The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for introducing boreholes into a surface of a workpiece (W) mounted in a stationary manner using a boring tool which is attached to the end face of an articulated-arm robot (KR) and which can be spatially positioned by said robot. The method has the following method steps: positioning the articulated-arm robot-guided boring tool at a spatial position which lies opposite a specified machining location on the workpiece surface at a specified distance therefrom, producing a rigid mechanical connection which supports the end face of the articulated-arm robot (KR) on the workpiece and which can be released from the workpiece surface, and machining the surface by moving the boring tool towards the machining location and subsequently engaging the boring tool with the workpiece (W) at the machining location on the workpiece surface while the end face of the articulated-arm robot (KR) is connected to the workpiece. The invention is characterized by the combination of the following method steps: the boring tool is moved towards the workpiece (W) by means of an NC advancing unit attached to the end face of the articulated-arm robot (KR), the boring process is monitored on the basis of information obtained using a sensor system which detects the position of the boring tool relative to the workpiece surface and which is attached to the end face of the articulated-arm robot (KR), and the boring process is terminated upon reaching a specified boring depth.

A method for fabricating vacuum tooling is disclosed using porous granular media. A sheet of steel webbing is affixed to a frame. A plurality of layers of fiberglass is affixed to the webbing. A vacuum port is installed through the webbing and plurality of layers of fiberglass. A granular media is mixed with epoxy to form a granular mixture. The granular mixture is layered over the plurality of layers of fiberglass to form a flat surface and machined for uniformity before sealing.

In a spindle device, a movable member is provided on a cover member, which is attached to a spindle housing and covers the outer peripheral surface of a chuck portion which is a disk-shaped rotating member. The movable member is moved by a gas flowing through a flow passage formed in the cover member and thereby brought into contact with the chuck portion. The movable member is electrically connected to a ground.

Disclosed herein is a dressing board for dressing a cutting blade. The dressing board is held on a chuck table in dressing the cutting blade. The dressing board includes a bar code formed on the front side of the dressing board for indicating kind information on the dressing board, and a groove code formed on the front side of the dressing board at an edge portion thereof, the groove code being composed of grooves having pattern corresponding to that of the bar code. Even when the bar code is cut off by the cutting blade in dressing the cutting blade, the kind information on the dressing board is indicated by the groove code left on the front side of the dressing board.

An autonomous processing station, in particular for machining a plate-shaped workpiece, for example, including a roller conveyor and a suction table disposed beneath the roller conveyor for clamping the workpiece. The roller conveyor includes movable rollers, in a longitudinal center region of the roller conveyor, so as to be movable to the side beneath stationary rollers at ends of the roller conveyor, so that the workpiece can be lowered through the resulting opening onto the suction table.

A system for supporting a workpiece is disclosed, wherein several heads with a suction cup define an engaging and supporting surface that is at least partially shaped like the workpiece. Each head with suction cup is coupled by a ball joint with a first movable element of a vertical linear actuator and is couplable by a removable fitting with a fork carried by a second movable element that rotates around a rotation axis that is coaxial with the axis of the linear actuator. The second movable element carries an abutment, spaced from the center of the ball joint against which the suction cup head abuts and moved by the linear actuator to perform the adjustment of the orientation thereof around the ball joint.

A variable spacing device includes a support member, a driving member, a number of movable graspers, a limiting block, and a pushing block. The movable graspers are slidably mounted in a line on the support member. Each movable grasper grasps a workpiece. The limiting block is mounted on the support member and arranged in parallel with the pushing member. The limiting block defines first sliding grooves having a length gradually decreasing along a same direction. The pushing block defines second sliding grooves having a length gradually increasing along a same direction. Each movable grasper moves within a corresponding one of the first sliding grooves and a corresponding one of the second sliding grooves. Two sidewalls of each first sliding groove and two sidewalls of each second sliding groove resist movement of the corresponding movable grasper.

Provided is a workpiece retention device that retains a frame which includes a workpiece main body and a lip flange and a base flange that are provided to the workpiece main body, wherein: the workpiece retention device comprises a plurality of grippers that are aligned in the lengthwise direction of the frame, and a horizontal movement mechanism and a vertical movement mechanism that move the plurality of grippers; the gripper each include: a lower block, a workpiece support pin that is provided to the lower block and that supports the frame, an upper block that can move toward the base flange of the supported frame, a block movement mechanism that moves the upper block; and a suction mechanism that is provided to the upper block and that suctions the workpiece main body on the base flange side.

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 method for machining a sputtering target that includes a sputtering surface, an opposing surface opposite to the sputtering surface, and an outer peripheral surface being between the sputtering surface and the opposing surface comprises the steps of: fixing the sputtering target on a fixing table by mounting the sputtering surface or the opposing surface of the sputtering target on the fixing table; and cutting the outer peripheral surface of the sputtering target by a cutting tool while rotating the cutting tool along a circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the sputtering target.