A vacuum chuck system may include a vacuum chuck and a vacuum stopper collection and dispensing system. The vacuum chuck may include a ceramic plate with a retaining surface. The retaining surface may include a plurality of depressions and a plurality of openings, each of the openings being disposed on a bottom surface of one of the depressions and fluidly coupled to a vacuum pump. Vacuum stoppers may be used to seal one or more of the openings so as to restrict the vacuum area of the vacuum chuck. The vacuum stopper collection and dispensing system may be used to collect vacuum stoppers from and dispense vacuum stoppers onto the retaining surface. In addition or in the alternative, an electromagnet or a robotic arm may be used to move a vacuum stopper from a blocking position to a non-blocking position on the retaining surface.

The present disclosure relates to a fixing device arranged to be fastened to a machining head such as a drill head. A machine tool for machining workpieces such as metal sheets at a machining point is also disclosed. The workpieces may be machined from a machining side. A fastening device is included and adapted for fastening the fixing device to the machining head. A fixing head is included and adapted for releasably, locally fixing the workpiece on its machining side and adjacent to the machining point. A controller is included and configured to control the fixing and releasing of the fixing head on a workpiece.

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 machining support configured to reduce spring back of a sheet following a machining operation on the sheet is presented. The machining support comprises a porous material with a plurality of surfaces including a support surface having a contour configured to contact and support the sheet; sealing material covering each of the plurality of surfaces except the support surface; and a vacuum port configured to provide a vacuum to the porous material.

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 method and apparatus. The apparatus comprises a first portion of a tool and a second portion of the tool. The first portion of the tool has a first surface. The first surface has a shape that is complementary to a first portion of a part. The second portion has at least one of a second surface configured to be recessed from a second portion of the part or a hollow portion.

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).

The machine tool (1) includes a load-bearing structure (3) and a working head (9). The workpieces are supported and clamped on a support and clamping system (21) which includes a series of support beams (27) parallel to each other. The working head (9) and the support and clamping system (21) are movable with respect to each other according to a plurality of numerically controlled axes (X, Y, Z). Each beam (27) includes at least one mechanical clamping member (33) retractable approximately to the level of an upper surface (28) of the respective beam (27).

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.