DRUM FOR WELDING WIRE

Abstract

A drum is described for containing a coil of welding wire, comprising a container having a bottom and side walls for delimiting a cavity in which the coil can be housed, and a lid to close the container,

To improve the storage the container is a frustoconical shell and the base of the container corresponds to the bottom of the container.

Claims

1. Drum for containing a coil of welding wire, comprising: a container having a bottom and side walls for delimiting a cavity in which the coil can be housed, a lid to close the container, wherein the container has a tapered shape and the smaller base of the container corresponds to the bottom of the container.

2. Drum according to claim 1, wherein the center of the smaller base of the container integrally comprises an element in relief, e.g. a ring or disc.

3. Drum according to claim 1, comprising a diametrical groove which runs outside the smaller base.

4. Drum according to claim 1, wherein the container has an edge which delimits the opening closed by the lid, and the edge comprises an eyelet for the passage of a lifting belt for the drum.

5. Drum according to claim 4, wherein in the eyelet there is a flexible element for clamping the belt on or against the edge of the container.

6. Drum according to claim 1, comprising a filling element shaped to extend into the space (S) comprised between the inner surface of the container and the lateral surface of an imaginary cylinder having a base substantially equal to that of the container.

7. Drum according to claim 6, wherein the filling element comprises a cylindrical surface from which protruding portions, configured to occupy the distance between the inner surface of the container and the lateral surface of the imaginary cylinder, radially extend, wherein the maximum projection of the protruding portions decreases along the axis of the cylindrical surface.

8. Drum according to claim 6, wherein the filling element comprises or consists of a sheet having corrugations distributed on a surface, so that by folding the sheet to form a cylinder said cylindrical surface is obtained from which said protruding portions radially extend.

9. Drum according to claim 8, wherein in the sheet the corrugations or said protruding portions comprise or consist of folds of the sheet.

10. Drum according to claim 6, wherein the filling element comprises a wedge-shaped and/or tapered element placed inside the container, wherein the filling element has two ends and one end has a smaller cross-section than the other end, the filling element being placed inside the container so that the end with smaller cross-section is the closest one to the base of the container.

11. Drum according to claim 10, comprising a plurality of wedge-shaped and/or tapered filling elements as in claim 10, the plurality being arranged with polar symmetry around the center or axis of the container.

12. Drum according to claim 6, wherein the drum and/or a or each filling element comprises fastening means or elements for fixing the filling element to the container.

13. Drum according to claim 12, wherein the fastening means or elements for fastening to the container comprise a part on the filling element and a part on the inner surface of the container, the two parts being able to be fixed and/or fitted with each other through shape-coupling.

14. Drum according to claim 13, wherein the fastening means or elements for fastening to the container comprise an element, e.g. a hook or a hanger or a pin, which is protruding from the filling element and configured to cooperate by interlocking with a seat, e.g. complementary to the protruding element, present on the inner surface the container.

15. Drum according to claim 12, wherein the fastening means or elements for fastening to the container comprise a cavity obtained in the base of the container, the cavity being complementary to an end of the filling element which has smaller cross-section, the latter end being inserted into the cavity.

16. Drum according to claim 1, where the container has the shape of a truncated cone or truncated pyramid.

17. Drum according to claim 2, comprising a diametrical groove which runs outside the smaller base.

18. Drum according to claim 7, wherein the filling element comprises or consists of a sheet having corrugations distributed on a surface, so that by folding the sheet to form a cylinder said cylindrical surface is obtained from which said protruding portions radially extend.

18. Drum according to claim 12, wherein the fastening means or elements for fastening to the container comprise an element, e.g. a hook or a hanger or a pin, which is protruding from the filling element and configured to cooperate by interlocking with a seat, e.g. complementary to the protruding element, present on the inner surface the container.

Description

[0041] The advantages of the invention will be further clarified by preferred embodiments described below with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0042] FIG. 1 shows an exploded three-dimensional view of a drum according to the invention;

[0043] FIG. 2 schematically shows in cross-section a drum according to the invention;

[0044] FIGS. 3-5 show enlargements of the circles C1, C2 and C3 respectively in FIG. 1;

[0045] FIG. 6 shows a three-dimensional view of an internal component of the drum;

[0046] FIG. 7 shows the component of FIG. 6;

[0047] FIG. 8 shows the component of FIG. 3;

[0048] FIG. 9 shows the component of FIG. 3 as a folded cylinder;

[0049] FIG. 10 schematically shows in cross-section the component of FIG. 3 when folded as a cylinder and installed in the drum;

[0050] FIG. 11 shows an exploded three-dimensional view of a second drum according to the invention;

[0051] FIG. 12 shows a plan view of the drum of FIG. 11;

[0052] FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view according to the XII-XII plane of FIG. 12.

[0053] In the figures, like references indicate identical or similar parts, and described as in use.

[0054] To avoid crowding the drawings, some elements are not indicated repeatedly.

[0055] A drum MC serves to contain a coil of welding wire (not shown).

[0056] The drum MC comprises a container 50 having a bottom 52 and side walls 56 for delimit a cavity 54 to house the coil. The cavity 56 is closable by a lid 10.

