An example welding wire feeder includes: a push motor configured to feed welding wire from a wire source; a first sensor configured to provide push motor velocity feedback; and control circuitry configured to control the push motor and a pull motor of a welding torch coupled to the welding wire feeder by: controlling a push motor velocity of the push motor and a pull motor velocity of the pull motor based on a target wire feed speed; and compensating each of the push motor velocity of the push motor and the pull motor velocity of the pull motor based on the push motor velocity feedback and based on pull motor velocity feedback, wherein the push motor velocity and the pull motor velocity are based on a target wire tension.

Some examples of the present disclosure relate to welding torches having a thermal insulating plate (400). The thermal insulating plate is comprised of a thermally insulating material, and is positioned between a front housing (302) and a drive gearbox (324) of the welding torch. The front housing (302) is connected to a gooseneck that conducts electrical energy to a torch tip (i.e. front end) of the welding torch. The drive gearbox (324) includes a gear assembly configured to drive a drive roll that moves a wire electrode through the welding torch (e.g. toward the torch tip of the torch). The thermal insulating plate (400) acts as a heat dam to decrease and/or reduce thermal energy transfer from the torch tip of the welding torch (e.g. via the front housing) towards the rear of the welding torch (e.g. through the drive gearbox), where the thermal energy may heat the welding torch handle and/or damage some of the more expensive and/or sensitive components in the handle (e.g. a motor of the drive gearbox).

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.

Disclosed are systems and methods for feeding welding wire for welding-type applications. The wire-feeder system comprises a base platform, a spool hub, a drive roll assembly, and a wire guide assembly. The spool hub can be mounted to the base platform perpendicular to the base platform and configured to support a wire spool. The drive roll assembly can be mounted to the base platform, and having one or more sets of drive rollers configured to feed wire from the wire spool toward a welding torch. The wire guide assembly can be mounted to the base platform separately from both the wire spool and the drive roll assembly.

A wire feeder has a motor, mounting plate, intermediate mounting plate, and base assembly. The mounting plate has a plurality of mounting hole patterns and a shaft hole. The motor a mounting hole pattern that aligns with at least one of the plurality. One of a plurality of motor types can be mounted to the mounting plate. The mounting plate is mounted to the intermediate mounting plate, which is mounted to the base assembly. The base assembly includes a drive gear, which is connected to rotate with an insulating cap that receives a gear hub. The gear hub is connected to rotate with the motor shaft via matching keys. The insulating hub, intermediate mounting plate and mounting plate are electrically insulating, so that the base assembly is electrically isolated from the motor.

Methods and apparatus to provide a consistent electrode state for welding, an example welding-type system includes: a first wire drive to feed an electrode wire through a welding torch; a bidirectional assisting wire drive to advance the electrode wire from a wire supply to the first wire drive; a tension-compression detector to detect a first tension-compression state of the electrode wire; and one or more motor controllers to control the first wire drive and the assisting wire drive to put the electrode wire in a predetermined position relative to the welding torch by: controlling the first wire drive to hold the electrode wire; and controlling the assisting wire drive to advance or retract the electrode wire based on the first tension-compression state to put the electrode wire in a second tension-compression state.

The present application discloses an electric welder, and relates to a field of an electric welding equipment. The electric welder includes a shell, a welding barrel, a controller and a welding wire feeder; the shell includes a handheld part, and the welding barrel, the controller and the welding wire feeder are installed in the shell; the welding wire feeder is configured for conveying the welding wire into the welding barrel; the controller is configured for controlling a start and a stop of the welding wire feeder and an arcing of the welding wire. The welding barrel, the controller and the welding wire feeder are installed in the shell to form an integral structure, which makes the welder more convenient to carry. In addition, by providing the welding wire feeder, a frequent replacement of the welding rod during a welding process is reduced, and the overall operation is more convenient.

Provided are a systems and methods for continuously providing a metal wire to a welding torch in the correct orientation with respect to the heat source of the welding torch for manufacturing objects by solid freeform fabrication to provide continuous deposition of metal to the freeform object, especially objects made with titanium or titanium alloy, or nickel or nickel alloy, wire.

Cladding strip feeders having independent pressure rollers and strip cladding systems with cladding strip feeders having independent pressure rollers are disclosed. A disclosed example cladding strip feeder for a strip cladding system includes: a drive roller to advance a cladding strip along a strip feed path through contact plates; a first pressure roller positioned along the strip feed path opposite a first section of the drive roller; a second pressure roller positioned along the strip feed path opposite a second section of the drive roller; a third pressure roller positioned along the strip feed path opposite a third section of the drive roller; a first pressure adjuster to set a first pressure applied to the cladding strip by the first pressure roller and the first section of the drive roller; a second pressure adjuster to set a second pressure applied to the cladding strip by the second pressure roller and the second section of the drive roller; and a third pressure adjuster to set a third pressure applied to the cladding strip by the third pressure roller and the third section of the drive roller, the first pressure roller, the second pressure roller, and the third pressure roller being configured to apply symmetric pressure across a width of the cladding strip by selectively setting at least one of the second pressure adjuster to apply the second pressure or the third pressure adjuster to apply the third pressure based on the cladding strip having one of at least three incremental strip widths.

A method providing a manual welding apparatus configured to supply a welding wire to a welding gun. The welding gun has a trigger and an opening where the welding wire extends when the trigger is activated. The method also has a computer with a user interface that includes an automatic wire retract program. The program monitors the welding gun and determines when the trigger is disabled. The program indicates when a first condition is satisfied and retracts the welding wire so the welding wire does not extend from the opening of the welding gun.