US Patent 7748302 Workpiece exchanging apparatus and lathe unit

A workpiece exchanging apparatus for exchanging a machined workpiece with an unmachined workpiece is provided, the workpiece exchanging apparatus including a gripping arm provided at its two longitudinal end sections with gripping sections for gripping, respectively, a machined workpiece and an unmachined workpiece, the gripping arm being able to turn around a turn axis that is positioned at a longitudinal center section of the gripping arm and being able to move linearly in the axial direction of that turn axis; a first cam mechanism for making the gripping arm turn; and a second cam mechanism for making the gripping arm linearly move.