Support for disk-shaped articles

Abstract

A disk-shaped article is held in a freely floating fashion in a state of equilibrium on account of the vacuum produced by a gas exiting from an annular nozzle 12, due to the aerodynamic paradox known as Bernoulli's principle. Above a facing surface of a support 1, the article is retained so securely that it can be treated with a fluid. Cams 45 are provided all around the annular nozzle 12 as lateral stops for the article. These cams 45 are located eccentrically on shafts 44 rotatable on gear wheels 43 in the support 1. The shafts 44 can be turned via the gear wheels 43 by a gear rim 40 received in the support 1 so that rotation of the cams 45 occurs. A space (31, 33) accommodating the gear rim 40 is separated and sealed off with respect to another space (50, 53, 54) through which the compressed gas flows to the nozzle 12. Consequently, the flow of the compressed gas therethrough is not impaired by the cams 45. Also, abraded matter from the space (31, 33) is not entrained in the compressed gas and thus is not blown out of the nozzle 12 against the article being treated.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.