JP2017109220A - Conduit cable and arc-welding system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conduit cable suitable for adjusting easiness of bending.SOLUTION: A conduit cable 300 having an electric conductor 320 for supplying power, and an insulation cylindrical body 340 enclosing the electric conductor 320, for inserting a weld wire therethrough, is provided with a hose 360 (fluid storage part) extending along a longer direction of the insulation cylindrical body 340, between the outer peripheral surface of the electric conductor 320 and the outer peripheral surface of the insulation cylindrical body 340.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a conduit cable that connects between a welding torch and a wire feeding device, and an arc welding system including the conduit cable.

  In consumable electrode type arc welding, automatic welding using a welding robot and a traveling carriage and semi-automatic welding in which an operator operates a welding torch are employed. In welding operations such as automatic welding, a welding wire is fed out from a wire feeding device, and the welding wire is guided by a conduit cable and fed to a welding torch. The conduit cable has a configuration in which a cylindrical conductor is covered with an insulating cylinder (insulating cylinder) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A coil liner is inserted inside the conductor, and the welding wire is guided by the coil liner.

  In the conduit cable, when the degree of bending increases, the feeding resistance of the welding wire increases. On the other hand, for example, by attaching a cable support so as to cover the vicinity of the connection part with the welding torch or wire feeding device, or by configuring the conduit cable or coil liner with a hard material to increase rigidity, In some cases, it is difficult to bend and the feeding resistance of the welding wire can be reduced.

  However, in a conduit cable used for semi-automatic welding, if the conduit cable is hardened or a cable support is installed with emphasis on the feeding performance of the welding wire, the handling of the conduit cable becomes worse. As a result, the operability of the welding torch deteriorates, and the burden on the operator may increase depending on the contents of the welding work.

JP 2012-6060 A

  The present invention has been conceived under such circumstances, and a main object thereof is to provide a conduit cable suitable for adjusting the ease of bending.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

  The conduit cable provided by the 1st side of the present invention is a conduit cable which has an electric conductor which supplies electric power, and an insulating cylinder surrounding this electric conductor, and lets a welding wire pass, Comprising: A fluid storage portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the insulating cylinder is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder and the outer peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder.

  In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the fluid accommodating portions are provided inside the insulating cylinder, and the fluid accommodating portions are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the insulating cylinder.

  In a preferred embodiment, the fluid containing part is constituted by a hose embedded in the insulating cylinder.

  In a preferred embodiment, the fluid accommodating portion is constituted by a gap formed between the outer peripheral surface of the conductor and the inner peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder.

  The arc welding system provided by the second aspect of the present invention is connected to the conduit cable according to the first aspect of the present invention and one end of the conduit cable, and feeds the welding wire by the driving force of the motor. A wire feeding device, a welding torch connected to the other end of the conduit cable, a fluid supply means for supplying a fluid to the fluid containing portion, and a pressure of the fluid supplied to the fluid containing portion Pressure adjusting means.

  In a preferred embodiment, pressure adjustment is performed by the pressure adjusting means in accordance with fluctuations in the current flowing through the motor.

  In a preferred embodiment, the welding torch is provided with a switch for adjusting the pressure by the pressure adjusting means.

  In a preferred embodiment, the fluid supplied by the fluid supply means is a gas.

  In a preferred embodiment, a shield gas for supplying the fluid to the welding torch is used as the fluid supplied by the fluid supply means.

  According to the present invention, the fluid storage portion is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the conductor and the outer peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder. The fluid storage portion extends along the longitudinal direction of the insulating cylinder. When a predetermined fluid pressure is applied to the fluid containing portion having the above-described configuration, the conduit cable becomes relatively hard. On the other hand, when the fluid pressure in the fluid accommodating portion is lowered, the conduit cable becomes relatively soft. As understood from the above, the conduit cable of the present invention is suitable for adjusting the ease of bending (flexibility).

