CLAMPING DEVICE

PURPOSE:To facilitate the insertion of a workpiece and elongate the life of a self-aligning device by providing a workpiece clamping section displaceably relative to a base body such as robot arm through the self-aligning device while providing a inclination regulating member and a displacement regulating member on the base body. CONSTITUTION:When a workpiece 25 is clamped by claws 18 of a clamping device 12 attached to a base body 11 of a robot arm 13 to be inserted into a chuck 26 of a lathe, downward rotational moment acts on a self-aligning device 19 and an elastic body 19c receives on the underside a compressive force to slant a clamping section 16. However, the clamping section is not slanted since upper and lower guides 20, 21 of inclination regulating members contact slidably an auxiliary frame 17 and a main frame 15. Also, when some misalignment takes place and the workpiece 25 clamped by the clamping device 12 is clamped with a chuck 26, the clamping section 14 is displaced downward by the elastic deformation of self-aligning device 19, while the limit position is regulated by a displacement regulating member 23. Thus, the insertion of workpiece into the chuck is facilitated while the life of self-aligning device can be elongated.