A sucker includes: a main body having a bottom face formed with an annular abutment; a disc body made of a flexible material having a tapered annular wall, the disc body being disposed under the bottom face of the main body, an outer circumference of the annular wall being formed with a lip edge positioned below the annular contact area; an air chamber being formed in the disc body; an air-sucking passage and a fast flow way; the air-sucking passage having a first end in communication with the air chamber of the disc body and a second end passing through the disc body and the main body to communicate with the fast flow way. When the sucker sucks a surface of an object, the air in the air-sucking passage is sucked into the fast flow way.

An assembly is provided that includes a mineral-based monolithic support for full-surface supporting of a workpiece during processing and transportation and a workpiece supported thereon, wherein the surface of the support is designed so that adherence of the supported workpiece is prevented, and wherein the support has provisions with means inserted therein, which permit to lift the workpiece from the support from below and/or to shift the workpiece laterally, and furthermore relates to a mineral-based monolithic support suitable for this purpose.

To provide a levitation air plate that can be easily manufactured and can float a substance being conveyed such as a glass while maintaining its high rigidity and controlling a floating amount in high accuracy. A levitation air plate 1 provided with: a top plate 2 in which a plurality of air ejection holes 2c and suction holes 2d penetrating from an upper surface 2a to a lower surface 2b are arranged in alternating fashion as viewed from the upper surface, the top plate 2 having a counter-bored portion 2e on the lower surface side of each of the plurality of air ejection holes; an orifice sheet 3 having a plurality of orifices 3c penetrating from an upper surface 3a to a lower surface 3b in positions corresponding to the counter-bored portions of the top plate, and having communicating holes 3d communicated one-to-one with the suction holes of the top plate and penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface; and bottom side plates 4, 5 having an air supply channel 4c and an air supply hole 5c for supplying air to all of the orifices drilled in the orifice sheet, and an air suction channel 4d and a suction hole 5d for suctioning air from all of the communicating holes communicated with the suction holes.

A powered pump unit is adapted to operate with a vacuum cup device having a pump cylinder for a manually operated vacuum pump. The powered pump unit includes a pump unit housing, a power source receiver, a vacuum pump, a pump drive, and a sealing arrangement. The pump unit housing is adapted to be received in the pump cylinder in an operating position after the piston is removed from the pump cylinder. The power source receiver, vacuum pump, and pump drive are each mounted on the pump unit housing and at least one of them is at least partially located in the pump cylinder when the pump unit housing is in the operating position. The pump drive is operatively connected to drive the vacuum pump to produce a vacuum that is applied to the vacuum cup of the vacuum cup device.

A glass carrier is provided, wherein the glass carrier includes: a frame including two frame bodies, the two frame bodies being connected to each other and angularly adjustable relative to each other; and a plurality of suction devices connected to the two frame bodies respectively, each of the suction devices including a suction cup including an attachment surface configured to be air-tightly attached to a surface of a glass member; wherein an angle between the attachment surfaces of two of the suction cups of the plurality of suction devices which are disposed respectively on the two frame bodies is adjustable by adjusting an angle between the two frame bodies.

A manufacturing method for a glass film includes at least a cutting step of cutting a strip-shaped glass film while conveying the glass film in a predetermined direction by a conveying device. In the cutting step, the glass film is cut in predetermined cutting zones by irradiating the glass film with laser beams. A support conveyance surface of the conveying device for the glass film is separated at the cutting zones for the glass film. Further, a first surface plate capable of supporting the glass film in a contact manner is disposed at a position that is located in a width direction of the glass film with respect to the cutting zones and corresponds to a center of a glass film obtained by the cutting in the width direction.

A vacuum cup is described comprising a body portion having an elongate cavity and a contact surface for contacting a glass sheet to form a chamber with the elongate cavity and the glass sheet. An opening in the body portion is in fluid communication with the elongate cavity for connection to a low-pressure source so that the contact surface can form a seal with the glass sheet to attach the vacuum cup to the glass sheet. The periphery of the elongate cavity has major and minor axes orthogonal to one another, the major axis being longer than the minor axis. The periphery of the elongate cavity has first and second end portions at respective ends of the major axis, the first end portion being larger than the second end portion. Methods of using such vacuum cups to support a glass sheet during processing are also described.