Semi-automatic arc brazing device with feeding control device and corresponding method of brazing

[0001] The invention relates to a brazing device and a brazing method according to the preamble of the respective claims 1 and 14. Furthermore, the devices, systems and methods according to the invention relate to a method and device for semi-automatic brazing.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNIQUE himself. Most often, metal. During [0002] As is well known, brazing is a joining process that uses filler material or an alloy to connect two or more places or components from the parts to be joined are brazing process, the filler material is melted under the influence of high temperature and then separated between adjacent parts (such as a pipeline). This separation occurs as a result of the action, the filler material is drawn into the parts for brazing. After cooling, the filler material forms a bond between the joined parts.

capillary, where the gaps between [0003] Current manual brazing processes involve the use of soldering rods that are straight, fairly rigid and can be 1 to 3 feet long (equivalent to about 30 to 90 cm long). With manual soldering (namely manual soldering), the soldering rod is placed in contact with the materials to be joined, and the worker must continuously move the soldering rod around while pushing the soldering rod towards the parts to be joined. This is often difficult to do in situations or environments where space is limited. The length of soldering rods can be difficult to control in small or hard-to-reach work places. Thus, operators generally break solder rods into smaller pieces. When this is done, the rod is consumed faster, requiring frequent start and stop by the operator of brazing.

[0004] An additional problem associated with current brazing techniques is the inherent low performance when using solder rods. In particular, if the soldering operation requires more than a single soldering rod, the operator must stop soldering to connect the new replacement rod with the soldering rod currently in use. This helps to ensure that the continuous soldering process is completed. Alternatively, the operator could solder with one bar until his residue is ejected, and then start brazing with the other bar. Again, this process is inefficient and leads to delays and poor performance.

[0005] An additional problem associated with current manual soldering techniques is waste generated. Because the soldering process uses a very high temperature (very often generated by a large flame), the operator cannot hold and use the entire length of the soldering rod. For this reason, approximately 10% of the length of each soldering rod is thrown away or otherwise wasted. This is mainly due to the fact that the operator is not able to use the part of the soldering rod that he holds in his hand. In addition, if the entire usable length of the soldering rod is not used in a given operation, it is often thrown away, again causing significant waste.

[0006] Accordingly, it is desirable to solve the above issues without affecting or otherwise compromising the brazing process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The invention provides a brazing device according to claim 1 and a brazing method according to claim 14 which has been limited in the light of US 2004 / 050832A1 and JP 9206933A. Further embodiments can be inferred from the description of the claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008] The above and / or other embodiments of the invention will become clearer by describing in detail the embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Fig. 1 schematically shows an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a soldering gun in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and [0011] Fig. 3 schematically shows a user input panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS [0012] Embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the attached figures. The described embodiments are intended to help in understanding the invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Similar reference numbers refer to similar items.

[0013] Fig. 1 schematically shows an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the semi-automatic brazing device 100 includes a soldering wire feeding device 101 having a soldering wire feeding mechanism 107 (e.g., rolls or drive wheels), a controller 106, and a user input device 109. Solder wire 111 from solder wire source 103 is constantly pulled from source 103 through device 101, through mechanism 107, and exits device 101 in outlet portion 110. After solder wire 111 exits outlet portion 110, it passes through the channel (item 119 shown in Fig. 2) and passes through the soldering gun 113, where the wire 111 exits the nozzle 114 of the gun 113.

[0014] During operation, as will be described below, the operator holds the soldering gun 113 and is able to perform a semi-automatic brazing operation continuously without the need to constantly stop and change or attach the soldering rods.

[0015] Within the source 103 of the soldering wire, the soldering wire 111 is coiled or wound or otherwise provided in a single continuous section. Of course, it is believed that the source 103 does not provide an infinite length of soldering wire 111, so it must be replaced from time to time. However, the section of wire 111 for soldering inside the source 103 may be much longer than the brazing rods. Accordingly, the overall performance of the solution of the present invention relative to the prior art is enormous. For example, when using an embodiment of the present invention, the amount of wasted material is significantly reduced. By using the present invention, the vast majority of wire 111 from source 103 is consumed as needed, and the only material that remains unused is potentially the material remaining between the soldering wire feeding mechanism 107 and the gun 113 when the source 103 is depleted. Accordingly, the present invention results in almost 100% consumption of soldering wire, while the use of soldering rods results in approximately 90% consumption of wire. In addition, the time savings in the present invention significantly increase the operational efficiency of the soldering operation.

