Workpiece transport device

A manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

• a workpiece transport device;
• a die apparatus;
• and
• a conveying device, wherein
• the die apparatus includes a lower die assembly and an upper die assembly, the upper die assembly is configured to be moved up and down with respect to the lower die assembly,
• the die apparatus is configured for punching out a workpiece from an unprocessed piece of material through cooperation of the lower die assembly and the upper die assembly, and discharging downward the punched-out workpiece, caught inside the upper die assembly,
• the conveying device includes a conveying surface for conveying the workpiece in a horizontal direction,
• the workpiece transport device is configured to transport the workpiece discharged from the upper die assembly to the conveying device,
• the workpiece transport device comprises a moving mechanism and a plate,
• the moving mechanism includes:
• a pinion that is provided in the upper die assembly and is supported to be rotatable about an axis extending in a vertical direction;
• a conversion mechanism that is configured to convert vertical motion of the upper die assembly into rotational motion of the pinion;
• and
• a rack that is provided in the upper die assembly, is supported so as to be slidable in a conveying direction of the workpiece, and is moved in the conveying direction as the pinion rotates, the rack is configured to move vertically to a top dead center position, a middle position, and a bottom dead center position, as the upper die assembly moves up and down with respect to the lower die assembly,
• the plate is coupled to the rack and is configured to receive the workpiece discharged from the upper die assembly at a receiving position immediately below the upper die assembly as the rack is located at the top dead center position,
• the moving mechanism is configured to move, as the rack moves from the top dead center position to the bottom dead center position, the plate from the receiving position to a position that is away from the die apparatus in the conveying direction and is below the conveying surface, and
• an outer peripheral surface of the pinion includes a toothed portion having teeth and a toothless portion that does not mesh with the rack as the rack moves between the bottom dead center position and the middle position, the middle position is between the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position.