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a schematic structure figure showing an example of an arc welding system concerning the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the structure of a conduit cable. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of the structure of a conduit cable. It is sectional drawing of the other site | part of the conduit cable shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the arc welding system which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an arc welding system according to the present invention. The arc welding system 100 of this embodiment includes a wire feeding device 200, a conduit cable 300, a welding torch 400, and gas cylinders 500 and 600, and is used for so-called semi-automatic welding in which an operator operates the welding torch. It is what

  The wire feeding device 200 feeds the welding wire W wound around the wire reel 210 to the welding torch 400 via the conduit cable 300. The wire feeding device 200 includes a feeding roll 220 and a pressure roll 230 facing the feeding roll 220. The feed roll 220 is rotationally driven by a motor 240. A welding wire W is sandwiched between the feed roll 220 and the pressure roll 230 in a predetermined pressure state. By driving the motor 240, the welding wire W is sent out to the conduit cable 300 side (right side in the figure).

  The conduit cable 300 guides the welding wire W delivered from the wire feeder 200 to the welding torch 400. The conduit cable 300 also serves to supply electric power and shielding gas to the welding torch 400. In the case of semi-automatic welding, the outer diameter of the conduit cable 300 is, for example, about 10 to 50 mm, and the total length of the conduit cable 300 is about 1 to 10 m.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the central axis of the conduit cable 300. As shown in the figure, the conduit cable 300 includes a central tube 310, a conductor 320, an insulating tape 330, and an insulating cylinder 340. The conductor 320 has a stranded wire structure of a number of fine metal wires. The conductor 320 has a cylindrical shape as a whole and covers the central tube 310. Electric power is supplied to the conductor 320 from a welding power source (not shown). For example, a plurality of control lines 350 are embedded in the conductor 320. These control lines 350 are electric wires for switching or controlling the welding torch 400.

  The insulating tape 330 covers the conductor 320, and is formed by, for example, winding an insulating tape material around the outer periphery of the conductor 320.

  The insulating cylinder 340 covers the insulating tape 330 and extends along the central axis of the conduit cable 300. The insulating cylinder 340 is made of, for example, synthetic rubber or synthetic resin, and a material having desired physical properties (such as elastic modulus and hardness) is selectively used.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of hoses 360 for containing fluid are embedded in the insulating cylinder 340. The hose 360 is made of, for example, synthetic rubber and has an inner space for accommodating a fluid. The hose 360 extends along the longitudinal direction of the insulating cylinder 340, and extends from the end on the wire feeder 200 side to the end on the welding torch 400 side in the conduit cable 300. Further, both ends of the hose 360 are closed. The plurality of hoses 360 are arranged substantially evenly at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the insulating cylinder 340. Although details will be described later, the gas in the gas cylinder 500 is supplied to each hose 360 as necessary. The hose 360 corresponds to the fluid storage portion referred to in the present invention.

  In this embodiment, the insulating tape 330 is interposed between the conductor 320 and the insulating cylinder 340. However, the insulating tape 330 may not be provided. When the insulating tape 330 is not provided, the insulating cylinder 340 directly covers the conductor 320.

  A coil liner 370 is inserted inside the center tube 310. The coil liner 370 guides the welding wire W delivered from the wire feeding device 200 to the welding torch 400. The coil liner 370 has a configuration in which a metal wire is wound spirally and has a substantially cylindrical shape. A welding wire W is inserted inside the coil liner 370. A space between the coil liner 370 and the central tube 310 functions as a flow path for flowing the shield gas. In the present embodiment, the shielding gas is stored in the gas cylinder 600. The shield gas is adjusted to a predetermined flow rate and pressure, and then introduced into the conduit cable 300 from the end of the conduit cable 300 on the wire feeder 200 side.

  The welding torch 400 is connected to the distal end portion of the conduit cable 300. A power feed tip (not shown) is built in the vicinity of the tip of the welding torch 400. The coil liner 370 described above extends to the power feed tip while being inserted into the welding torch 400. The welding torch 400 is provided with a switch 410 for operating a gas regulator 510 described later.

  The gas cylinder 500 stores a gas (gas) to be supplied to the hose 360 of the conduit cable 300 in a high pressure state or a liquefied state. The gas filled in the gas cylinder 500 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include air and an inert gas. The gas cylinder 500 corresponds to the fluid supply means in the present invention.