As shown, the soldering wire 111 passes from the outlet portion 110 to the soldering gun 113, exits the soldering gun 113 through the soldering gun nozzle 114, the wire 111 being directed by the operator operating the gun 113, if necessary for surgery brazing. In an embodiment of the invention, the soldering gun 113 includes a trigger device 115. The trigger device 115 is activated during operation by the operator to start and / or control the wire feed 111 for soldering. The trigger 115 is coupled to the regulator 105 within the soldering wire feeding device 101. The coupling may be via wire 117 (as shown in the drawing) or may alternatively be remote, such as through wireless communication technologies.

Therefore, when the trigger 115 is pressed by the operator, the controller 105 signals to the motor or drive mechanism (not shown) that drives the soldering wire feeding mechanism 107, and causes the mechanism 107 to feed wire 111 in the direction and through gun 113.

[0018] The controller 105 may be any known or conventionally used computer control device, such as a CPU or the like. The present invention is not limited in this regard.

[0019] In an embodiment of the invention, the soldering wire feeding device 101 includes a user input device 109. The user input device 109 may be located at any convenient location on the device 101, such as, for example, the face of the device 101 (as shown) or on top, as desired. User input device 109 can be used to allow the operator to enter various wire operating parameters

111 brazing operations. Non-limiting examples of input parameters include: (1) solder wire diameter, (2) solder wire material, (3) desired solder wire feed speed, and / or (4) whether trigger pressure is on or off (below). Of course, it is believed that there may be additional user input parameters by user input, and the present invention limited in this respect.

for soldering, or the introduced device is not described [0020] In the embodiment, the device 109 is connected to the regulator 105 and / or the feeding mechanism 107 and / or to the driving motor or mechanism (not shown in the drawing) for entering the desired input parameters. In an embodiment, the input device 109 is connected only to the controller 105, and the controller 105 ensures that the device 101 operates as desired. For example, by entering the diameter of the solder wire, the controller controls the spacing or gap in the feed mechanism 107 (e.g., the distance between rollers). By entering the type / material of the soldering wire, the regulator 105 can adjust the gap, as discussed above, and / or regulate the pressure applied by the feed mechanism 107 - based on the hardness of the soldering wire. By entering the desired feed speed, the controller 105 controls the engine / drive mechanism (not shown), which will ensure that the feed mechanism 107 operates at the desired speed when the trigger 115 is pressed by the operator. Of course, all other control and operational functions may be introduced and / or controlled from the user input device 109.

[0021]

Turning now to Fig. 2, it shows an embodiment of a soldering gun 113. A gun 119 is connected to gun 113 through which solder wire 111 and wire 117 (if present) pass. Channel 119 provides protection for soldering wire 111 and wire 117, as well as directs soldering wire 111 to gun 113. The duct 119 can be made of any flexible material, but should be durable due to the typical environment and applications where brazing occurs.

[0022] In one embodiment, the duct 119 is connected to the gun 113 via an adjustable connector 121. The adjustable connector 121 is structured to allow the gun 113 to be positioned relative to the channel 119. This increases the operational flexibility of the entire soldering operation. In another embodiment, the positionable connector 121 is rotatable 360 ​​degrees, which allows the operator to optimize the position and position of the gun 113 during brazing (for example, to reach both above and below the pipes with minimal change in position). In this embodiment, the adjustable connector 121 is a swivel connector that allows the gun 113 to rotate fully without twisting or tying the soldering wire 111 or wire 117. Such joint designs are known and will not be described in detail here.

[0023] In another embodiment, the additional adjustable connector 121 is located behind (closer to the gun nozzle 114) trigger 115. In this embodiment, the operator can change the position of the nozzle end of the gun 113 without changing the location of the trigger 115. This further supports the operator's working flexibility. Of course, it is also contemplated that embodiments of the present invention may not have the connector connecting the duct 119 and the gun 113 aligned, either at both locations, as shown in Fig. 2, or only before trigger 115, or at other likely positions.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, an embodiment of the present invention may also include a flexible portion 123 in the gun 113 near the nozzle 114. The flexible portion 123 may have any known or conventional structure to allow the nozzle 114 to flexibly or flexibly connect to the remaining part of the gun 113. For example, if the gun 113 is made of metal, the flexible part 123 may be made of rubber or similar materials. Optionally, the flexible part 123 may be made of metallic materials that allow the nozzle 114 to be positioned in addition to the rest of the gun 113. This additional flexibility provides additional positioning by the operator and can provide easier access in harsh working environments. In various embodiments of the present invention, the flexible portion 123 may be so flexible that the nozzle 114 always returns to its default position as soon as any lateral pressure on the nozzle 114 is removed, or inelastic in such a way that the nozzle 114 will remain in its position, until it is moved by the operator.

