The present disclosure relates to a rotary changer for welding torches configured to automatically replace a torch component such as a cylindrical nozzle or a contact tip bar to be screwed on, and coupled to, a tip portion of the body of a welding torch for use in arc welding.
Changer assemblies for replacing torch components automatically and efficiently have been known in the art. Examples of such torch components include cylindrical nozzles and contact tip bars to be screwed on, and coupled to, a tip portion of the body of a welding torch for use in arc welding. A changer assembly of this type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-192345.
The assembly includes a plurality of changers, each having a recess that opens at the top. Each of those changers is designed to rotate on a rotational axis to be displaced vertically by a drive motor and a gear meshing mechanism. To remove the torch component from the torch body, the welding torch is inserted into the recess with the changer kept rotating, thereby getting the recess interlocked with the torch component and rotating the torch component along with the changer to allow the torch component to get removed from the torch body. Meanwhile, to attach the torch component to the torch body, the torch component is placed in the changer such that its tip end faces downward and the torch body is gradually lowered with the changer kept rotating. In this manner, the torch component is attached onto the torch body so as to be screwed onto the tip portion of the torch body.
The changer assembly of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-192345 fails to specify exactly how the recess of the changer needs to be interlocked with the torch component in order to attach and remove the component onto/from the torch body. For example, misalignment of the center axis of the torch component to be inserted into the recess with the rotational axis of the changer would allow the torch component to unintentionally contact with a portion of the changer's recess to get interlocked with the torch component, which would possibly cause deformation or damage to the recess of the changer.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a rotary changer for welding torches configured to prevent a portion of the changer interlockable with the torch component from being significantly deformed or damaged while the torch component is repeatedly attached to, or removed from, the torch body.