Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Alan Edward Stein

William Joshua Becker

Stephen Paul Ferkel

John Alan Luck

Nicholas James Dessart

Michael Allen Sammons

Jeffery J Gadamus

David A Werba

Justin Lawrence Paquette

Brian Randall Bellile

LeRoy H Lauer, Jr

A welding system includes a welding power source having a user interface disposed thereon and a weld controller disposed therein and being adapted to generate a welding power output for use in a welding operation. The welding system also includes a personal computer having control circuitry disposed therein and being removably interfaced with the welding power source via a docking mechanism. When the personal computer is docked within the docking mechanism, the personal computer is enabled for receiving operator input, and the control circuitry communicates with the weld controller to coordinate control of a welding operation in accordance with the operator input.

Welding systems and devices having a configurable personal computer user interface

An adapter assembly includes a coupling portion that couples to a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) wire drive assembly and receives electrical current flow from the GMAW wire drive assembly. Additionally, the adapter assembly includes a receiving portion that couples with a connector of a welding cable of a non-GMAW torch to provide the electrical current flow to the non-GMAW torch from the GMAW wire drive assembly. Further, the adapter assembly includes an insulating component that affixes around the receiving portion.

Welding process wire feeder adapter insulator

An example welding system includes: a visual acquisition system comprising an imaging device and configured to acquire a visual representation of a weld part and to convert the visual representation into data representative of weld part features; and a part recognition component comprising processing circuitry configured to: receive the digital data; identify one or more features of the weld part in response to receipt of the digital signal; compare the digital signal to stored data of a plurality of weld parts stored in a weld part database to match one or more identified features to a known weld part of the plurality of weld parts stored in the weld part database; identify weld settings stored in a weld parameter database associated with the matching known weld part of the plurality of weld parts stored in the weld part database; and send the weld settings to a welding power supply.

Workpiece-based setting of weld parameters

Various embodiments of welding systems that enable determination of suitable weld settings for a weld part are provided. In one embodiment, a welding system includes a weld part having at least one weld joint to be welded. The welding system also includes a visual acquisition system including an imaging device and being adapted to acquire a visual representation of the weld part and to convert the visual representation into a digital signal representative of the weld part features. The welding system further includes a part recognition system having processing circuitry and memory. The processing circuitry is adapted to receive the digital signal and to compare the digital signal to a database stored in the memory to identify the weld part, weld settings appropriate for welding the weld part, or both.

A cooling system connected to provide coolant to a welding-type component automatically circulates coolant through the welding component upon activation of the welding component. A controller is configured to regulate the cooling system such that upon activation of the welding-type component coolant is caused to at least flow through the welding-type component, and circulate after deactivation of the welding torch until a temperature of the coolant falls below a certain value or a specified time period has expired. The cooling system is constructed to be integrally disposed within a power source housing.

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Little Chute, WI, United States of America

Alan Edward Stein