Patent ID: 7143624

Claim:
A conveyor for conveying a metal work piece from a supply source to a loading/unloading position adjacent to and between a die and a punch in a forging apparatus and for conveying a forged product from the loading/unloading position to a storage area, said conveyor comprising: a pivot assembly and a moveable robot arm having an end effector fixed to one end thereof and an opposite end of said robot arm attached to said pivot assembly for movement about a first axis; a servo actuator and a crank arm connected at one end thereof to said servo actuator and at an opposite end to said pivot assembly for rotating said robot arm about said first axis in response to movement of said servo actuator and means for controlling movement of said servo actuator; said end effector including first and second carrier elements with said first carrier element fixed to said robot arm and said second carrier element pivotally connected to said first carrier element for rotation about a second axis and said first and said second carrier elements adapted to receive a work piece therebetween when in a closed position; said second of said carrier elements including a concave upper portion adapted to receive a forged product thereon when in a closed position and an outwardly extending finger; an unloading actuator for engaging said outwardly engaging finger as said robot arm rotates about said first axis to move said second carrier element into an unloading position to deliver the forged product to a storage area, and means for returning said second carrier element to its closed position after delivery of said forged product.