  A gas regulator 510 is provided between the gas cylinder 500 and the conduit cable 300 (hose 360). The gas in the gas cylinder 500 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by the gas regulator 510 and then supplied to each hose 360 in the conduit cable 300. The gas regulator 510 corresponds to the pressure adjusting means in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the arc welding system 100 of the present embodiment has a control unit 700 for controlling the operation of the gas regulator 510. The control unit 700 performs pressure adjustment by the gas regulator 510 in accordance with fluctuations in the current flowing through the motor 240. For example, when the current flowing through the motor 240 increases, the control unit 700 detects the fluctuation of the current, and the gas regulator 510 increases the pressure of the supply gas. Specifically, when the current flowing through the motor 240 rises above a predetermined threshold value (current value) set in advance, the pressure of the supply gas to the hose 360 is raised. On the other hand, when the current flowing through the motor 240 falls below the threshold value, the pressure of the gas supplied to the hose 360 is lowered. In addition, a multi-stage threshold (current value) is set, and when the detected current value of the motor 240 fluctuates (increases or decreases) across each threshold, the pressure of the supply gas to the hose 360 increases or decreases. You may let them.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 700 performs pressure adjustment by the gas regulator 510 according to the operation of the switch 410 in the welding torch 400. Specifically, for example, the pressure of the supply gas can be arbitrarily adjusted within a predetermined range by operating the switch 410, for example.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the conduit cable 300 of this embodiment, a hose 360 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the conductor 320 and the outer peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder 340. The hose 360 extends along the longitudinal direction of the insulating cylinder 340. When a predetermined gas pressure (fluid pressure) is applied to the hose 360 having the above configuration, the conduit cable 300 becomes relatively hard. On the other hand, when the gas pressure of the hose 360 is lowered, the conduit cable 300 becomes relatively soft. As understood from the above, the conduit cable 300 of this embodiment is suitable for adjusting the ease of bending (flexibility).

  A plurality of hoses 360 are provided inside the insulating cylinder 340. These hoses 360 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the insulating cylinder 340. According to such a configuration, when adjusting the bendability of the conduit cable 300 by changing the gas pressure of the hose 360, the bias in the circumferential direction of the conduit cable 300 can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of hoses 360 (fluid containing portions) are embedded in the insulating cylinder 340. According to such a configuration, the plurality of hoses 360 (fluid containing portions) can be disposed in the conduit cable 300 in a relatively easy and stable state.

  The arc welding system 100 of this embodiment includes a gas cylinder 500 for supplying gas (fluid) to the hose 360 and a gas regulator 510 for adjusting the pressure of the gas supplied to the hose 360. According to such a configuration, the flexibility of the conduit cable 300 can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the gas pressure supplied from the gas cylinder 500 to the hose 360 in the conduit cable 300.

  Depending on the content of the welding operation, the degree of bending of the conduit cable 300 increases, and the feeding resistance of the welding wire W increases. If it does so, about the motor 240 which provides the feeding force to the welding wire W, the electric current which flows into the said motor 240 will rise. In the present embodiment, when the current flowing through the motor 240 varies as described above, the gas regulator 510 adjusts the pressure of the gas supplied to the hose 360 according to the variation. When the current flowing through the motor 240 increases as described above, the pressure of the gas supplied to the hose 360 is increased. Thereby, the conduit cable 300 becomes relatively hard, and the conduit cable 300 is difficult to bend. As a result, the feeding performance of the welding wire W is improved.

  The welding torch 400 is provided with a switch 410 that adjusts the pressure of the gas supplied to the hose 360 by the gas regulator 510. According to such a configuration, the operator can arbitrarily adjust the hardness of the conduit cable 300 as necessary, and the welding work can be performed with the cable hardness corresponding to various welding postures.

  3 and 4 show other examples of the conduit cable according to the present invention. In FIG. 3 and subsequent figures, elements that are the same as or similar to those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  The conduit cable 300 according to this embodiment includes a gas storage unit 380 instead of the hose 360 according to the above embodiment. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter dimension of the insulating cylinder 340 is obviously larger than the outer diameter dimension of the insulating tape 330 (conductor 320). A gap between the outer peripheral surface of the insulating tape 330 (conductor 320) and the inner peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder 340 serves as a gas storage portion 380. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, a spacer 390 is provided at an appropriate position in the axial direction of the conduit cable 300. The spacer 390 is a cylindrical member that is inserted between the insulating tape 330 and the insulating cylinder 340 (the gas storage unit 380), and has a groove 391 for allowing gas to pass therethrough. Thereby, the gas accommodating part 380 is formed as a cylindrical space with almost no deviation in the circumferential direction of the conduit cable 300.