[0025] The trigger 115 may be in any known form such as a button, knob or "trigger" or the like. Fig. 2 shows the trigger as a button that is pressed during operation by the operator. When the button 115 is pressed, rotated, moved or otherwise activated, a signal is sent along the wire 117 to the controller 105, which activates the mechanism 107 for feeding the soldering wire and moves the soldering wire 111 forward at a desired or predetermined speed. In an embodiment of the invention, trigger 115 is a simple on / off switch in which, in the on position, the wire 111 is fed at a speed set using the user input 109, and in the off position the wire 111 is not moved forward. However, other embodiments are contemplated. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the trigger 115 is a multi-position switch having more than a simple on / off position. In this embodiment, trigger 115 may act as a displacement sensitive potentiometer. In such an embodiment, when the displacement of the trigger 115 is increased (by greater pressure from the operator), the signal sent to the controller changes causing the forward speed of the soldering wire 111 to be increased. Therefore, the operator can change the speed of wire 111 depending on how much the trigger is moved. It is contemplated that the increase in wire speed may have a linear or non-linear relationship with the speed of wire 111. For example, in a non-linear relationship, the more the trigger is pressed (or moved), the speed at which wire 111 is fed exponentially.

[0026] In an embodiment, when the pressure is removed from the trigger 115, it returns to the off position. However, in an alternative embodiment, trigger 115 may be a "button" type in which, when the trigger is turned on, the operator can remove pressure on trigger 115 and the power operation will continue, and when the operator wants to turn off the wire feed operator, simply triggers trigger 115 a second time.

[0027] It should be noted that the position of the trigger 115 in the gun

113 may vary in various embodiments. For example, in Fig. 2 the trigger 115 is positioned so that it can be operated by the index finger. However, it is also contemplated that trigger 115 may be located in any ergonomic position on gun 113. For example, trigger 115 may be located on top of gun 113 so that the operator's thumb can press trigger 115.

[0028] In another embodiment of the invention (and as shown in Fig. 2), the wire speed controller 125 may be located on the gun 113. In this embodiment, the operator can control the forward speed of the soldering wire 111 through the controller 125 on the gun 113. In this embodiment, the operator will not be m able to constantly walk to user input 109 on the device to control the wire speed. In such an embodiment, the controller 125 is connected to the controller 105 via a wire 117, through another wire (not shown), wirelessly or by any other conventional means. Of course, in other embodiments of the invention, there is no regulator 125.

[0029] In another embodiment, trigger 115 may be of a type that controls both wire feed speed and wire feed. For example, to enable the wire feed operation, the trigger 115 may be depressed while the wire feed speed may be adjusted by turning the trigger 115, e.g., a knob. These types of control switch are known. Thus, the user can only use a single finger and start the wire feed operation.

[0030] In a further embodiment, the wire feed speed may be controlled by means of a 'knob' type controller (not shown) which is conveniently located to allow control of the wire feed speed by the user's thumb during device operation.

[0031] As seen above, various known methods can be used to increase the benefits of the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

[0032] In another embodiment of the present invention, the soldering wire feeding device 101 includes an additional user input device 129 that is used by the operator to "set" various operating parameters that are intended for automatic repetition. The user input device 129 may be made of any known or used input device and include an LCD display or similar to displaying various system / operational information. The use of input device 129 is explained in more detail below.

[0033] During many types of brazing operations, a significant number of repetitions may occur in the brazing process. For example, very often identical connections are repeatedly soldered using substantially the same amount of soldering wire at the same time and at the same wire feed speed. Therefore, to further increase the efficiency and accuracy in the soldering process, the input device 129 allows the user to enter and store (within the controller 105 and similar or duplicate controller) various operational parameters to be repeated. As an example, the connector may require 4 inches of soldering wire to complete the operation. The operator can set the controller 105 in advance through input 129 to feed only 4 inches of wire each time trigger 115 is pressed. Therefore, the operator only needs to press trigger 115 once and the controller 105 ensures that the correct amount of wire 111 is delivered for soldering.

[0034] An embodiment of the user input 129 is shown in Fig. 3. It should be noted that this description is intended as an example only and does not limit the scope or spirit of the present invention in any way.

