Welding apparatus for the electric resistance welding of small parts, with integrated feed of the small parts

摘要

The invention relates to a welding apparatus for the electric resistance welding of small parts to larger workpieces. The small parts are welded on by a welding cylinder which is provided with a welding electrode which can be lowered hydraulically onto the workpiece. The welding electrode is provided at its tip with a recess adapted to the small part and with means integrated in the recess for the automatic temporary retention of a small part accommodated therein. A small-part feeder in the form of a shooting passage is allocated to the welding device. The small-part feeder pneumatically shoots the small parts individually and in a defined position to the welding apparatus, its last section being arranged in parallel next to the welding cylinder in a fixed spatial allocation to it. In order to be able to use the fed small parts in such a way as to facilitate the welding-on, a transfer device is provided which contains a movable gripper with limited holding force. In the one end position, the gripper is arranged in opposition to the open end of the shooting passage and brakes a shot small part and retains it, preferably magnetically, on the weld-on side. The gripper is displaceable relative to the welding cylinder and to the shooting passage parallel to the welding-cylinder axis and/or pivotably guided transversely to the welding-cylinder axis and is provided with appropriate motion drives in such a way that the shot small part seized by the gripper ... axially out of the shot-passage end ... Original abstract incomplete.