Abstract: A non-contact holder holds the workpiece on the holding surface without contact between the workpiece and the holding surface by generating a negative pressure at the opening using a circular flow of gas introduced into the inside of the column body and generating a positive pressure between the holding surface and the workpiece using the gas flowing from the opening provided on the holding surface, and the holding surface has (2n+1) (n: a positive integer) guide grooves which have spiral shapes extending in spiral directions in correspondence with the circulation direction of the circular flow and have starting ends communicating with the opening to guide the gas introduced through the starting ends in the spiral directions, the final ends of the guide grooves being disposed at equal intervals on the circumference of the holding surface around the opening.

Abstract: A sucking and holding apparatus configured to suck and hold an object to be held by a negative pressure generating at a center portion of a swirling flow of gas generated in a swirling flow generating chamber and the gas flowing out from an end of the swirling flow generating chamber sideward, includes: a sucking and holding terminal having the swirling flow generating chamber and a sucking and holding surface having an opened suction blow-out port of the swirling flow generating chamber; an urging unit configured to apply an urging force in the direction substantially parallel to the sucking and holding surface to the object to be held located at a position which allows the same to be sucked and held by the sucking and holding terminal; and a locking unit configured to lock the object to be held against the urging force applied by the urging unit.

Abstract: A suction hold hand which sucks and holds a hold target without contact by using negative pressure produced at a central portion of turning flow of gas generated in a turning flow generating chamber and gas flowing from the end to the side of the turning flow generating chamber, includes: a suction pad having a suction hold surface to which a suction blowoff hole of the turning flow generating chamber opens; and a gas blowoff device which has a plurality of blowoff holes disposed to oppose to a sucked surface substantially continuous to a surface of the hold target sucked by the suction pad to face the suction hold surface, the blowoff holes being located in such positions as to apply compressed gas to the sucked surface.