[0057] The container 50 is a shell in the shape of a truncated cone, with Y axis, which in use is tapered downwards. Hence the ease of being able to stack one drum MC inside another.

[0058] Preferably the container 50 is made of plastic material, and at the center of the bottom 52 it integrally comprises a raised ring or disc 58, useful for centering the spires or coil and/or for abutting against an optional cylinder 20 placed in the center of the container 50 to center the coil. The ring or disc 58 has a preferred height of 5 cm to 15 cm, preferably about 10 cm.

[0059] The bottom of the container 50 comprises (FIG. 5) a diametrical groove 90 which runs outside the base of the truncated cone, useful for receiving a lifting strap 80 for the drum MC.

[0060] Preferably the container 50 has an edge 60 (FIG. 4) which delimits the opening closable by the lid 10, and the edge 60 comprises an eyelet 62 for the passage of the belt 80.

[0061] In particular, in the eyelet 62 there is a, e.g. flexible, tooth 64 to clamp the strap 80 on the edge 60 and keep it in place.

[0062] Preferably, the lid 10 comprises (FIG. 3) an eyelet 12 for the passage of the belt 80, so as to exploit the belt 80 also to keep the lid 10 fixed on the container 50.

[0063] To compensate for the truncated-cone shape of the drum and bring the interior thereof back to a cylindrical surface, the drum MC preferably comprises a filling element 30 (see FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). The filling element 30 ensures that the unwinding of the coil wire takes place with uniformity and is not affected by the fact that the distance between the coil and the inner surface of the container 50 varies with height.

[0064] The filling element 30 is shaped to extend into the space S between the inner surface of the container 50 and the lateral surface of an imaginary cylinder 100 having base substantially equal to the (greater) one of said truncated cone, see FIG. 2.

[0065] The filling element 30 preferably comprises a cylindrical surface 200 from which projecting portions 210, configured to occupy the distance between the inner surface of the container 50 and the lateral surface of the imaginary cylinder 100, extend radially (orthogonally to Y), see FIG. 2.

[0066] The maximum projection of the projecting portions 210 decreases linearly along the Y axis of the cylindrical surface 200.

[0067] The projecting portions 210 may have different embodiments, e.g. configured as rigid pins or fingers as in FIG. 2.

[0068] Another preferred embodiment envisages that the filling element 30, see—FIGS. 3-8, comprises or consists of a (e.g. plastic) sheet 32 folded into a cylinder such as shown in FIG. 1.

[0069] Corrugations 34 are formed on the sheet 32 which function as the aforesaid projecting portions 210. Thus folding the sheet 32 to form a cylinder gives a cylinder from which the corrugations 34 extend radially, e.g. in all directions.

[0070] In particular, the corrugations 34 consist of folds of the sheet 32 which form a plurality of raised ribs (e.g. fretted ribs) which all extend parallel to each other from a margin 38 of sheet 32 to an opposite margin 39.

[0071] Each rib has a height that decreases linearly along Y, to adapt to the tapering of the space S towards the bottom 52.

[0072] FIG. 10 shows in an exaggerated way the variation in projection for a rib 34.

[0073] Before starting the unwinding of a coil, the cylinder-folded sheet 30 is inserted inside the container 50. The coiled wire is fenced by the sheet 30, which does not bend and stays in position thanks to the reaction of the corrugations 34 against the inner wall of the container 50.

[0074] Another variant of filling element 130 is shown in conjunction with a drum MC2, see FIGS. 11-13. The drum MC2 comprises a container 150 having a bottom 152 and side walls 156 to delimit a cavity 154 for housing the coil. The cavity 156 is closable by a lid 110.

[0075] The container 150 is a tapered-shaped shell, e.g. as a truncated pyramid or cone, with Y axis, which tapers—in use—downwards.

[0076] To compensate for the tapered shape of the container 150 and bring the inside thereof back to a cylindrical surface, the drum MC2 comprises one or more filling elements 130 (see FIGS. 11-13), with the same effect as element 30.

[0077] The filling element 130 is shaped like a wedge and so as to extend into the space between the inner surface of the container 150 and the side surface of an imaginary cylinder 200 having a base substantially equal to the (greater) one of the container 150. The filling element 130 has a shorter base 132 and a longer base 134, and is preferably a hollow shell, to limit the total weight of the drum.

[0078] Each illustrated filling element 30, 32 130 preferably comprises a protruding hook 180 that can be inserted into a pocket or edge 182 obtained on the internal surface of the respective container 50, 150, see e.g. FIG. 13. In this way the filling element 30, 32, 130 is stabilized inside the container 50, 150, preventing it from falling or moving.

[0079] Preferably to stabilize the filling element 30, 32, 130 inside the container, the inner surface of the base of the respective container 60, 150 comprises a cavity 160 complementary to the smaller base 132 of the filling element 30, 32, 130. E.g. —see FIG. 13—the shorter base 132 is placed inside a cavity 160 so that this joint makes one end of the filling element 130 immovable.

[0080] In the illustrated example, various filling elements 130 are arranged inside the container 150 with polar symmetry, e.g. according to the vertices of a regular polygon, such as a square or a triangle.

[0081] One or more filling elements 130 may generally be used for a container of any tapered shape, even e.g. for the container 50.