PURPOSE: To provide an apparatus for taking up sheet-like material, which comprises a vacuum attracting means having a portion capable of coming into and out of contact with the uppermost one of sheet-like materials stacked on each other, wherein sheet-like materials can be taken up correctly one by one by blowing air toward the top end portion of the stack of sheet-like materials from means disposed adjacently of the uppermost sheet at one end of the stack.

CONSTITUTION: When actuator rod 11 is lowered and teeth 5b of clutch 5 come out of engagement with the top of pawl plate 12, clutch 5 is turned clockwise and the lower end portion of attacting means 19 is brought into contact with the uppermost surface of the stack of sheetlike materials 23, by means of driven shaft 3 and cam 4. At the same time, a attracting means 19 is connected to a vacuum pump to attract the uppermost sheet 23. When means 19 is raised upward with further turning of cam 4, sheet 23 that has been retained at its top end on both sides by retainer 25a of retaining plate 25 comes out of engagement with the retainer plate 25. Then, air is blown from nozzle 29a into the space formed between the uppermost sheet 23 attracted upward by means 19 and the lower sheet, whereby the uppermost sheet can be separated positively from the lower sheets.