Claims
- 1. A welding apparatus, which comprises:
a) a welding electrode; b) a tip connected to the electrode, wherein the tip has a bore; and c) a polymeric sleeve housed inside the bore of the tip.
- 2. The welding apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bore extends along the longitudinal axis of the tip.
- 3. The welding apparatus of claim 1 wherein the polymeric sleeve is of a cylindrical shape.
- 4. The welding apparatus of claim 1 wherein the polymeric sleeve is of a polyimide.
- 5. The welding apparatus of claim 1 wherein a distal end of the polymeric sleeve is substantially flush with a distal end of the tip.
- 6. The welding apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tip is threadingly mated to the welding electrode.
- 7. A tip for a welding electrode, the tip comprising:
a) a proximal section adapted for connection to a welding electrode; b) a distal section; c) a bore extending through at least the distal section of the tip; and d) a polymeric sleeve housed in the bore.
- 8. The tip of claim 7 wherein the bore is aligned along the longitudinal axis of the tip.
- 9. The tip of claim 7 wherein the polymeric sleeve is of a cylindrical shape.
- 10. The tip of claim 7 wherein the polymeric sleeve is of a polyimide.
- 11. The tip of claim 7 wherein a distal end of the polymeric sleeve is substantially flush with a distal end of the tip.
- 12. The tip of claim 7 wherein the tip is threadingly mated to the welding electrode.
- 13. A method for connecting a workpiece to a substrate, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a welding apparatus comprising:
i) a welding electrode; ii) a tip connected to the electrode, wherein the tip is a bore; and iii) a polymeric sleeve housed inside the bore of the tip; b) moving the workpiece into the bore of the tip such that a first distal end of the workpiece in contact with a second distal end of the tip with the polymeric sleeve disposal intermediate at least some portion of the workpiece received within the bore; c) moving the welding apparatus such that the first distal end of the workpiece contacts a substrate; d) electrically energizing the welding apparatus to cause at least a portion of the first distal end of the workpiece to become molten; and e) moving the welding apparatus away from the workpiece welded to the substrate.
- 14. The method of claim 13 including providing the bore extending along the longitudinal axis of the tip.
- 15. The method of claim 13 including providing the polymeric sleeve of a cylindrical shape.
- 16. The method of claim 13 including providing the polymeric sleeve of a polyimide.
- 17. The method of claim 13 including providing a distal end of the polymeric sleeve being substantially flush with a distal end of the tip.
- 18. The method of claim 13 including providing the tip being threadingly mated to the welding electrode.
- 19. The method of claim 13 including providing the substrate as an external surface of an electrical energy storage device.
- 20. The method of claim 13 including selecting the worpiece from the group consisting of copper, stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, platinum, tantulum, and alloys thereof
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority based on provisional application Serial No. 60/342,294, filed Dec. 20, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60342294 |
Dec 2001 |
US |