Metal ring inputting and outputting device

Abstract

A metal ring loading and unloading apparatus is capable of loading and unloading a metal ring quickly and highly accurately for increased efficiency. The metal ring loading and unloading apparatus has a moving unitslidably movable along a railwhich extends from a loaded ring placement unitto an unloaded ring placement unit. On the moving unit, there are mounted a loaded ring delivering unitfor holding and delivering a metal ring W on the loaded ring placement unitand an unloaded ring delivering unitfor removing the metal ring W from support rollersand delivering the metal ring W to the unloaded ring placement unit. The loaded ring placement unithas a pressing unit for radially pressing the metal ring W to deform the metal ring W into a substantially elliptical shape. The loaded ring delivering unithas a loaded ring gripping unitfor gripping the metal ring W deformed by the pressing unit. The unloaded ring delivering unithas an unloaded ring gripping unitfor gripping the metal ring W under its own recovering resiliency produced when the support rollersmove toward each other. The unloaded ring placement unithas a releasing unit for releasing the metal ring W from the unloaded ring gripping unit