Nut feeder for feeding nuts for resistance welding

A nut feeder for feeding nuts for resistance welding between upper and lower electrodes of nut resistance welding equipment capable of welding together a work and a nut placed between the upper and lower electrodes by turning on an electric current, the nut feeder comprising:

• a chute for feeding a plurality of nuts each having a threaded hole, in which the nuts are vertically arranged in one line such that each of the threaded holes makes a right angle with a longitudinal axis of the chute, a lower portion of an internal wall face of the chute being opened to an outside;
• a nut receiver for receiving the nuts from the chute, which is provided under the chute so as to be movable backwards and forwards in a direction toward a space between the upper and lower electrodes, the nut receiver having an upper face on which a pin fittable in the threaded hole of each of the nuts is disposed;
• a stopper provided such that the stopper is movable backwards and forwards in a direction toward the lower opened portion of the internal wall face of the chute, the stopper comprising a projection part which projects downward from a lower edge of a front face of the stopper, wherein when the stopper is moved forwards, the stopper pushes an adjacently disposed nut against the internal wall face of the chute to hold the nut;
• and
• nut receiver drive means for moving the nut receiver together with the pin backwards to have the pin hit the projection portion of the stopper so that the stopper is moved backward, thereby to shift the nut such that one of two edges thereof is placed ahead of the pin of the nut receiver while the other edge thereof is leaned against the front face of the stopper and for moving the nut receiver together with the pin forwards so that the nut falls down and the pin of the nut receiver is fitted in the threaded hole of the fallen nut and the stopper is moved forward and for further moving the nut receiver together with the pin fitted in the threaded hole of the nut forwards to a position under the upper electrode.