The present invention provides a substrate treating apparatus, including: a treatment container having a treatment space therein; a support unit for supporting and rotating the substrate in the treatment space; and a liquid supply unit for supplying a liquid onto the substrate, in which wherein the support unit includes: a body on which the substrate is seated; and a support shaft coupled to the body, and an upper surface of the body is provided with a central portion including a center of the body and an edge portion surrounding the central portion, and a vacuum hole is formed in the central portion, and a groove is formed in the edge portion.

A workpiece carriage for workpiece transport includes a guide unit oriented in a longitudinal direction, a drive unit having an electrical supply and a drive motor, and a workpiece gripping unit having two clamping jaws movable relative to one another. A machine tool includes at least one workpiece table, with at least one tool unit movable relative to the workpiece table and with at least two workpiece carriages that are displaceable individually in the longitudinal direction along a machine bed of the machine tool. A manufacturing cell includes such a machine tool and a workpiece supply. The two clamping jaws of the workpiece gripping unit can be displaced relative to one another in a height direction oriented normal to the longitudinal direction and normal to a transverse direction oriented normal to the longitudinal direction. This expands the possible applications of the workpiece carriage.

A cylinder case includes a first main path communicating first port with an end surface, a second main path communicating a second port with the end surface, first and second front chamber paths respectively communicating a front chamber with the end surface, and first and second rear chamber paths respectively communicating a rear chamber with the end surface. A manifold block includes a first intermediate path communicating first and second manifold holes opened in an abutting surface with each other and a second intermediate path communicating third and fourth manifold holes opened in the abutting surface. The manifold block configured to be attached and fixed to the cylinder case such that the abutting surface is abutted against the end surface and a relative position of the abutting surface with respect to the end surface portion is capable of being selected from a first position and a second position.

An embodiment of the present invention simplifies the configuration of a suction positioning device. An embodiment of the present invention includes: an output rod (3) having an air discharge passage (11); a sleeve (4) which has a tapered outer circumferential surface (12) and is elastically deformable so as to have a reduced diameter; a transmission member (5) having a tapered inner circumferential surface (13); a plurality of balls (B) which are inserted between the tapered inner circumferential surface (13) and the tapered outer circumferential surface (12); and a suction pad (7) attached to the output rod (3) so as to communicate with the air discharge passage (11).

A substrate processing apparatus including a substrate support unit connected to a vacuum pump to fix a substrate is provided. The substrate processing apparatus comprises a chamber including a processing space therein, a substrate support unit disposed in the processing space and for supporting a substrate, a first vacuum pump, a second vacuum pump connected to the processing space of the chamber, a first valve disposed between the first vacuum pump and the second vacuum pump, and a second valve disposed between the first vacuum pump and the substrate support unit, wherein the first vacuum pump reduces a pressure in a space between the substrate support unit and the substrate to fix the substrate to the substrate support unit in response to the second valve being turned on.

A workpiece holding apparatus includes: a main body; at least one shaft member capable of coming into contact with a workpiece; a clamping device into which the shaft member is inserted, the clamping device being attached to the main body and capable of switching between an unclamping state that releases the shaft member and a clamping state that clamps the shaft member; and a trigger member configured to switch the clamping device between the unclamping state and the clamping state. The trigger member comes into direct contact with the workpiece, or comes into indirect contact with the workpiece via at least a part of the shaft member, thus moving relative to the main body, and the clamping device switches from the unclamping state to the clamping state.

A method of monitoring a tool clamping device mounted on a machine spindle, the clamping force of which tool clamping device is generated by a spring assembly which exerts a force in the direction of the clamping position on an actuating element actuating the clamping or the release of a tool or tool holder. In the method, the spring force and the displacement of the actuating element are continuously measured during the release and/or clamping of a tool or tool holder and recorded as functions of the time. These recorded functions are used to identify at least one parameter characteristic for the status of the tool clamping device. Based on the spring force and the displacement over time, a spring characteristic curve is plotted in the form of the spring force as a function of displacement, the analysis of which spring characteristic curve provides information about a number of characteristic parameters.

Systems and methods are provided for gripping of a workpiece with a layer jamming structure having rigid datum structures. A system includes a layer jamming structure configurable in an inactivated conformable state, with a membrane defining an internal cavity containing a number of overlapping material layers. The rigid structures engage the layer jamming structure. A pressure system includes a pump coupled with the internal cavity to change a pressure therein to transform the layer jamming structure from the inactivated conformable state to an activated rigid state disposed around the workpiece. The rigid structures help conform the layer jamming structure to the workpiece during transformation to the activated rigid state and to present datum fixturing surfaces in the activated rigid state.

The present invention makes a rotary movement smooth, the rotary movement allowing direct detection of the movement of an output member of a rotary clamp. In a clamp, an output member is accommodated in a cylinder hole. A first valve chamber, to which compressed air is supplied, is provided between a lower wall of a housing and the output member. A second valve chamber is a hollowed out portion of the output member so as to be provided open toward the first valve chamber. A valve rod is inserted into the second valve chamber from the lower wall. A valve rod passage that allows the second valve chamber to communicate with outside air is provided in the valve rod, and a seal section is provided in a peripheral gap where the valve rod and the second valve chamber move relatively to one another. The gap is formed so that, as the valve rod and the second valve chamber are in relative movement, there is a region which is sealed by the seal section against movement of the compressed air through the gap between the valve rod and the second seal chamber and the there is a region which is open from the seal.

A method for evacuating a volume below a substrate in a substrate processing system includes arranging the substrate on a lift mechanism of a substrate support to define the volume below the substrate between the substrate and an upper surface of the substrate support. An evacuation step is initiated to evacuate the volume below the substrate. The evacuation step includes pumping down the volume below the substrate at least one of through and around the lift mechanism. The lift mechanism is lowered during the evacuation step to position the substrate on the upper surface of the substrate support and the evacuation step is terminated.