Vacuum hold-down apparatus
AssigneeOrbotech Ltd.
InventorAsher Katz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vacuum hold-down system for use with workpieces of various shapes and/or sizes is disclosed. The system comprising a vacuum hold-down table defining a mask support plane and an apertured vacuum table mask which is selectably positionable on said mask support plane, wherein said vacuum hold-down table and said vacuum table mask is configured to define a plurality of selectable different contiguous arrays of vacuum apertures, by suitable relative positioning of said vacuum table mask and said vacuum hold-down table in said mask support plane.
Claims30
A vacuum hold-down system for use with workpieces of various shapes and/or sizes, the system comprising:
- a vacuum hold-down table defining a mask support plane;
- and
- an apertured vacuum table mask which is selectably positionable on said mask support plane,
- said vacuum hold-down table and said vacuum table mask being configured to define a plurality of selectable different contiguous arrays of vacuum apertures, by suitable relative positioning of said vacuum table mask and said vacuum hold-down table in said mask support plane.
A vacuum table mask for use with a vacuum hold-down table having an array of vacuum orifices arranged on a support surface thereof and workpieces of various shapes and/or sizes, said mask comprising:
- a substrate having formed thereon at least two arrays of apertures, mutually offset from each other, each of said at least two arrays of apertures being registrable with at least some vacuum orifices of said array of vacuum orifices, and
- wherein areas of said at least two arrays are at least partially overlapping.
A method for providing vacuum hold-down of workpieces of various shapes and/or sizes onto a vacuum hold-down table having an array of vacuum orifices arranged on a support surface thereof, the method comprising:
- placing onto said support surface of said vacuum hold-down table, a vacuum table mask having formed thereon at least two arrays of apertures, mutually offset from each other, each of said at least two arrays of apertures being registrable with at least some vacuum orifices of said array of vacuum orifices, each of said at least two arrays of apertures being configured to underlie one of said workpieces;
- positioning said mask on said support surface such that one of said at least two arrays of apertures is in registration with at least some vacuum orifices of said array of vacuum orifices;
- placing a workpiece of a first size/shape of said workpieces of various shapes and/or sizes onto said vacuum hold-down table, overlying at least part of said mask and overlying said one of said at least two arrays of apertures which is in registration with at least some vacuum orifices of said array of vacuum orifices;
- removing said workpiece of a first size/shape from said vacuum hold-down table;
- repositioning said mask on said support surface such that another one of said at least two arrays of apertures is in registration with at least some vacuum orifices of said array of vacuum orifices;
- and
- placing one of said workpieces of a second size/shape onto said vacuum hold-down table, overlying at least part of said mask and overlying said another one of said at least two arrays of apertures which is in registration with at least some vacuum orifices of said array of vacuum orifices;
- wherein areas of said at least two arrays are at least partially overlapping.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.