Loading device for a machine tool, particularly for machining panels of sheet metal or other materials

A loading device for a machine tool for machining panels which are singly placed onto a table one after the other with the aid of a supply means, said panels being brought into a predetermined position with the aid of a positioning means and subsequently engaged by gripping means of an automatic feeding means arranged above the machine table and moved into a machining position in the machine tool, the supply means and the feeding means being controlled by an automatic control device, preferably a numerical control, the improvement is characterized in that the positioning device comprises a positioning plane located between the supply means and the feeding means, first and second abutment means being provided at the positioning plane, the positioning device comprising positioning means adapted to be moved along two orthogonal axes by means of a positioning device and adapted to be brought into endgagement with a panel, in order to place it at first into contact with the first abutment means and subsequently with the second abutment means, with first or second abutment means getting into engagement with the rear edge of the panel looking in the direction of feeding, loading means being provided which are adapted to be brought into engagement with the panel in the positioning plane, said loading means being driven by means of a loading drive to reciprocate back and forth in order to bring the panel from the aligned loading position into a predetermined forward position of transfer in front of the gripping means of the feeding device, when the latter are disposed in the starting position, with the loading means passing through underneath the feeding means.