating is further based on the user input;
means for adjusting a position of the means for guiding the welding wire relative to the workpiece based on the change of the height from the electrode to the workpiece; and
means for displaying at least one of the first track speed, the second track speed, and the electrode speed during the selected welding operation.

Assignees

• Lincoln Global Inc

Inventors

• Cole Stephen R

Classifications

• B23K9/0008

  Welding without shielding means against the influence of the surrounding atmosphere · CPC title

• B23K37/0217

  the guide member being fixed to the workpiece · CPC title

• B23K9/0735

  Stabilising of the arc length · CPC title

• B23K9/0286

  with an electrode moving around the fixed tube during the welding operation · CPC title

• B23K9/122

  Devices for guiding electrodes, e.g. guide tubes · CPC title