Apparatus for dispensing parts

Apparatus for dispensing an individual part from a stack of identical parts wherein each part includes at least two spaced sites susceptible to magnetic attraction and an electrical conductive pathway interconnecting said sites, comprising:

• (a) a supply magazine for receiving the stack of parts,
• (b) an elevator disposed in the supply magazine for supporting the stack of parts and movable to raise the stack for positioning an uppermost part of the stack at a pick-up position,
• (c) an electrical motor actuable to raise the elevator,
• (d) a pick-up member movable to a load position above the pick-up position and comprising at least two spaced magnetic contacts, each contact being disposed for contact with a respective magnetically susceptible site of the uppermost part at the pick-up position, said magnetic contacts having sufficient magnetic attraction force relative to said sites to lift said uppermost part from the stack, and
• (e) control circuit means for actuating the electrical motor to raise the stack toward the pick-up member positioned at the load position to bring the sites of said uppermost part into contact with said pick-up member contacts, said control circuit means comprising a switch for generating a motor stop signal for deactuating the electrical motor to thereby stop the elevator, said switch comprising the pick-up member magnetic contacts and being closed by a part therebetween whereby when said pick-up member is at said load position, said control circuit means actuates said motor to raise the stack and thereby bring the uppermost part into contact with the pick-up member magnetic contacts, whereupon said switch is closed to deactuate the motor and thereby discontinue raising of the elevator.