Apparatus for transferring pieces of optical glass material

A transfer mechanism for transferring optical glass material to be molded into an optical element, from a container holding a large number of work pieces of said optical glass material, each having a curved surface contour on upper and lower sides, onto a molding surface of a lower mold member of a mold unit located at a work loading station of a molding line,

• said transfer mechanism comprising:
• a suction nozzle having a suction pad at a lower distal end thereof for gripping a surface of said optical glass material;
• a lift means adapted to move said suction nozzle member up and down in the vertical direction;
• a tubular positioning member relatively movably fitted around said nozzle member and adapted to engage with outer peripheral edges of said optical glass material to hold same in position relative to said suction nozzle;
• a support member adapted to support said positioning member in such a way as to permit the latter to move vertically over a predetermined stroke length relative to said lift means;
• and
• a stroke delimiting means provided between said support member and lift means, and adapted to limited a downward stroke of said support member when a lower end of said positioning member is lowered into engagement with outer peripheral edges of said optical glass material.