In order to easily regulate the supply of welding wire to the welding point during a welding process, the electrical potential produced by the welding current around the electrode is tapped with the welding wire and the control of the welding wire feed speed is carried out on the basis of the tapped potential and this control results in an average welding wire feed speed being established.

Method for scanning a workpiece surface (2A) of a metal workpiece (2), in which a blowtorch (3) having a welding wire electrode (4) is moved relative to the workpiece surface (2A) to determine scanning values and a wire end (4A) of the welding wire electrode (4) is repeatedly moved towards the workpiece surface (2A), in each case until contact with the metal workpiece (2) at a scanning position (P) on the workpiece surface (2A) of the metal workpiece (2) is detected, and the wire end (4A) of the welding wire electrode (4) is subsequently moved back, the blowtorch (3) detecting scanning values (d) at scanning positions (P), at least in some cases multiple times, to determine scanning measurement errors.

The present disclosure relates to aluminum production, more particularly, to a method of breaking an electrolyte crust in reduction cells of all types. According to a disclosed method for breaking electrolyte crust by means of separation cutting in a reduction cell for production of aluminum, the crust is cut and broken by means of the thermal melting of a crust material with a high-speed high-temperature concentrated flow of thermal plasma jet heat energy, for which a directed thermal plasma jet is generated and moved above the electrolyte crust along a predetermined path, a formed molten material is continuously removed from a zone of the thermal plasma jet impact to create in the electrolyte crust a slit with the thermal plasma jet, wherein the slit is enough for of crust continuous separation cutting and breaking. The technical effect in the addressing the mentioned object, reduction of the amount of broken electrolyte crust, avoiding the formation of electrolyte crust pieces during the breakage process and, consequently, reduction of power consumption for heating-up the covering material consisting of a mixture of alumina and crushed electrolyte used to form an electrolyte crust.

Methods and apparatus for a material cutting system are provided. The system has a table for receiving a work piece. A cutting head cuts the work piece on the table and includes a positioning apparatus. The positioning apparatus moves the cutting head relative to the work piece at an angle relative to a planar surface of the work piece. The material cutting system also includes a computerized numeric controller (CNC) controlling the positioning apparatus. The CNC references a table of values within application software to find a material value and a work piece thickness value within the table to determine the angle from the perpendicular to produce a kerf edge that is formed at a particular angle to the work piece planar surface.

A welding apparatus can comprise an electrode holder configured to removably receive a consumable electrode and an actuator configured to move the electrode holder. The apparatus can comprise a base and an arm having first and second ends, where the first end is coupled to the arm such that the arm extends in a first direction that is angularly disposed relative to the base. The base can be configured to be placed relative to a workpiece such that the second end of the arm is disposed further from the workpiece than is the first end and the electrode, when received by the electrode holder, extends from the electrode holder toward the workpiece. A controller can be configured to adjust a rate at which the actuator moves the electrode holder relative to the arm, optionally based at least in part on an arc voltage measured across the electrode and the workpiece.

A tip attachment is disclosed. The tip attachment may an attachment body including a recess to fit on or in a tip of a device during programming of a robotic device. The attachment body may be structured such that the attachment body defines a set of angles of the tip during the programming of the robotic device. The recess may be sized such that the recess defines a distance between the tip and a workpiece during the programming of the robotic device.

An example welding apparatus includes a welding power source configured to output current between a consumable electrode and a workpiece; a feeding apparatus configured to move the consumable electrode toward the workpiece; and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to: control the welding power source to repeat a sequence including: outputting a positive peak current from the workpiece to the consumable electrode during a positive peak period; outputting a first base current between the consumable electrode and the workpiece during a first base period following the positive peak period, an absolute value of the first base current being less than the positive peak current; and outputting a negative peak current from the consumable electrode to the workpiece during a negative peak period following the first base period, an absolute value of the negative peak current being greater than the absolute value of the first base current. The circuitry is further configured to control the feeding apparatus to move the consumable electrode close to the workpiece so as to temporarily short circuit the consumable electrode and the workpiece during the first base period.

A system and method to make a welder aware of contact tip-to-work distance (CTWD) during a welding process. One or both of welding output current and wire feed speed is sampled in real time during the welding process. The actual CTWD is determined in real time based on at least one or both of the sampled welding output current and wire feed speed. The actual CTWD may be compared to a target CTWD in real time, where the target CTWD represents an estimated or desired CTWD for the welding process. A deviation parameter may be generated based on the comparing. An indication of the deviation parameter or the actual CTWD may be provided to a welder performing the welding process as feedback, allowing the welder to adjust the actual CTWD to better match the target CTWD in real time during the welding process.

This invention relates to an apparatus for use in welding, in particular in Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding. The invention provides a touch retract welding torch (10) comprising: an electrode (27); a nozzle (28) surrounding the electrode (27); a mechanical retraction mechanism (21) comprising a gripper (13) for clamping the electrode and arranged in operation to engage the gripper and retract the electrode (27) away from a weld site by a predetermined distance; activating means (24) arranged in operation to trigger said retraction mechanism while providing the basis by which an arc maybe drawn from an initial contact point and maintained consistently over a significant number of operational cycles.

A gas, which flows between a welding device and work pieces while the work pieces are welded together, has large influence on the welding. A sensor device includes a sensor unit and a container that includes a housing case (i.e., housing portion) and a shielding member (i.e., shielding portion). The shielding member is attached to the housing case, and shields radiation heat directed toward the lower surface of the housing case among radiation heat generated while the work pieces W are welded together. The shielding member is inclined with respect to a flow direction of a gas passing through an outlet port for detection of a second gas flow channel so that the gas discharged from the outlet port for detection is blown to the shielding member and thus flows to a side opposite to the side where the work pieces W are to be welded together.