The invention provides a method for polishing or planarizing a substrate of at least one of semiconductor, optical and magnetic substrates. The method includes attaching a polymer-polymer composite polishing pad having a polishing layer to a polishing device. A hydrophilic polymeric matrix forms the polishing layer. Cationic fluoropolymer particles having nitrogen-containing end groups are embedded in the polymeric matrix. A slurry containing anionic particles is applied to the polymer-polymer composite polishing pad and rubbed against the substrate to polish or planarize the substrate with the fluoropolymer particles interacting with the anionic particles to increase polishing removal rate.

The invention provides a method for polishing or planarizing a substrate of at least one of semiconductor, optical and magnetic substrates. The method includes attaching a polymer-polymer composite polishing pad having a polishing layer to a polishing device. A hydrophilic polymeric matrix forms the polishing layer. Cationic fluoropolymer particles having nitrogen-containing end groups are embedded in the polymeric matrix. A slurry containing anionic particles is applied to the polymer-polymer composite polishing pad and rubbed against the substrate to polish or planarize the substrate with the fluoropolymer particles interacting with the anionic particles to increase polishing removal rate.

Provided is a control device for a machine tool, the control device being capable of more appropriately and easily determining a swing condition. A control device 10 for a machine tool for swinging a work piece and a tool relatively to each other to perform machining, the control device 10 comprising a storage unit 15 which stores correspondence between a machining condition and a swing condition, the machining condition being at least one of specifications of the work piece, specifications of the tool, a machining method and a machining shape, a swing condition determination unit 16 which selects a swing condition to be used for the machining on the basis of the correspondence stored in the storage unit 15, and a swing command generation unit 18 which generates a swing command on the basis of the swing condition selected by the swing condition determination unit 16.

A magnetic-field-guidance system and methods of finishing a workpiece using a magnetic-field-guidance system are provided. The magnetic-field-guidance system comprises a workpiece holder, one or more tooling magnets each comprising a finishing tip, and one or more flexible bags containing magnetic media. The workpiece holder is configured to (a) be secured to a base and (b) secure a workpiece relative to the base. The flexible bag(s) are configured to be disposed on the opposite side and/or same side of the workpiece relative to the one or more tooling magnets. In collaboration with the tooling magnets, the magnetic media contained with the flexible bag(s) direct a magnetic field which thereby guides a magnetic-abrasive slurry to finish the workpiece using Magnetic Abrasive Finishing (MAF).

A method for treating a surface of flooring includes applying a composition that includes a silicate to a surface of the flooring and, while the composition is present on the surface, polishing or burnishing the surface. The silicate may be a lithium polysilicate and/or a colloidal silica. The composition may further include a surfactant and/or a leveling agent. When the composition is applied to the surface of the flooring, gravity may enable it to spread substantially evenly across the surface. The acts of applying and polishing or burnishing may be repeated. Such a treatment may result in a surface that has a glossiness of at least 80, as measured by a gloss meter set to a 60° angle of incidence.

A method for treating a surface of flooring includes applying a composition that includes a silicate to a surface of the flooring and, while the composition is present on the surface, polishing or burnishing the surface. The silicate may be a lithium polysilicate and/or a colloidal silica. The composition may further include a surfactant and/or a leveling agent. When the composition is applied to the surface of the flooring, gravity may enable it to spread substantially evenly across the surface. The acts of applying and polishing or burnishing may be repeated. Such a treatment may result in a surface that has a glossiness of at least 80, as measured by a gloss meter set to a 60° angle of incidence.

A method of machining a workpiece using a machine tool, the machine tool comprising a tool mount carrying a tool, a workpiece mount carrying a workpiece, a drive mechanism for moving at least one of the tool mount and the workpiece mount relative to the other, and a control arrangement for controlling the drive mechanism. The method comprises moving at least one of the tool mount and the workpiece mount with the drive mechanism under the control of the control arrangement so that the tool contacts a portion of the workpiece to commence a machining operation, and the tool then removes material from the portion of the workpiece until completion of the machining operation, the movement being such that the relative velocity between the tool and the workpiece decreases continuously during the majority of the time that the tool and the workpiece are in contact with each other during the machining operation.

A method of machining a workpiece using a machine tool, the machine tool comprising a tool mount carrying a tool, a workpiece mount carrying a workpiece, a drive mechanism for moving at least one of the tool mount and the workpiece mount relative to the other, and a control arrangement for controlling the drive mechanism. The method comprises moving at least one of the tool mount and the workpiece mount with the drive mechanism under the control of the control arrangement so that the tool contacts a portion of the workpiece to commence a machining operation, and the tool then removes material from the portion of the workpiece until completion of the machining operation, the movement being such that the relative velocity between the tool and the workpiece decreases continuously during the majority of the time that the tool and the workpiece are in contact with each other during the machining operation.

Provided is a polishing method that can efficiently achieve a surface of a super-hard material from which latent defects are precisely eliminated. The polishing method provided by the present invention is used for polishing a substrate made of a material having a Vickers hardness of 1500 Hv or higher. The polishing method includes: a step of carrying out preliminary polishing on the substrate using a preliminary polishing composition; and a step of carrying out final polishing on the preliminarily polished substrate using a final polishing composition. Here, a surface roughness Ra.sub.PRE of the preliminarily polished substrate measured by an AFM is 0.1 nm or less, and a polishing removal in the final polishing step is 0.3 .Math.m or more.

A method for producing a glass article is provided. The method for producing a glass article, the method including preparing a glass to be processed, the glass comprising a glass bulk and a low-refractive surface layer disposed on the glass bulk, and etching away the low-refractive surface layer to form an etched glass, wherein the etching away the low-refractive surface layer comprises: cleaning the low-refractive surface layer with an acid solution; and cleaning the low-refractive surface layer with a base solution after the cleaning it with the acid solution.