Illinois Tool Works Inc.

The Miller Group, Ltd.

Miller Electric Manufacturing Company

Warren Edward Herwig

Leon Blank

Albert Matthew Nowak

Thomas G Yunk

Andre Lanouette

John Vollrath

Nicholas James Dessart

Jon O Reynolds

Brian Schwartz

Mark Andrew Ulrich

Michael Allen Sammons

Ryan Jerome Lindeman

Bryan Shupita

Andr&eacute; Lanouette

This disclosure relates generally to removing wire insulation. In an embodiment, a system for heating and removal of wire insulation includes a power supply configured to receive input power and to provide a high frequency power output to an induction coil. The induction coil is to be coupled to the power supply and dimensioned to receive an insulated wire therethrough. The induction coil is also to produce a field based upon the high frequency power output to heat the wire by induction and to condition insulation disposed on an outer surface of the wire for removal.

Induction heating wire insulation heating and removal

A method and apparatus for welding that includes a power source and a wire feeder is disclosed. One or more sensors sense one or more welding conditions before the weld is initiated. A set up circuit is coupled to sensor, the power source, and the wire feeder. The set up circuit automatically sets up the welding machine in response to what the sensor senses. The sensor may be a wire sensor, including a diameter sensor and a material sensor, a gas sensor (if a source of gas is included) such as a cyclic voltametry gas microsensor, a workpiece thickness sensor such as a strain gauge or displacement sensor. Alternatively the sensor includes a bar code reader that reads a code on, for example, the spool of wire, an analog proximity detector, a plurality of proximity detectors, and a displacement sensor.

Welding machine with automatic parameter setting

An apparatus to sense an SCR short circuit failure and prevent overheating of solid-state power supply equipment, such as a welder, during an occurrence of the short circuit failure is provided. The apparatus includes a detector circuit capable of sensing a short circuit of an SCR in the power supply equipment. The detector circuit senses each voltage of a poly-phase input and generates a fault signal upon substantially simultaneous detection of a zero-cross voltage condition for each phase of the poly-phase input. A control circuit is configured to receive the fault signal of the detector circuit and generate an output to prevent fault current flow through to power supply equipment.

Apparatus to sense a silicon controlled rectifier short circuit

A welding machine with a wire feeder and a controller is disclosed. The wire feeder includes a wire feed motor with a motor speed input. The controller is coupled to the motor speed control input. A user selectable wire feed speed input is also connected to the controller. The controller has an input circuit coupled with a non-linear stage such that the relationship between the user selectable wire feed speed input and the actual wire feed speed is not linear. The selectable input may be a potentiometer mounted on a front panel as the user selectable wire feed speed input. The non-linearity may be continuous or two discrete gains.

Wire feeder with non-linear speed control

An apparatus and method is disclosed for series inductance-reactance control of a transformer in a welder. The transformer includes a transformer core configured to conduct magnetic flux and at least one primary winding connected to a voltage source that excites the primary windings. Secondary windings, configured to generate secondary voltages and currents for welding, are wound about each of the primary windings and are magnetically coupled to the magnetic flux in the transformer core. The transformer also includes a control core magnetically coupled with a secondary winding, wherein the control core has an inductive reactance in response to the flow of secondary current from the secondary winding. The secondary current is adjustable by varying an air gap between core sections of the control core. A crank mechanism configured to move one of the core sections with respect to the other and vary the distance of the air gap.

Method and apparatus for control of a welding power source

A transformer and method of making a transformer is disclosed. The transformer has a magnetic core, a first winding and a second winding. The first and second windings are wound about the core, and an insulating jacket, which includes a plurality of protrusion, mounted about the core. One of the first and second windings is wound about the insulating jacket. The core is preferably a toroid core in one embodiment. Some of the anchors are on the inner diameter of the insulating jacket, and other on the outer diameter of the insulating jacket. The anchors are preferably spaced at equal circumferential positions. The windings are a progressive windings, with various sections, and each section has a number of layers. Each progressive section is anchored by at least two of the anchors. The first and second windings are wound directly on the core insulation, and the insulating jacket is mounted directly on the core. The windings are separated by protrusions having sufficient size to provide electrical clearance and reduce electrical creepage.

Insulating toroid cores and windings

A method and apparatus for initiating arc spraying is disclosed. The invention includes feeding the wires to an arc at a predetermined rate, for a predetermined length of time. Thereafter the wires are fed at a rate which is controlled in response to the current magnitude. The arc is also monitored and the condition of the arc--whether there is a shortage or outage--is indicated to the user.

Method and apparatus for initiating electric arc spraying

A method and apparatus for arc spraying a pair of wires is disclosed. The invention includes feeding the wires to an arc at a controllable rate, where the rate is controlled in response to the current magnitude, or some other parameter of the arc. The arc is also monitored and the condition of the arc--whether there is a wire shortage or arc outage--is indicated to the user.

Method and apparatus for controlling an electric arc spraying process

A weld current switch includes a channel-shaped core, a shunt, and a magnetic reed switch. The magnetic reed switch and shunt are placed across the core poles. An electrical conductor carrying high current passes through the core. Upon deenergization of the electrical current, a residual magnetism remains in the core. The residual magnetism is normally high enough to prevent the magnetic reed switch from opening. However, the shunt directs sufficient magnetic flux from the switch such that the switch senses a much lower level of magnetic flux than if the shunt were not present. As a result, the switch opens, even with the high residual flux in the core. The increased reliability of the switch upon decreasing current at electrical conductor deenergization enables the weld current switch to use a higher sensitivity switch than was formerly possible. The higher sensitivity switch reduces the level of magnetic flux at which the reed switch will close on increasing current upon energization of the electrical conductor.

Growing community of inventors

Oshkosh, WI, United States of America

Warren Edward Herwig