Wire Feeder

Wire feeders are used to add filler metal during robotic welding. This allows flexibility in establishing various welding wire feed rates to suit specific requirements for an assembly. Normally, the wire feeder for robotic welding is mounted on the robot arm, separate from the power supply. For robotic welding, a control interface between the robot controller, the power supply and wire feeder is needed. The wire feeding system must be matched to the welding process and the type of power source being used. 

There are two basic types of wire feeders. The first type is used for the consumable electrode wire process and is known as an electrode wire feeder. The electrode is part of the welding circuit, and the melted metal from the electrode crosses the arc to become the weld deposit. There are two different types of electrode wire feeders. The constant-power power source requires a voltage-sensing wire feed system in which the feed rate may be changing continously. The constant-voltage system requires a constant feed rate during the welding operation.

 The second type of wire feeder  is known as a cold wire feeder and is especially used for gas tungsten arc welding. The electrode is not part of the circuit, and the filler wire fed into the arc area melts from the heat of the arc and becomes the weld metal.