On an inner peripheral surface defining a through hole of a first rotator, provided is a positioning member for bringing the center axis of a contact tip, housed in the through hole, into alignment with a rotational axis, or making the former axis proximate to the latter axis, by coming into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the contact tip.

A tip dressing system includes a tip dressing machine having a gear unit. A holder is installed in the gear unit, and a cutter is installed on the holder. The holder may include mechanical structure corresponding to the gear unit that prevents the holder from being installed incorrectly and further prevents a holder that does not match the machine from being installed in the gear unit. The cutter may include mechanical structure corresponding to the holder to prevents the cutter from being installed incorrectly and further prevents a cutter that does not match the holder from being attached to the holder. The machine, holder, and cutter may include indicators configured for being scanned by a scanning device, and a controller may determine whether the scanned components match.

A tip dressing system includes a tip dressing machine having a gear unit. A holder is installed in the gear unit, and a cutter is installed on the holder. The holder may include mechanical structure corresponding to the gear unit that prevents the holder from being installed incorrectly and further prevents a holder that does not match the machine from being installed in the gear unit. The cutter may include mechanical structure corresponding to the holder to prevents the cutter from being installed incorrectly and further prevents a cutter that does not match the holder from being attached to the holder. The machine, holder, and cutter may include indicators configured for being scanned by a scanning device, and a controller may determine whether the scanned components match.

The subject innovation relates to engine driven welding systems and methods regulating an environmentally controlled electrode compartment within storage constraints to maintain electrode integrity regardless of environmental factors outside the container. Various sensors and controllers which directly or indirectly provide input to the engine of the engine driven welder are used to facilitate such regulation, which is conducted at least in part using the engine itself.

A high index contrast grating (HICG) structure is disclosed. The HICG structure includes plurality of gratings fabricated from a high refractive index layer. The high refractive index layer is situated over a low refractive index substrate, wherein the high refractive index layer is patterned after determining a period and a duty cycle of each of the plurality of gratings for a desired reflection phase profile based on a lookup table. The low refractive index substrate includes sapphire. The plurality of gratings includes polycrystalline or amorphous silicon. The HICG structure includes subwavelength gratings for incident wavelengths of equal to or greater than 2.5 microns. An exemplary method for forming the HICG structure is also disclosed.

Systems, methods, and apparatus to preheat weld wire are disclosed. An example welding torch includes a first contact tip configured to conduct welding current to a consumable electrode, a second contact tip configured to conduct preheating current to the consumable electrode, and a plurality of liquid cooling assemblies configured to conduct the preheating current and to conduct the welding current to the consumable electrode.

Systems, methods, and apparatus to preheat weld wire are disclosed. An example welding torch includes a first contact tip configured to conduct welding current to a consumable electrode, a second contact tip configured to conduct preheating current to the consumable electrode, and a plurality of liquid cooling assemblies configured to conduct the preheating current and to conduct the welding current to the consumable electrode.

The disclosed technology generally relates to welding, and more particularly to a consumable welding wire for metal arc welding, and a method and a system for metal arc welding using the consumable welding wire. In one aspect, a method of arc welding includes providing a welding wire comprising one or more alkaline earth metal elements. The method additionally includes applying power to the welding wire to generate a plasma arc sufficient to melt the welding wire. The method further includes depositing molten droplets formed by melting the welding wire onto a workpiece at a high deposition rate while regulating to maintain a substantially constant power delivered to the plasma arc.

The disclosed technology generally relates to welding, and more particularly to a consumable welding wire for metal arc welding, and a method and a system for metal arc welding using the consumable welding wire. In one aspect, a method of arc welding includes providing a welding wire comprising one or more alkaline earth metal elements. The method additionally includes applying power to the welding wire to generate a plasma arc sufficient to melt the welding wire. The method further includes depositing molten droplets formed by melting the welding wire onto a workpiece at a high deposition rate while regulating to maintain a substantially constant power delivered to the plasma arc.

The invention relates to a spot welding cap changer (1) with a cap puller (2) and two cap magazines (3, 3A), the cap puller (2) having a gripper (20) with spring-loaded, pivotable jaws (21, 22), which in response to a turning and axial pulling-off movement detaches a spot welding cap (K) of a pincer spot welding head introduced into it from a shaft of the pincer welding head in such a way that it is clamped to prevent it twisting, and the cap magazines (3, 3A) holding spot welding caps respectively in a round cap carrier (31) such that they are circularly arranged in a directed and oriented manner and are respectively transported individually one after the other into an access position against a stop (32) by an advancing force (P).