Importance

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Abstract

A wire cleaner having a chamber and containing an arc ring for passing a wire therethrough, such that when the wire and arc ring are provided with opposite electrical potentials, an electric arc discharge occurs from the wire to the arc ring which carries off impurities from the surface of the wire. An inert gas is used to purge the chamber to prevent oxidation of the wire during and following the discharge from the wire. A pair of annular permanent magnets are positioned around the wire on each side of the arc ring to produce a magnetic field parallel to the wire which interacts with the electrical arc discharge and causes the arc to rotate around the circumferences of the wire and arc ring, thereby cleaning the entire wire. A second embodiment is provided in which the pair of permanent annular magnets is replaced by a variable strength electromagnet surrounding the arc ring and wire path. Other embodiments employ a pair of arc rings to carry the electric current so that two arcs are created in tandem. Alternating current (AC) with a superimposed high frequency (HF) current can be used to stabilize the arcs, which then rapidly alternate between the wire and each of the two arc rings. The pair of arc rings share a more powerful permanent magnet between them, with second and third permanent magnets located outboard of each arc ring. An internal wire guide can be used to prevent the wire from contacting the arc rings.

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First Claim