Wire-cut electric discharge machine

Abstract

A wire-cut electric discharge machine capable of taking out a cutoff piece smoothly upwardly of a workpiece even if the cutoff piece has a complicated shape, by holding the cutoff piece horizontally not to change an orientation thereof. The wire-cut electric discharge machine comprises a takeout head having a plurality of permanent magnets for holding the cutoff piece by magnetic force and a motion restriction member for restricting motion of the held cutoff piece relative to the permanent magnets. Sliding apparatus for sliding the plurality of magnets independently to project from and retract into the motion restricting member, transferring apparatus for transferring the takeout head and selecting apparatus for selecting at least one of the plurality of permanent magnets to exert the magnetic force on the cutoff piece in accordance with a shape of the cutoff piece are provided. The cutoff piece is held by the takeout head by projecting the selected permanent magnets from the motion restricting member by the sliding apparatus, and the held cutoff piece is released by retracting the selected permanent magnets into the motion restricting member by the sliding apparatus.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.