Clamping apparatus with a clamping chuck and a work piece carrier releasably connectable thereto

A clamping apparatus, comprising:

• at least two clamping chucks;
• a work piece carrier adapted to be releasably connected to said clamping chucks;
• said work piece carrier having a flat bottom surface and comprising a plurality of clamping pins protruding from said flat bottom surface;
• said clamping chucks each comprising a central opening for receiving one of said clamping pins of said work piece carrier, said central opening having a conical inserting portion;
• each of said clamping chucks further comprising a clamping mechanism for clampingly fixing one of said clamping pins of said work piece carrier in said central opening;
• one of said clamping pins comprising a rear section adjacent to said flat bottom surface of said work piece carrier having at least three exposed surface portions adapted to engage said conical inserting portion of said central opening for aligning the position of said one clamping pin in X- and in Y-direction;
• and
• at least another one of said clamping pins comprising a rear section adjacent to said flat bottom surface of said work piece carrier having exposed surface portions adapted to engage said conical inserting portion of said central opening for aligning the angular position of said work piece carrier around the Z-axis perpendicularly extending through the intersection of said X- and Y-directions;
• whereby
• each of said clamping chucks comprising gas outlet openings located in said conical inserting portion of said central opening for blowing a gaseous medium against said exposed surface portions to thereby clean the surfaces thereof upon inserting said clamping pins into said central openings of said clamping chucks.