Collar assembly for securing consumables of an arc welding apparatus
An arc welding apparatus includes a conductor tube assembly that has a collar assembly with a collar body that is biased by a spring. A consumable assembly is mechanically secured to the conductor tube and displaces the collar body and the collar body imparts a biasing force against the consumable assembly pretensioning the consumable assembly on the conductor tube assembly.
1. A collar assembly for use in securing a nozzle assembly to a welding torch, the welding torch including a conductor tube that includes a recess in an external surface of the conductor tube, the collar assembly comprising:
a collar body defining an exterior surface and an internal bore;
an internal flange extending radially inwardly and disposed at a distal end portion of the collar body;
a wave spring, the wave spring having a first end disposed against the internal flange; and
a locking ring disposed against a second end of the wave spring, wherein the locking ring is positioned within the recess of the external surface of the conductor tube.
2. The collar assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface of the collar body is profiled.
3. The collar assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the profiled exterior surface is flared.
4. The collar assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the profiled exterior surface defines a plurality of gripping ridges.
5. The collar assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface of the collar body includes indicia on the exterior surface for allowing a nozzle distance to be set.
6. The collar assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the collar body further defines a distal end portion that extends radially and inwardly defining a distal diameter and a proximal portion wherein the diameter of the internal bore is larger than the distal diameter.
7. A collar assembly for use in securing a nozzle assembly to a welding torch, the welding torch including a conductor tube that defines a circular groove in an external surface of the conductor tube, the collar assembly comprising:
a collar body defining an exterior surface and an internal bore;
an internal flange extending radially inwardly and disposed at a distal end portion of the collar body;
a wave spring having a first end disposed against the internal flange; and
a locking ring disposed against a second end of the wave spring and received in the circular groove of the conductor tube.
8. The collar assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the exterior surface of the collar body is profiled.
9. The collar assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the profiled exterior surface is flared.
10. The collar assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the profiled exterior surface defines a plurality of gripping ridges.
11. The collar assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the exterior surface of the collar body includes indicia on the exterior surface for allowing a nozzle distance to be set.
12. The collar assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the collar body further defines a distal end portion that extends radially and inwardly defining a distal diameter and a proximal portion wherein the diameter of the internal bore is larger than the distal diameter.
13. A conductor tube assembly of a welding torch configured to be received by a nozzle assembly, the conductor tube assembly comprising:
a conductor tube having a proximal end, a distal end configured to be received within the nozzle assembly, an external surface, and a locking ring integrally formed on the external surface proximate to the distal end; and
a collar assembly disposed around the external surface of the conductor tube proximate to the distal end, the collar assembly comprising:
a collar body defining an exterior surface and an internal bore;
an internal flange extending radially inwardly and disposed at a distal end portion of the collar body; and
a wave spring, the wave spring having a first end disposed against the internal flange and a second end disposed against the locking ring of the conductor tube.
14. The conductor tube assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the exterior surface of the collar body is profiled.
15. The conductor tube assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the profiled exterior surface is flared.
16. The conductor tube assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the profiled exterior surface defines a plurality of gripping ridges.
17. The conductor tube assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the exterior surface of the collar body includes indicia for allowing a nozzle distance to be set.
18. The conductor tube assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the collar body further defines a distal end portion that extends radially and inwardly defining a distal diameter and a proximal portion wherein the diameter of the internal bore is larger than the distal diameter.
19. The conductor tube assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the wave spring imparts a biasing force against the internal bore to bias the collar body toward the distal end of the conductor tube.
20. The conductor tube assembly according to claim 19 , wherein the biasing force biases the collar body against the nozzle assembly when the distal end of the conductor tube is received within the nozzle assembly in order to provide a pre-tensioning force against the nozzle assembly.