Holding curved workpieces
AssigneeVereinigte Flugtechnische Werke GmbH
InventorHelmut Eickhorst
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Large, spherically preshaped, thin workpieces are held and clamped in discrete, well-defined points under utilization of holding and clamping elements in which a portion of a head is universally pivotable about a point being the center of a sealing rim for a plenum chamber adjacent the engaging workpiece in which plenum chamber high pressure is established so that the workpiece can slide above the rim on an air cushion while it is being held through application of below-atmospheric suction pressure in the plenum.
Claims10
A positioning and holding element for workpieces, having a base and a head part, the base provided for fastening to a stand, frame, table or the like, the head having a concave calotta shaped spherical surface the improvement comprising:
- a convex member seated in said concave surface, having a rim portion for engaging the surface of a workpiece and defining a plane of such engagement, the member being hollow for defining a plenum chamber;
- the concave and convex surfaces being configured so that upon tilting of the convex member in said concave surface a central point in said plane remains invarient;
- and
- means for applying high or lower pressure to the plenum chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.