A spool gun having a very unique look, due to its arrangement of external features. The spool gun has its wire spool compartment located below the handle and the user's hand, when the user is gripping the spool gun in an operational position. A gas/power cable is connected to the body of the spool gun forward of the handle.

A spool gun having a very unique look, due to its arrangement of internal and external features. The spool gun has its wire spool compartment located below the handle and the user's hand, when the user is gripping the spool gun in an operational position, thus providing a wire path through the handle to the body of the spool gear wherein the wire feed mechanism is located. The wire feed mechanism includes a 90-degree drive system, which can include a worm gear. A gas/power cable is connected to the body of the spool gun forward of the handle.

A spool gun having a very unique look, due to its arrangement of features. The spool gun has its wire spool compartment located below the handle and the user's hand, when the user is gripping the spool gun in an operational position. Operably connected to the wire spool compartment is wire spool brake configured to engage with the wire wraps. The brake can have a lock and/or a wire spool life indicator. The wire spool compartment has a cover that is non-threadedly engaged. The feed rate of the wire from the wire spool compartment can be adjusted by a control device, such as a knob, located proximate the user's hand, when the user is gripping the spool gun in the operational position.

Systems and methods are disclosed that provides a helical wire for use in welding applications. A torch can be adapted to form the helical wire from a straight wire and to provide the helical wire as a consumable electrode in a welding or cladding application. The helical wire can be, for example, solid, tubular, or seamless tubular. The torch concurrently forms the helical wire and provides welding current for the welding or cladding application.

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 a welding apparatus is disclosed. The contact device for feeding current to at least a first welding wire and a second welding wire. The contact device including first and second contact jaws. The first and second contact jaws including a slot formed therein to provide the first and second contact jaws with improved flexibility to individually and independently flex about the first and second welding wires to ensure proper contact is maintained between the contact jaws and the welding wire.

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.

A welding tip includes a tip body having a wire insertion bore along a central axis and a leaf spring configured to press a welding wire onto a feeding point disposed on an inner surface of the wire insertion bore. The tip body 1a has an aperture on an outer circumferential surface on the distal end side. The leaf spring has a first end that is a free end disposed on the distal end side of the tip body and a second end fixed to the tip body. The aperture includes a first aperture accommodating the leaf spring and second apertures disposed in communication with the first aperture and configured to discharge wear particles created during welding to the outside.

A welding torch system includes a receiving assembly to receive a contact tip and a welding nozzle. The welding torch system also includes a locking element that retains the contact tip in a partially secure position. Further, the welding torch system includes the welding nozzle configured to couple to the receiving assembly to retain the contact tip in a fully secure position.

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.