A supplementary support assembly for a workpiece support assembly of a semi-stationary machine tool, wherein a workpiece support body of the workpiece support assembly has a base supporting surface, which is substantially horizontal in use, for supporting a workpiece for sawing by a tool of the machine tool, wherein the supplementary support assembly has a supplementary supporting surface and a support body with support body mounting means for detachably mounting on the workpiece support assembly, wherein when the supplementary support assembly is mounted on the workpiece support assembly the supplementary supporting surface is at least substantially aligned with the base supporting surface.

Disclosed is a substrate displacing assembly so as to improve its durability during a semiconductor processing. In one embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing system, includes, a substrate holder, wherein the substrate holder is configured with a plurality of pins; and a substrate displacing assembly for displacing a substrate on the substrate holder in a first direction perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate holder through the plurality of pins, wherein the substrate displacing assembly comprises a pair of load forks, a coupler and a driving shaft, wherein the pair of load forks comprises a fork region and a base region, wherein the coupler is mechanically coupled to the base region through at least one first joining screw extending in the first direction, wherein the coupler is further mechanically coupled to the driving shaft through a second joining screw extending in the first direction.

A hot plate in which holes are formed in proximity pins. The holes of the proximity pins are connected to vacuum holes to suppress generation of air flow during substrate heat treatment. A substrate heat-treating apparatus including the hot plate, and a method of fabricating the hot plate. The hot plate includes: a body with a heater; a plurality of first holes pass through the body in a downward direction; a plurality of proximity pins formed on the body support the substrate such that the substrate does not contact the top of the body. A plurality of second holes formed in at least some of the proximity pins and pass through the proximity pins in the downward direction from surfaces of the proximity pins. The first and second holes are connected to each other, and a vacuum is created inside the first and second holes to fix the substrate.

An apparatus and method for uniformly holding a substrate without flexure or bending of the substrate, thereby enabling accurate shape measurements of the substrate such as wafer curvature, z-height values and other surface characteristics. Techniques include using a liquid as a supporting surface for a substrate thereby providing uniform support. Liquid used has a same specific gravity of a substrate being supported so that the substrate can float on the liquid without sinking. Uniform support of the substrate enables precision metrology.

The invention relates to a round dental blank holding ring, in particular having a holding projection (22) forming an undercut, wherein the holding ring (10) consists of at least two components (26, 28), the harder one of which overlaps the softer one.

A magnetic pick-up tool, including a handle, a magnetic attraction head, and a telescopic rod. The magnetic attraction head is disposed in front of the handle. A first magnet is disposed on the magnetic attraction head. A front end of the telescopic rod is connected to a rear end of the magnetic attraction head. A rear end of the telescopic rod is connected to the handle. An illuminating lamp device capable of emitting light forwards is disposed on the magnetic attraction head. The illuminating lamp device capable of emitting light forwards is disposed on the magnetic attraction head and may be turned on as required for achieving free switching of auxiliary illumination, which have a wider illumination range on sides in a dark environment, so that users may pick up objects well and convenience is brought to the users.

A method for unloading a substrate from a support table configured to support the substrate, the method including: supplying gas to a gap between a base surface of the support table and the substrate via a plurality of gas flow openings in the support table, wherein during an initial phase of unloading the gas is supplied through at least one gas flow opening in an outer region of the support table and not through any gas flow opening in a central region of the support table radially inward of the outer region, and during a subsequent phase of unloading the gas is supplied through at least one gas flow opening in the outer region and at least one gas flow opening in the central region.

A driver device may comprise a housing and a hole located on the housing. The hole may comprise a sealing lip. The driver device may comprise a bit holder located within the housing, and a bit socket located on the bit holder. The bit socket may be aligned with the hole, such that inserting a bit into the bit socket also inserts the bit into the hole. The driver device may comprise a spring located within the bit socket. The spring may cause an inserted bit to partially exit the hole in the absence of an external force pushing the it against the spring. The driver device may comprise a vacuum component connected to the housing, and a vacuum chamber within the housing.

A suction device for retaining and/or transporting objects, comprising a main supporting body (2) and at least one operating plate (3) provided with suction holes (7) connected to and suction means, in which the operating plate (3) is removably associated with the main supporting body (2) and has a second connecting face (5) coupled to a first connecting face (4) of the main supporting body (2), and in which the device also comprises one or more magnets (13) and one or more ferromagnetic bodies (14), each ferromagnetic body (14) being magnetically coupled to one or more magnets (13) when the operating plate (3) is associated with the main supporting body (2) for keeping the operating plate (3) fastened to the main supporting body (2), each magnet (13) and the ferromagnetic body (14) magnetically coupled to it being constrained respectively one to the operating plate (3), the other to the main supporting body (2).

A vacuum chuck is provided, comprising: a vacuum buffer in fluid communication with a vacuum source, the vacuum buffer being an enclosed volume in the vacuum chuck; a top plate, defining surface features on a first side, and an internal network of distribution channels open to the first side via through holes; and a flow valve configured to control fluid communication between the network of distribution channels and the vacuum buffer. By opening the flow valve, negative pressure is applied from between a substrate disposed on the first side of the top plate through the through holes into the vacuum buffer, thereby flattening the substrate against at least part of the first side of the top plate.