Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic constant pressure polishing apparatus. The automatic constant pressure polishing apparatus comprises a housing having a hollow section therein, a rubber pad installed in the housing and having superior expansion and contraction characteristics, a pressure fixture having a male screw section, which is formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof in order to press and fix the rubber pad, and a central hole formed at a central portion thereof, a slider screw-coupled into the housing to adjust pressure in the housing according to a rotational degree of the rotating shaft, and a polishing pad installed at a front end portion of the housing.

Abstract: A wheel assembly includes a first hub assembly sealingly engageable with a first axial opening in one side of a tire. A second hub assembly is sealingly engageable with a second axial opening on the other side of the tire. The hub assemblies define between them a fluid tight volume within the tire. The wheel further includes a valve having an inlet port in fluid communication with the tire, a valve seat, and at least one annular valve member resiliently biased into unidirectional sealing engagement with the seat. Application of external pressure through the inlet port causes at least a portion of the valve member to resiliently deflect away from the valve seat to thereby open the valve and permit fluid communication with the fluid tight volume.

Abstract: The pneumatic sanding roll has an elongate housing with an outside driving axle separated from an inside portion by a large diameter disc. An air supply channel extends in the housing from the driving axle to a mouth of the inside portion. A spacer is in operative engagement with the driving axle and the disc. A semi-spherical hollow flexible rubber socket has a bottom edge portion and includes an opening. The bottom edge portion is captured between the spacer and the large diameter disc so that an enclosed cavity is defined inside the rubber socket. An abrasive semi-spherical cloth sleeve encloses the rubber socket and is locked to the rubber socket when the rubber socket is filled with air and expanded. A rubber tube is sealingly arranged about the inside portion to cover the mouth of the air supply channel to prevent air in the cavity from leaking back out through the air supply channel.

Abstract: A plurality of planarizing machines for microelectronic substrate assemblies, and methods of mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrate assemblies are disclosed. The planarizing machines for processing microelectronic substrate assemblies generally include a table, a pad support assembly either positioned on or in the table, and a planarizing medium coupled to the pad support assembly. The pad support assembly includes a fluid container and an elastic membrane coupled to the fluid container. The fluid container generally is a basin either that is either a separate component that is attached to the table, or a depression in the table itself. The fluid container can also be a bladder attached to the table. The membrane generally has a first surface engaging a portion of the fluid container to define a fluid chamber or cavity, and the membrane has a second surface to which the planarizing medium is attached.

Abstract: A honing tool has a large-diameter portion thereof provided with a plurality of stone holding recesses arranged radially from the inner bore to the outer edge for slidably holding grinding stones. Each stone holding recess is arranged to form an upper guiding facet and a lower guiding facet at the top side and the bottom side thereof, respectively as well as a couple of side guiding facets at both sides thereof. Also, each grinding stone has an upper sliding facet and a lower sliding facet provided at the top side and the bottom side thereof, respectively for sliding directly on the upper guiding facet and the lower guiding facet. Both sides of the grinding stone are side sliding facets for running directly on the side guiding facets. Moreover, the grinding stone has a tapered facet provided on an upper end thereof at the inner bore side for receiving a pressing force of a tapered rod.

Abstract: The pneumatic sanding roll has an elongate housing with an outside driving axle separated from an inside portion by a large diameter disc. An air supply channel extends in the housing from the driving axle to a mouth of the inside portion. A spacer is in operative engagement with the driving axle and the disc. A semi-spherical hollow flexible rubber socket has a bottom edge portion and includes an opening. The bottom edge portion is captured between the spacer and the large diameter disc so that an enclosed cavity is defined inside the rubber socket. An abrasive semi-spherical cloth sleeve encloses the rubber socket and is locked to the rubber socket when the rubber socket is filled with air and expanded. A rubber tube is sealingly arranged about the inside portion to cover the mouth of the air supply channel to prevent air in the cavity from leaking back out through the air supply channel.

