| CPC B23K 9/125 (2013.01) [B23K 9/1336 (2013.01); B65H 51/10 (2013.01); B65H 2701/36 (2013.01)] | 3 Claims |

|
1. A wire-feed device (11) to convey a wire (13) for a thermal joining apparatus, comprising:
at least one drive element (1) operated by a feed drive (5) and positioned onto the wire (13) that is passing through the wire-feed device (11), said at least one drive element (1) exerting a contact pressure (15) to frictionally transmit a driving movement (14),
an actuator (8) that is coupled to the at least one drive element (1),
a pressure rocker (16) between the drive element (1) and the actuator (8), wherein the pressure rocker (16) has an actuating cam (10) that constitutes the output of the actuator (8), and a pressure tappet (23) coupled to the drive element (1) and actuated with the actuating cam (10),
at least one measuring means (21, 22) configured to determine the actuator position (19) and/or to determine the feed of the wire (13) and/or to monitor the wire geometry,
a control unit (12) configured to control said actuator (8) using values measured for the contact pressure (15) for variably setting the contact pressure (15) that acts upon the wire (13), wherein the contact pressure (15) is controlled and/or regulated as a function of at least one wire-conveying parameter, and/or as a function of the prescribed feed and/or the ascertained wire geometry, and/or as a function of a welding parameter such as welding current.
|