Making wire feed rollers?

[astro_al]

Hi all.

I'm thinking of making some new rollers for my KT320 wire feed unit on a Migatronic Dynamig 405.

I've been quoted 30 + vat per roller, and I need 2 per wire size for .6 .8 1.0 & 1.2, so that's 8 rollers = nearly 300 quid!

So. They don't look too complicated, but I could do with some input on the groove profile for each wire size.

Any ideas what I should be aiming for in terms of groove geometry? Presumably it is the arc profile of the wire, but not quite cut as deep into the roller as the full wire radius?

Any input at all would be great. Anyone need any new rollers for this unit?!

Cheers, Al.

 

[shenion]

I made rollers with a V-groove for my Clarke and Airco feeders. The Clarke was knurled to support flux wire. The V-groove feeds better.

I just used a 60 degree cutting tool. Depth was set so about 0.010 of the wire stood out of the groove.

 

[astro_al]

Hi thanks.

Was that a grooved roller against a flat one, or the wire feeding half way between two equally grooved rollers?

A V groove does seem the easiest way, although its not going to be as effective as a groove with the same profile as the wire.

How were your rollers driven - did you cut the gears too?

Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

Al.

 

[rtbcomp]

I reckon a V-groove should be better. As the groove wears the wire will just sink further in and still grip. If a round-profile groove wears the wire will be a loose fit.

 

[shenion]

Was grooved roller against a flat one. With 60 degrees, it forms an equilateral triangle. Thought that would be best.

My rollers are separate from the gears. The Clarke just has a ball bearing upper roller. The Airco had both rollers geared. They just mount on the shaft with setscrew or Woodruff key.

 

[irondarren]

shenion, so in theory a thread cutting tool in the lathe? and just cut as deep as required?

 

[shenion]

Thread cutting tool will work. I used a regular turning tool (have set of left, right, flat, 45 and 60 degree V tools.)

I calculated the depth but it would only work if the tool had a perfect point. I just eyeballed it then plaid a piece of wire in the groove to judge the height.

 

[astro_al]

Thanks for all the inputs guys.

My gears are paired, geared wheels both driven, both grooved. I'll just figure out a decent depth for a V groove for each wire size, and run with that.

I might make the toothed gear part of each roller bolt up to the wire roller part, so that I can just knock out new rollers as needed rather than recutting the teeth on each. The ones I have have lost some teeth, so I need to cut some.

Cheers, Al.

 

[Drains]

I need 2 per wire size for .6 .8 1.0 & 1.2.

Do you really need all those?

Could you make the rollers reversible, so you can put say 0.6 and 0.8 on the same roller.

And also only have one plain roller. That works out as 3 rollers in total. a bit cheaper methinks.

 

[irondarren]

Do you really need all those?

Could you make the rollers reversible, so you can put say 0.6 and 0.8 on the same roller.

And also only have one plain roller. That works out as 3 rollers in total. a bit cheaper methinks.

True Si, most of the machines i have owned, have had reversable wire feed rollers giving 2 sizes on 1 roller

 

[snowcat]

Do you really need all those?

Could you make the rollers reversible, so you can put say 0.6 and 0.8 on the same roller.

And also only have one plain roller. That works out as 3 rollers in total. a bit cheaper methinks.

Nahh cant see you would need all them, I never change mine i mostly use 1.2 wires but sometimes drop down to 1.0 or 0.8...I know 4d wire drives are more tollerent but iv never had a problem..

 

[Hitch]

Id forget two of the sizes, then you halved the cost already.
Surely, theres nothing youd do with 1.0 that you couldnt do with 1.2?
And that sort of machine, id think 0.8 would be okay for anything, so forget the 0.6 rollers...?

For £30 though, theres a lot of work in them if you were making your own.....? Migatronic feeders have the drive teeth on the rollers dont they? Plastic teeth with a metal roller, colour coded for the wire sizes?

 

[astro_al]

Whether or not I need them, I can't see myself spending 150 quid on 2 sets, and I need at least that many.

The rollers I have currently (well worn and broken gear teeth) have multiple grooves for the wire, so last longer (as one wears, move to the next).

Looks like the best solution will be a modular gear/ roller thing, where I can knock out as many rollers as I like in 10 mins on the lathe, and just whack them on a gear/spindle thingumybob as I need them.

I'll make them bolt onto the gear, and put multiple grooves on each roller.

If I can commandeer a couple of ok gears from the rollers I have, I won't even need to cut new ones! Looks like it could be much simpler than I'd originally though.

Cheers, Al.

P.S. - Hitch, no those are the more modern ones I think, I have older rollers with integral gears but they are solid metal and have the wire size stamped in numerically on the side.

 

[Hitch]

Im pretty sure one of ours has a kt320 feeder. Guess they just changed the parts then.

 

[shenion]

Bolt-on should work well. Millers are that way and the Hobart I had used them.

The Lincoln feeder I had used several different rollers. They had split rollers. That allowed several sizes by adding shims between the two halves of the rollers. One was for 0.045 (1.1) wire, then shims for 0.52 (1.3) an 0.62 (1.6). Seemed only for larger wire though, the smaller rollers were not split.

Are you sure the price is for just rollers? For the Lincoln a roller kit also includes input and output guide tubes. Those were just $39 though. Having the right guide tubes helped considerably.

One was missing the internal tube. Took me awhile to figure out what it was jamming. Wire would form an 'S' as it wend down the larger tube and drag in the 15' liner.

I would go with a smooth upper roller for 0.6/0.8. Then try a 90-degree V groove upper/lower that should work on both 1.0 and 1.2