Fluid bearing workholder for precision centering
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsDustin A. Cochran, Mark G. Steele
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Abstract
A workholder comprising a body comprising a fluid bearing and a fluid, wherein the fluid bearing is adapted to releasably retain a workpiece by maintaining the fluid in a gap between the workholder and the workpiece, wherein the fluid bearing is adapted to produce a radial and/or an axial force on the workpiece, and wherein the workholder does not include a mechanical interface to releasably retain the workpiece is disclosed. Also, methods of using and manufacturing the workholder are disclosed herein.
Claims20
A workholder comprising a body comprising a fluid bearing and a fluid, wherein the fluid bearing is adapted to releasably retain a workpiece by maintaining the fluid in a gap between the workholder and the workpiece, wherein the fluid bearing is adapted to produce a radial and/or an axial force on the workpiece, and wherein the workholder does not include a mechanical interface to releasably retain the workpiece.
A method of holding a workpiece with a workholder comprising a body comprising a fluid bearing and a fluid, wherein the method comprises placing the workpiece in the fluid bearing, maintaining the fluid in a gap between the workholder and the workpiece, and releasably retaining the workpiece in the workholder, wherein the fluid bearing is adapted to produce a radial and/or an axial force on the workpiece, and wherein the workholder does not include a mechanical interface to releasably retain the workpiece.
A method of manufacturing a workholder comprising assembling a fluid bearing adapted to releasably retain a workpiece by maintaining the fluid in a gap between the workholder and the workpiece, wherein the fluid bearing is adapted to produce a radial and/or an axial force on the workpiece, and wherein the workholder does not include a mechanical interface to releasably retain the workpiece and an external driver/rotor assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.