Device to insert hairpin springs on plates, especially for nuclear fuel spacer grids

The present device allows to insert hairpin springs on a plate provided with apertures allowing to weld locally the branches one to the other one. It comprises movable elements which receive a plate in vertical position while moving it in the sense of the length to bring it in successive positions, each one corresponding to the coming of one of the zones receiving the springs to an insertion emplacement where centering means maintain temporarily the plate in the said successive positions. A vibrating rail guides the springs to an emplacement where a clamp takes each spring by the extremity of one of its branches, then moves in a plane perpendicular to the plane along a way to introduce the other branch of the spring in the plate