End face polishing apparatus

An end face polishing apparatus comprising:

• a main body;
• a support member mounted on the main body for undergoing revolving and rotational movement during a polishing operation;
• a tubular member mounted on the support member for rotation and revolving movement therewith, the tubular member being mounted on a periphery of a main surface of the support member so that the main surface of the support member and an inner wall surface of the tubular member form a cavity;
• a lapping member disposed in the cavity formed by the support member and the tubular member and being mounted on the support member for rotation and revolving movement therewith;
• and
• a polishing fixture for supporting at least one workpiece having an end face for pressure contact with the lapping member to polish the end face of the workpiece during rotation and revolving movement of the lapping member, the polishing fixture having a plurality of radially outwardly projecting guide members for sliding contact with the tubular member to limit the amount of polishing of the end face of the workpiece in a pressing direction during rotation and revolving movement of the lapping member.