Claims
- 1. A servo actuator for use with a welding gun of the type having a first electrode movable in a straight line toward and away from a second electrode supported by a welding arm, the actuator comprising:
a housing having a first and a second end, said first end having a generally square opening defined therethrough; a rotary screw supported in said housing along a longitudinal axis thereof; a drive nut engaged with said screw such that relative rotary motion between said screw and said nut causes said nut to move linearly with respect to said screw; and
an actuator rod extending through said square opening in said housing and having a first end interconnected with said drive nut and a second end disposed external to said housing, said actuator rod having an external surface with a generally square cross section such that said external surface engages said square opening to prevent rotary motion of said rod with respect to said housing.
- 2. A servo actuator according to claim 1, wherein said screw and said nut comprise a ball screw and a ball nut.
- 3. A servo actuator according to claim 1, further comprising a motor mounting plate for mounting a drive motor operable to rotate said screw.
- 4. A servo actuator according to claim 3, wherein said motor mounting plate includes means for accommodating a variety of motors.
- 5. An actuator for use with a welding gun of the type having a first electrode movable in a straight line toward and away from a second electrode supported by a welding arm, the actuator comprising:
a housing having a first and a second end, said first end having a bushing with a generally rectangular opening defined therethrough; an actuator rod extending through said square opening in said bushing and having a first end disposed inside said housing and a second end disposed external to said housing, said actuator rod having an external surface with a generally rectangular cross section such that said external surface engages said generally rectangular opening to prevent rotary motion of said rod with respect to said housing; and a drive mechanism disposed in said housing operable to move said rod with respect to said housing.
- 6. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the generally rectangular opening in the bushing is generally square, and the external surface of the actuator rod has a generally square cross section.
- 7. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a pneumatic drive unit.
- 8. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a rotary screw driving a drive nut.
- 9. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the generally rectangular opening in the bushing comprises an elongated passage with a generally rectangular cross section, the passage having a length greater than 1 inch.
- 10. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein generally rectangular opening in the bushing comprises an elongated passage with a generally rectangular cross section, the passage having a length greater than 3 inches.
- 11. An actuator for use with a welding gun of the type having a first electrode movable in a straight line toward and away from a second electrode supported by a welding arm, the actuator comprising:
a housing having a first and a second end, said first end having a bushing with a generally square opening defined therethrough; an actuator rod extending through said square opening in said bushing and having a first end disposed inside said housing and a second end disposed external to said housing, said actuator rod having an external surface with a generally square cross section such that said external surface engages said square opening to prevent rotary motion of said rod with respect to said housing; and a drive mechanism disposed in said housing operable to move said rod with respect to said housing.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/641,264, filed Aug. 17, 2000, which claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Serial No. 60/149,337, filed Aug. 17, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60149337 |
Aug 1999 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09641264 |
Aug 2000 |
US |
Child |
10323277 |
Dec 2002 |
US |