Clamp for automobile manufacturing industry

A clamp for use in manufacturing automobile bodies for the automotive industry that is used to clamp and hold metal plate components in place, comprising a chuck and a pneumatic or electric drive dedicated to the chuck, wherein the drive moves a rod-shaped actuator in opposing vertical directions (C-D), wherein the actuator pivots an operating lever inside the chuck within a predefined angular range about a pivot axle in the chuck at an end of the operating lever, the longitudinal axis of the pivot axle is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the rod-shaped actuator, and the operating lever is also pivotally connected to a force-transferring arm by a force-transferring arm pivot axle at an end of the operating lever opposite end of the operating lever provided with the pivot axle, and the force-transferring arm pivots a clamping arm support axle that can move in opposing vertical directions (T-V) in the chuck, and the operating lever is flat on the side facing the end of the chuck and forms a two-armed lever at the upper end of the movement of the rod-shaped actuator with a thrust bearing in the chuck when it is moved downward (V), and the clamping arm exerts a constant or nearly constant clamping force on the metal plate component that is to be clamped in place over a clamping area to the end of the clamp when it moves downward (V), parallel to the upward movement (C) of the rod-shaped actuator, when it comes in contact with the metal plate component, wherein the operating lever has an integrally formed cam-shaped actuating lobe on a flat side of the operating lever facing the thrust bearing in the chuck, which rises smoothly and gradually from the flat side toward the force-transferring arm pivot axle, and imposes a vertical movement (V) on the force-transferring arm and the clamping arm support axle in the chuck when it comes in contact with the thrust bearing, and the force-transferring arm is braced against a shaped sliding element in one or both halves or parts of the chuck, such that a defined vertical movement (V-T) is obtained, wherein the connecting line between the pivotal center of the clamping arm support axle and the force-transferring arm pivot axle forms a straight line in the clamped position, and the extension of this connecting line runs in a straight line through the middle of the thrust bearing.