Open shipyard wire feeder

Details Open shipyard wire feeder Open shipyard wire feeder

2002-04-04

2004-03-16

Mansen, Michael R. (Department: 3654)

Winding, tensioning, or guiding

Unwinding

Mobile unwinding station

C242S564400, C242S599000, C242S598100, C218S137000, C218S137000, C280S043110, C280S047160, C280S047190, C280S047200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06705563

ABSTRACT:

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The present invention relates to supplying a consumable welding wire electrode to the welding gun used in a welding operation wherein the location of the welding operation does not remain constant. This can include welding operations at job sites which change day to day or welding operations covering large areas at a single job site. Portable wire feeders are known in the art and are generally shown in Bellefleur U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,300; Rybicki U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,375; Kroll U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,954; Chandler U.S. Pat. No. 6,225,596; Miller U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,126 and Grimm U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,539. These patent are incorporated by reference herein as background information illustrating portable wire feeders.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is particularly applicable for use in connection with shipyard welding and, therefore, the invention will be shown and described with particular reference thereto. However, the invention has much broader application in that it can be used as a portable wire feeder for many applications involving different types of job sites and welding operations.
It is, of course, well known that wire can be used as an effective welding consumable. Welding wire forms a part of the welding electrode and contributes to the weld pool as filler material. Therefore, the wire feeder needs to supply the welding operation with the welding wire in a consistent and controllable manner. Furthermore, in order to maximize the benefits of utilizing welding wire, the wire must be accurately directed to the weld point of the welding operation at a controlled rate.
The portable wire feeder must supply the welding operation with the welding wire in a consistent and controllable manner like a standard stationary wire feeder even though it must be capable of repeated movement and use in connection with a wide range of work environments, many of which can be severe. Therefore, the portable wire feeder must not only provide accurate and continuous wire control, it must have additional characteristics not found in stationary wire feeders that are used in controlled environments such as a work shop or factory floor. One such characteristic is that the portable wire feeder must be compact and light weight. Since the portable wire feeder is repeatedly moved, it is advantageous for the portable wire feeder to be lightweight. Furthermore, since on site jobs require the user to haul their tools in a fixed and many times limited space, a compact size is advantageous.
The portable wire feeder must be rugged. While the traditional wire feeder is typically used in one location over a long period of time, the portable wire feeder is constantly moved and subjected to many adverse conditions. Merely moving the portable wire feeder subjects it to impact forces by the underlying surface when it is placed on the surface and when it is transported in a work vehicle. Furthermore, each time the portable wire feeder is moved, there is a risk that the feeder will be dropped or impacted by other objects. Finally, the portable wire feeder is often used in harsh work environments.
The portable wire feeder must be easy to use even when the user is wearing protective gear. The user of a welder typically wears, among other protective gear, gloves and face/eye protection. Therefore the portable wire feeder should be easy to grasp and manipulate even with protective gloves. This includes the ability to easily manipulate the portable feeder over uncertain terrain often associated with many job sites and easily load the feeder onto a work vehicle. Furthermore, due to the uncertainty relating to the underlying surfaces, the portable wire feeder must be stable over a wide range of surfaces. This is especially important since the portable wire feeder is often pulled across the underlying surface by its wire guide tube. The controls must also be easily accessible and controllable by the user wearing protective gear and must be rugged.
The supply of welding wire needs to be easily replaceable under a wide range of conditions and protected against the elements of a harsh work environment. These characteristics often conflict. In this respect, providing protection for the welding wire typically involves a barrier between the wire and the environment. This can prevent easy accessability to and replacement of the welding wire. It is also advantageous to utilize a standard spool of welding wire in order to reduce cost and simplify wire replacement. This can increase the size of the portable wire feeder. Furthermore, providing easy access to an internal wire spool compartment can weaken the overall rigidity of the portable wire feeder.
Prior art wire feeders and portable wire feeders do not include these characteristics. In this respect, referring to the Chandler patent, a portable welding unit is disclosed which includes a wire feeder. While Chandler's device is compact, it does not provide protection for all of the components of the wire feeder. As a result, these components can be damaged during use or during the transportation of the feeder to and from the job site. Furthermore, the Chandler device is not easily stored or manipulated over non-flat underlying surfaces due to its narrow base design. The wire feeder disclosed in Bellefleur also is compact. However, Bellefleur's wire feeder is not easily transportable and it does not provide protection for the controls. Bellefleur also fails to disclose a rigid frame to prevent impact damage. The Miller patent discloses a portable wire feeder which also fails to provide protection for the controls. In fact, the Miller controls are on an outside edge without protection. Furthermore, Miller's feeder does not include any means for easy movement or manipulation. Another disadvantage associated with the Miller device is that access to the wire supply is restricted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, provided is a portable wire feeder is provided for use in connection with shipyard welding operations which includes a frame structure that supports the portable wire feeder on a wide variety of underlying surfaces and protects the internal components from impact while allowing easy access to the internal components, and easy transportation and use of the portable wire feeder. In this respect, a portable wire feeder in accordance with the present invention includes a lightweight yet rigid outer frame structure that is configured for stability. The outer frame further includes accessible grasp points and selectively engageable covers for protecting the internal components while providing easy access thereto.
The outer frame of a wire feeder according to the present invention defines a rigid outer perimeter. The frame includes a non-parallel base rail structure wherein the base rails are spaced apart and extend away from one another near the rearward end of the frame such that the base is widest at its rearward end. Since the rearward end is also the heaviest portion of the portable wire feeder, the weight of the feeder is concentrated over the widest portion making the structure more stable. Furthermore, this configuration also minimizes tipping when the feeder is on uneven surfaces or when it's pulled by the wire guide tube that extends out its forward end. The frame further includes sides which extend upwardly and toward one another. This configuration lowers the center of gravity which further increases the stability of the portable wire feeder. In addition, the frame includes front and back portions that protect the internal components and which include access openings for certain internal components. The frame further includes handles for moving and transporting the portable wire feeder with either one or two hands.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the portable wire feeder includes multiple covers for selectively covering the control box and the wire spool. Both covers are configured to be easily opened and closed even with a gloved hand. Furthermore, th

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