  When a predetermined gas pressure (fluid pressure) is applied to the gas storage unit 380, the conduit cable 300 becomes relatively hard. On the other hand, when the gas pressure in the gas storage unit 380 is lowered, the conduit cable 300 becomes relatively soft. Therefore, the conduit cable 300 according to this embodiment including the gas storage unit 380 is suitable for adjusting the ease of bending (flexibility).

  In addition, the gas storage portion 380 is formed by a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the insulating tape 330 (conductor 320) and the inner peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder 340. Therefore, formation of the gas accommodating part 380 is easy.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another example of the arc welding system according to the present invention. The arc welding system 110 of this embodiment is configured to supply a shielding gas to each hose 360 (not shown) in the conduit cable 300. In this embodiment, unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the gas cylinder 600 is not provided, and the gas cylinder 500 is filled with a shielding gas. An additional gas regulator 520 is provided between the gas cylinder 500 and the conduit cable 300. The gas regulator 520 is provided in a flow path branched from the flow path connecting the gas regulator 510 and the gas cylinder 500. The shield gas in the gas cylinder 500 is adjusted to a predetermined flow rate and pressure by the gas regulator 520, introduced into the conduit cable 300, and supplied to the welding torch 400. On the other hand, the shield gas in the gas cylinder 500 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by the gas regulator 510 and then supplied to each hose 360 in the conduit cable 300.

  According to the present embodiment, shield gas can be used as the gas to be supplied to each hose 360 (fluid containing part), so there is no need to provide a separate gas supply source. Therefore, the overall configuration of the arc welding system 110 can be avoided from becoming complicated.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all modifications within the scope of the matters described in the claims are all within the scope of the present invention. Is included.

  In the said embodiment, although the case where gas was used as a fluid supplied to a fluid accommodating part was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to this. A liquid such as water may be used as the fluid stored in the fluid storage unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,110 Arc welding system 200 Wire feeding apparatus 210 Wire reel 220 Feeding roll 230 Pressurizing roll 240 Motor 300 Conduit cable 310 Center pipe 320 Conductor 330 Insulating tape 340 Insulating cylinder 350 Control line 360 Hose (fluid storage part)
370 Coil liner 380 Gas storage part (fluid storage part)
390 Spacer 391 Groove 400 Welding torch 410 Switch 500 Gas cylinder (fluid supply means)
510 Gas regulator (pressure adjusting means)
520 Gas regulator 600 Gas cylinder 700 Control unit W Welding wire

Claims (9)

A conduit cable having a conductor for supplying electric power and an insulating cylinder surrounding the conductor, and through which a welding wire is inserted,
A conduit cable in which a fluid accommodating portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the insulating cylinder is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the conductor and the outer peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder.   2. The conduit cable according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the fluid storage portions are provided inside the insulating cylinder, and the fluid storage portions are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the insulating cylinder.   The conduit cable according to claim 2, wherein the fluid storage portion is configured by a hose embedded in the insulating cylindrical body.   The conduit cable according to claim 1, wherein the fluid accommodating portion is configured by a gap formed between an outer peripheral surface of the conductor and an inner peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder. The conduit cable according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A wire feeding device connected to one end of the conduit cable and feeding a welding wire by a driving force of a motor;
A welding torch connected to the other end of the conduit cable;
Fluid supply means for supplying a fluid to the fluid containing portion;
An arc welding system comprising: a pressure adjusting means for adjusting a pressure of a fluid supplied to the fluid containing portion.   The arc welding system according to claim 5, wherein pressure adjustment is performed by the pressure adjusting means in accordance with fluctuations in a current flowing through the motor.   The arc welding system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the welding torch is provided with a switch for adjusting pressure by the pressure adjusting means.   The arc welding system according to claim 5, wherein the fluid supplied by the fluid supply means is a gas.   The arc welding system according to claim 8, wherein a shielding gas for supplying the fluid to the welding torch is used as the fluid supplied by the fluid supply means.

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