A welding apparatus comprising a welding contact tip device configured to receive at least one consumable welding electrode therein, wherein the welding contact tip device includes a first region configured to attach to a welding head and a second region configured to attach to an electrode extension device; and an electrode extension device configured to attach to the welding contact tip device, wherein the electrode extension device includes an upper portion having a predetermined length and a predetermined diameter, wherein the upper portion is configured to create an electrically insulating barrier between the electrode extension device and the welding contact tip device; and a lower portion having a predetermined length, wherein the lower portion is configured to receive at least one consumable welding electrode therein.

Some examples of the present disclosure relate to feeder pen tracking attachments that allow trackable markers to be easily attached to filler rod feeder pens, thereby removing the need for costly customized/modified filler rod feeder pens (and/or filler rods). In some examples, each feeder pen tracking attachment includes one or more trackable markers that can be detected and/or tracked by a monitoring system. In some examples, the trackable marker(s) of the feeder pen tracking attachment facilitate tracking and/or monitoring of welding technique by aiding in the tracking/monitoring of the position(s) and/or orientation(s) of the filler rod feeder pen (and/or filler rod) during welding-type operations.

Some examples of the present disclosure relate to tracking attachments that allow trackable markers to be easily attached to TIG welding torches, thereby removing the need for costly customized/modified TIG welding torches. In some examples, each tracking attachment includes one or more trackable markers that can be detected and/or tracked by a monitoring system. In some examples, the trackable marker(s) of the tracking attachment facilitate tracking and/or monitoring of welding technique by aiding in the tracking/monitoring of the position(s) and/or orientation(s) of the TIG welding torch during welding-type operations.

A jacketed consumable cartridge is provided for a liquid cooled plasma arc torch. The jacketed consumable cartridge comprises an electrode, a swirl ring securely affixed to and disposed circumferentially about a distal end of the electrode, and a nozzle securely affixed to the swirl ring, the nozzle disposed circumferentially about the distal end of the electrode with a portion of the swirl ring located therebetween. The cartridge also comprises a cartridge jacket securely affixed to and disposed circumferentially about a distal end of the nozzle and a shield securely affixed to and disposed circumferentially about a distal end of the cartridge jacket. A proximal end of the cartridge jacket is adapted to extend (i) axially past a proximal end of the shield and (ii) radially beyond a radial extent of the shield.

A processing head assembly is disclosed. In some examples, the processing head assembly comprises a fabrication energy source; a wire feedstock surrounded by a shield and one or more filler feedstocks surrounded by one or more nozzles. In some examples, the fabrication energy source includes the wire feedstock surrounded by the shield. A method of depositing material on a substrate using a processing head assembly for use with a fabrication energy source; a wire feedstock surrounded by a shield and one or more filler feedstocks surrounded by one or more nozzles is disclosed. In some examples, the method comprises projecting a fabrication energy beam from the fabrication energy source onto the substrate at a spot, projecting the wire feedstock surrounded by the shield onto the substrate at the spot and projecting the one or more filler feedstocks surrounded by the one or more nozzles onto the substrate close to the spot.

A welding torch diffuser may comprise: a first section configured to be inserted into an interior of a welding torch neck and coupled to the welding torch neck; a second section configured to receive a contact tip; and a first interior surface extending from an end of the first section toward the second section, wherein: the welding torch diffuser defines an aperture between the first section and the second section, the second section is configured to align the contact tip with the aperture, and the first interior surface defines a first cavity configured to capture a welding wire liner positioned within the welding torch neck as the first section is inserted into the interior of the welding torch neck and align the welding wire liner with the aperture.

Cutting or welding torch component comprising a ridge (8) forming a thread for connecting the component to other parts of the cutting or welding torch, the thread having a pressure flank (81, 91), a clearance flank (82, 92), a root flat (84, 94) and a crest flat (83, 93), whereinthe angle included by the pressure flank (81, 91) and clearance flank (82, 92) is 60 or less, the angle included by the pressure flank (81, 91) and a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (10, 20, 30) of the thread is 40 to 50, the angle included by the clearance flank (82, 92) and a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (10, 20, 30) of the thread is 0 to 20, andthe height (VZ) of the ridge (8) is 0.4 times the pitch of the thread or less.

An orientation and guide mechanism for a welding system includes a pair of opposed guide members. A weld wire having a non-round cross-section is fed through a guide passageway formed between the guide members, each of which have recessed channels that combine to define the guide passageway. The guide passageway has a non-round shape corresponding to the non-round shape of the wire. The orientation mechanism and the guide members thereof is adjustable relative to a welding device of the weld system, such that the orientation of the wire can be controlled and maintained by adjusting the orientation mechanism. The wide side of the wire may be adjusted to be presented to a radiant energy source, and/or the non-round wire may be adjusted relative to the desired weld seam.

An orientation and guide mechanism for a welding system includes a pair of opposed guide members. A weld wire having a non-round cross-section is fed through a guide passageway formed between the guide members, each of which have recessed channels that combine to define the guide passageway. The guide passageway has a non-round shape corresponding to the non-round shape of the wire. The orientation mechanism and the guide members thereof is adjustable relative to a welding device of the weld system, such that the orientation of the wire can be controlled and maintained by adjusting the orientation mechanism. The wide side of the wire may be adjusted to be presented to a radiant energy source, and/or the non-round wire may be adjusted relative to the desired weld seam.

An embodiment includes a welding system for performing an automatic GMAW welding process. The welding system provides a welding contact tip configured to be attached to a welding tool. The contact tip is configured to accept a consumable welding wire electrode that is fed there-through during the automatic GMAW welding process to form an arc between a tip of the consumable welding wire electrode and a work piece. A secondary material, being of a different material from that of the welding contact tip, is positioned at or near a distal end of the welding contact tip. During the automatic GMAW welding process, detection of a flaring event of the arc by the welding system is facilitated by the secondary material changing phase in response to the flaring event, resulting in changing at least one detectable characteristic of the arc.