A grinding method for grinding a workpiece includes a first grinding step of grinding the workpiece in such a manner that an outer circumferential part of the workpiece becomes thinner than a central part of the workpiece, a measurement step of measuring the thickness of the workpiece at the outer circumferential part, and a second grinding step of grinding the workpiece. In the second grinding step, the grinding is started from the central part of the workpiece and the grinding is ended when the workpiece reaches a finished thickness decided based on the thickness of the workpiece at the outer circumferential part measured in the measurement step.

A method of machining a fibrous sheet for a composite structure is described. The sheet comprises a resin matrix having a glass transition temperature, wherein the method comprises cooling the sheet substantially to maintain the temperature of the matrix below its glass transition temperature during machining.

A grinding machine includes a support and a board which is connected to the connection portion of the support. The board has a first opening and a second opening. A transportation device is connected across over the first and second openings. A grinding device has a driving portion and a grinding portion which is connected to the driving portion. The driving portion is connected to the support so that the grinding portion is located above the transportation device. An angle adjustment device is connected between the board and the transportation device so as to adjust inclination of the transportation device so as to grind a larger area of an object.

A glass-plate working apparatus 1 includes: two grinding worktables 17A and 17B which undergo NC controlled movement or angularly controlled rotation independently of each other and a grinding head 18 which undergoes NC controlled movement in correspondence with the grinding worktables 17A and 17B, wherein the grinding worktables 17A and 17B are adapted to alternately move in a planar coordinate system in cooperation with the grinding head 18 and alternately repeat operation in which while one of the grinding worktables 17A and 17B, while holding a glass plate 2, is effecting the grinding of the glass plate 2 by the grinding head 18, the other one of the grinding worktables 17A and 17B effects an operation of discharging the glass plate 2 and receiving a next glass plate 2, to thereby allow the grinding head 18 to proceed with grinding on a continual basis.

A chuck table in an edge trimming apparatus includes a ring table that sucks and holds a lower surface of an outer circumferential part of the wafer by a wafer suction surface and a base table that holds the ring table in such a manner that the wafer suction surface is exposed. The base table includes a support surface that supports a lower surface of the ring table held by a ring table holding mechanism and a communicating port that is formed in the support surface and causes the wafer suction surface to communicate with a suction source. The ring table has a wafer suction hole having an opening in the wafer suction surface in such a manner as to be capable of connecting to the communicating port. The wafer suction surface is planarized by grinding the wafer suction surface by an abrasive stone.

In a holding surface correction processing step, a shape of a holding surface is corrected by an etching mechanism in such a manner as to have a surface shape similar to that of an upper surface of a test grinding wafer having been ground in a test grinding step. As a result, at a time of a grinding step, when a holding section of a chuck table communicates with a suction source and a product wafer is held under suction on the holding surface, the holding surface becomes a substantially flat surface, and a radius part of the holding surface becomes parallel to a lower surface of a wafer grinding grindstone. Hence, it is possible to prevent partial thickness differences from being generated in the product wafer having been ground by the wafer grinding grindstone.

Described herein are examples of material removal machines with work tables separated by an air gap. In some examples. the air gap may provide space for a material removal tool of the material removal machine to extend between and substantially below the work tables to effect a deep cut on a workpiece that extends across the air gap. In some examples. a table actuator may be configured to move the work tables in tandem, allowing for the work tables and/or work piece to be moved to the material removal tool, rather than vice versa. Efficient design of the work tables and material removal machine ensures that the air gap between the work tables remains unobstructed all the way to a floor of the material removal machine. and ensures that the space underneath the work tables is sufficient for fluid/debris drainage and operator access.

A single station shaper sander that uses a quick change retractable shaper and a quick change retractable profile sander is described. The shaper generates a profile in a substrate, and then the sander sands the profile in the substrate without intermediate removal of the substrate. Both the shaper and sander are retractable, moving away from the substrate when retracted, and are moved into contact with the substrate when engaged. Either an operator or automatic controls may be used to engage and retract the shaper or sander, so as to minimize operator access to dangerous moving surfaces on either. Further, each sander or shaper may have removable tools that are temporarily affixed to a spindle, affording tool changes of 15 seconds or less.

A substrate thinning apparatus includes a chuck table capable of supporting a substrate, a rotatable grinding device which includes a wheel tip capable of grinding the substrate supported by the chuck table, and a cleaning device configured to perform synchronized cleaning of the wheel tip while the grinding device is rotated. When the substrate thinning apparatus is used, even an extremely thin semiconductor device can be fabricated with substantial reliability.

A grinding table apparatus, liquid crystal display glass grinder and grinding method are disclosed, the apparatus including, a liftable central platform, a liftable outer-ring platform provided with a hollow slot, and a peripheral platform, the central platform being in the hollow slot of the outer-ring platform, and at one side of the peripheral platform together with the outer-ring platform, when the central platform is lifted to be coplanar with the peripheral platform, fixedly installing a first panel on the central platform, moving the peripheral platform to make an edge of the first panel exposed out, when the central platform and the outer-ring platform are both lifted to be coplanar with the peripheral platform, fixedly installing a second panel on the central platform and the outer-ring platform, moving the peripheral platform to make an edge of the second panel exposed out, the first panel being smaller than the second panel.