Granted Patent B2

US 12,661,736 · App. 18/115,246 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Inventor: Dennis Roland Sigl (Greenville, WI)

Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.

B23K9/295B23K9/1093B23K9/173B23K9/26

Abstract

Claims (16)

1 . A contact tip, comprising:

an inner bore configured to make direct physical contact with and conduct current to a consumable welding electrode;

screw threads on an exterior of the contact tip, wherein the screw threads comprise longitudinal slots to permit welding gas to flow along an exterior of the contact tip; and

a head opposite the screw threads on an exterior of the contact tip to enable threading and dethreading of the contact tip.

2 . The contact tip as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a second bore having a larger diameter than the inner bore, the second bore configured to fit over a wire liner of a welding torch and located on a rear side of the contact tip relative to the inner bore.

3 . The contact tip as defined in claim 2 , wherein the inner bore has a diameter less than an outer diameter of the wire liner.

4 . The contact tip as defined in claim 1 , wherein the head comprises a hexagonal cross-section.

5 . The contact tip as defined in claim 1 , wherein the inner bore extends through the head.

6 . The contact tip as defined in claim 1 , wherein the head has a smaller diameter than a major diameter of the screw threads.

7 . The contact tip as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a contact insert in the inner bore and configured to contact the consumable welding electrode to conduct current between the consumable welding electrode and the contact tip.

8 . A contact tip, comprising:

an inner bore configured to make direct physical contact with and conduct current to a consumable welding electrode; and

screw threads on an exterior of the contact tip, wherein the screw threads comprise longitudinal slots to permit welding gas to flow along an exterior of the contact tip.

9 . The contact tip as defined in claim 8 , further comprising a second bore having a larger diameter than the inner bore, the second bore configured to fit over a wire liner of a welding torch and located on a rear side of the contact tip relative to the inner bore.

10 . The contact tip as defined in claim 9 , wherein the inner bore has a diameter less than an outer diameter of the wire liner.

11 . The contact tip as defined in claim 8 , further comprising a contact insert in the inner bore and configured to make the physical contact with the consumable welding electrode to conduct current between the consumable welding electrode and the contact tip.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (400)