A welding tool comprises a main body; a handle attached to the main body to be held by a welder; an electrode attached to the main body; an adjusting device for moving the consumable electrode forward/backward with respect to the main body; a control unit is connected to the adjusting device and is configured to act on the adjusting device for maintaining a substantially constant distance between the electrode and a weld area.

A welding-type system includes a power supply configured to control preheating of an electrode wire. A controller is configured to receive a plurality of power values corresponding to a power output of the power supply and calculate an arc power value corresponding to an arc condition at the preheated electrode wire based on a rate of change of the plurality of power values. A target power output value is determined based on the calculated arc power value, and the power output is adjusted based on the determined target power value.

Embodiments of a high speed laser hot wire spraying system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a laser subsystem includes a laser power oscillator and a laser focusing device to generate a laser beam directed toward a substrate. The laser focusing device includes a high velocity coaxial gas nozzle to direct, coaxially with the laser beam, a stream of inert gas toward the substrate. A hot wire subsystem includes a power supply and a wire feeding device to feed a consumable metal wire toward the laser beam while resistively pre-heating a distal portion of the consumable metal wire. The laser beam provides energy to liquefy the distal portion of the consumable metal wire upon intersecting the laser beam. The stream of inert gas has a velocity to cause the distal portion of the consumable metal wire to be sprayed as liquefied particles onto a surface of the substrate.

A consumable filler metal delivery system includes a reciprocating wire feeding gear assembly configured to move a wire forward and backward with a net forward motion and a motor configured to drive the reciprocating wire feeding gear assembly, wherein the motor is configured to rotate only in one direction during operation of the consumable filler metal delivery system.

A method of manufacturing a metallic part in a weldable material by solid freeform fabrication unrestricted in size and open to the ambient atmosphere. The method comprises generating a computer-generated, three dimensional model of the part, slicing the computer-generated three dimensional model into a set of computer-generated, parallel, sliced layers and then dividing each layer into a set of computer-generated, virtual, one-dimensional pieces and, with reference to layered weld-bead geometry data, forming a computer-generated, direction specific, layered model of the part. The method also comprises uploading the direction specific, layered model of the part into a welding control system able to control the position and activation relative to a support substrate, of an electric arc delivered by a high energy tungsten arc welding torch, a plasma transferred arc welding torch, and/or a gas metal arc welding torch, and a system for feeding a consumable wire placed in an open area build space relevant to the substrate unrestricted in size and open to the ambient atmosphere. The method also comprises directing the welding control system to deposit a sequence of one-dimensional weld beads of the weldable material onto the supporting substrate in a pattern required to form a first layer of the computer-generated, direction specific, layered model of the part, and depositing a second welded layer by sequencing one-dimensional weld beads of the weldable material onto the previous deposited layer in a configuration the same as the second layer of the computer-generated direction specific layered model of the part, and repeating each successive weld bead layer of the computer-generated, direction specific, layered model of the part until the entire part is completed. The method further includes one or both of displacing the atmosphere within the immediate vicinity of the heat source with an inert gas atmosphere which produces a required flow rate, and in which that inert atmosphere contains a maximum oxygen concentration, wherein the inert gas is delivered by an apparatus through a matrix of individual gas diffusers and/or a filter; and engaging an induction heating and closed loop cooling apparatus synergic to a welding control system and pre-heating the substrate material including the deposited weld beads, relevant to the type of weldable material, wherein induction heating and cooling cycles are applied constantly or pulsed from the first layer to the final layer, where optimal heating and/or cooling cycles of the weldable material are relative to the final desired part shape and microstructure.

A base material is welded by a first welding method in a case where a welding parameter related to heat input to the base material is less than a first threshold value. The base material is welded by a second welding method in a case where the welding parameter is less than a second threshold value and is more than the first threshold value. The base material is welded by a third welding method in a case where the welding parameter is more than the second threshold value. By adjusting welding conditions regardless of the thickness of the base material, a welding method suitable for the thickness of the base material is determined to provide a welding with little spatter and no meltdown of the base material.

Disclosed are apparatus and systems to determine voltage measurements in welding-type applications to facilitate control of welding-type processes. Disclosed systems include a remote operations interface configured to facilitate voltage measurements in welding-type applications and facilitate communication between a welding-type power supply and a wire feeder.

A system and method of welding or additive manufacturing is provided where at least two welding electrodes are provided to and passed through a two separate orifices on a single contact tip and a welding waveform is provided to the electrodes through the contact tip to weld simultaneously with both electrodes, where a bridge droplet is formed between the electrodes and then transferred to the puddle.

A contact device for feeding current to one or more welding wires in a welding apparatus includes a split tip nozzle having first and second diametrically opposed slots formed therein and a biasing means for supplying an adjustable biasing force to first and second split tips to bias the first and second split tips together to ensure that a desired contact between the split tip nozzle and the one or more welding wires is maintained throughout the lifecycle of the nozzle. The biasing force may be applied by any means including, for example, a compression ring, interaction of tapered surfaces between the tube and the split tip nozzle, a compression or cylinder spring pre-mounted on the first and second split tips, a tensioning screw, etc.

An example wire feeder includes: a frame; a receptacle configured to transfer welding-type current to a welding torch via a torch connector, and to position the torch connector to receive a wire electrode; one or more drive rolls configured to drive the wire electrode to the welding torch, the one or more drive rolls being electrically insulated from the frame, and wherein the wire electrode is electrically insulated from the frame; and a sensor configured to determine at least one of a voltage or an impedance between a first point electrically coupled to the wire electrode and a reference point.