[0035] As shown in the present embodiment, the user input 129 includes a display panel 131, which may be of any known type, such as LCD. The display panel 131 can be used to display any operational data about the device 100, including wire feed speed, wire diameter, wire remaining on the spool 103, and any other desired parameters.

[0036] Input 129 further includes input 133 drivers,

135, 137 and 139, which can be used to pre-program or enter the wire feed speed, wire amount, wire feed time, break time, or any other desired parameter. Using these controllers, the user can pre-program for brazing operations, the desired power supply speed, the amount of wire (e.g., length), wire feed time, and / or the interval between different wire feed operations. When this data is entered, it can be displayed on the display 131 to assist in data entry. In this way, when settings are programmed, the user only needs to press trigger 115 once (or hold it - depending on the desired mode of operation) to start the pre-programmed operation. In an embodiment using the pause or duration setting, the controller 105 will wait during the desired or set pause time and then restart the programmed process. This is advantageous in a production line type situation where the delay between brazing operations is generally known.

[0037] In another embodiment, the device 129 includes memory buttons 141. The memory buttons 141 allow the user to pre-program the parameters of the brazing operation and then "store" the programmed information to set the memory area. (Note that data on pre-programmed and / or pre-programmed settings may be stored on a 105 controller or similar type of CPU processor). In this way, each memory button 141 is associated with a set of operating parameters, and the operator only needs to press the button 141 to select a specific set of parameters. In an embodiment, all or some of the parameters associated with the selected pre-programmed information are displayed on the display 131 to allow the user to confirm that this is correct information. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the device 129 is provided with means allowing the operator to "name" each of the stored settings so that the operator can easily recognize that he has made the right choice.

[0038] The implementation of various embodiments of the device 129, its input devices and displays, and their control / operation are within the skills of those of ordinary skill in the industry.

[0039] In yet another embodiment, the gun 113 includes at least some or all of the controllers discussed above in the device 129. This allows the operator to control or set various parameters from the gun 113 instead of going to the device 101. As shown in Fig. 2 and in accordance with the present invention, the gun 113 includes a memory switch 127 that allows the operator to "store" various parameters of the brazing operation.

[0040] Before carrying out the brazing operation, the operator presses the button 127. This signals the controller 105 to be ready to save relevant parameters for the next brazing operation, such as feed speed, wire amount, and / or wire feed duration. Then, the operator performs the brazing operation as desired, and when the operation is completed, the operator presses the 127 button again. This "sets" the saved data so that when the operator presses trigger 113 the stored operation is repeated.

[0041] In another alternative embodiment, the button 127 may be used to store multiple pre-programmed operations. For example, the button can be pressed in succession twice to create a second pre-programmed operation that differs from the first stored operation.

[0042]

In a further embodiment, the button 127 may allow the position user to save the memory, and in the second position parameters also allow its rotation, positioning the button in the first for the first area to save the parameters of the second operation having at least one other parameter. In this way, the operator can set various pre-programmed operations from gun 113. Of course, the present invention is not limited to two settings from gun 113, but any number of settings can be made.

[0043] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the use of one button 127 for pre-programming operations since any configuration can be used to apply this function of the present invention.

[0044] As can be seen, the overall versatility and performance of brazing is significantly increased due to the features and embodiments of the present invention.

[0045] The various embodiments discussed above allow the operator to perform semi-automatic brazing for the first time. As discussed previously, manual brazing involved the use of soldering rods that are cumbersome and inefficient. In addition, their use creates significant waste. The present invention has solved all these problems of previous manual soldering methods by making available to the operator brazing means by a semi-automatic method. The present invention significantly improves performance, reduces cost, and reduces the amount of waste compared to previous manual techniques. In addition, embodiments of the present invention allow the operator to easily solder in difficult places, whereas prior manual soldering was inefficient and difficult in such places.

[0046] Although the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to its embodiments, the invention is not limited to these embodiments. It is understood by those of ordinary skill in the industry that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Numerical references

<td colspan="4"> [0047]</td>

<td> 100</td><td>device</td><td>down</td><td>brazing</td>

<td> 101</td><td>device</td><td>down</td><td>wire feed</td>

<td> 103</td><td colspan="2">wire source</td><td>for soldering</td>

<td> 105</td><td>regulator</td><td></td><td></td>

wire feeding mechanism input device outlet part soldering wire element soldering gun nozzle trigger wire channel connector flexible part wire speed controller input device display panel input controller input controller input controller input controller memory button

Lincoln Global,

Inc.

Proxy:

EP 2 364 232 B1