Apparatus for transferring pieces of optical glass material

摘要

A transfer mechanism for transferring optical glass material to be molded into optical glass elements such as lenses or the like, one after another from a container holding a large number of work pieces of the optical glass material onto a molding surface of a lower mold member of a mold assembly unit located at a work loading/unloading station of a glass molding line. The transfer mechanism employs a tubular positioning member which is located in such a way as to circumvent a suction nozzle and adapted to hold the outer periphery of optical glass material for accurate positioning. The positioning member is supported on a lift means together with the suction nozzle, but independently movable vertically over a predetermined stroke length relative to the lift member to assume a work loading position and a work unloading position, uncovering a suction pad at the lower end of the suction nozzle into an exposed state and permitting same to pick up a molded optical element which is increased in diameter as compared with the size of a work piece before press-molding.