Abstract: An expandable abrasive sleeve is used on an inflatable tool for abrading or finishing a surface of a workpiece. The inflatable tool includes an inflatable bladder clamped at first and second ends of a core having an elastomeric outer core portion. The inflatable bladder is inflated by a pressurized medium and forms a pocket or chamber around the elastomeric outer core portion. The expandable abrasive sleeve is disposed around the inflatable bladder and expands from one end to the other end when inflated. The expandable abrasive sleeve includes an elastomeric backing and abrasive strips adhered to the elastomeric backing in an overlapping arrangement. In one embodiment, the elastomeric backing includes stiffeners embedded therein and extending generally longitudinally.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for planarizing the surface of a semiconductor wafer by applying non-uniform pressure distributions to a polishing pad are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus for polishing a surface of a semiconductor wafer includes a polishing pad with a first surface and a second surface. The first surface of the polishing pad is arranged to contact the surface of the semiconductor wafer in order to polish the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The apparatus also includes a mechanism which is used to apply a non-uniform pressure distribution over the second surface of the polishing pad, wherein applying the non-uniform pressure distribution to the polishing pad facilitates evenly polishing the surface of the semiconductor wafer. In one embodiment, the mechanism for applying the non-uniform pressure distribution to the polishing pad is an air bladder arrangement.

Abstract: An abrasive apparatus adopted to abrade a curved surface of workpiece includes: an abrading head including an abrading tip having a substantially spherical outer surface and a rotating shaft supporting the abrading tip, the abrading head being positioned to face the curved surface; a thrust moving mechanism for relatively moving the abrading head and the curved surface; a lateral moving mechanism for relatively moving the abrading head and the curved surface; a pivotal moving mechanism for relatively moving the abrading head and the curved surface pivotally around a center point; and a controller for controlling the abrading head, the thrust moving mechanism, the lateral moving mechanism and the pivotal moving mechanism synchronously so that the abrading tip contacts and presses the curved surface at any point thereon with a substantially constant pressure in a direction consistent with a normal line thereat.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus and a polishing method using the apparatus in which an elastic portion is interposed between a polishing table and a polishing cloth, whereby the contacting state between the face of the polishing cloth and a face of a sample to be polished is made uniform and the flatness of the sample is improved. A polishing apparatus and a polishing method using the apparatus in which a second elastic body having on a sample-contacting face resin pellets and/or polishing particles is used in a polishing cloth, whereby the degree of the polishing on a face of a sample to be polished is uniformalized in a macroscopic view point and the flatness is improved in a microscopic view point.

Abstract: An improved honing method and device connected to a source of pressurized fluid for machining a wall of a bore hole or similar interior of a workpiece. The honing device includes a tool mandrel connected in a cantilevered arrangement to a machine for rotating machining operations. A rigid honing member is secured to the tool mandrel, and configured such that the effective diameter of the substantially rigid abrasive outer surface of the honing member can be uniformly and precisely varied in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool in response to pressure on the interior surface of the honing member. A fluid distribution system formed in the tool mandrel in a predetermined arrangement is in fluid communication with the source of pressurized fluid, and includes a pressure chamber that is configured to apply fluid pressure to the interior surface of the honing member.

Abstract: A conformal tool for fining/polishing ophthalmic lenses has a rigid base, a substantially air impervious elastic membrane and a bladder conformable to a surface of the lens to be fined/polished. The perimeters of the base, the membrane and the bladder are contiguously clamped to provide a pneumatically discrete chamber between the base and the membrane and a chamber containing conformable filler such as sand between the membrane and the bladder. The pneumatically discrete and filler containing chambers together have a substantially fixed volume. The clamping provides a passage into the pneumatically discrete chamber so that air under pressure, when admitted into the pneumatically discrete chamber, stretches the membrane to increase the pneumatically discrete chamber volume and decrease the filler containing chamber volume. As air pressure is increased, the air separates the membrane from the base to build an air cushion therebetween as the conformable filler chamber volume decreases.

Abstract: An inflatable tool is used for abrading or finishing a surface of a workpiece. The inflatable tool includes an inflatable bladder clamped at first and second ends of a core having an elastomeric outer core portion. The inflatable bladder is inflated by a pressurized medium and forms a pocket or chamber around the elastomeric outer core portion. An abrasive sleeve is disposed around and secured by the inflatable bladder when inflated. The elastomeric outer core portion provides a resilient support surface for the inflatable bladder and the abrasive sleeve while abrading a workpiece. One example of the abrasive sleeve includes one or more bulging abrasive regions created by one or more slots in the abrasive sleeve. One example of a method of using the inflatable tool includes abrading a surface of a workpiece with one or more bulging abrasive regions, and chamfering both sides of a hole extending through a workpiece.

Abstract: A conversion grinding wheel frame for an abrasive-belt to secure thereto for replacing a conventional stone grinding wheel used on a cylindrical roll grinding machine. The abrasive-belt conversion wheel is secured to a spindle of the grinding machine by a wheel clamping assembly. The abrasive-belt conversion wheel frame having an engagement working surface and a mounting surface with both surfaces having apertures therethrough traversing from a chamber within the abrasive-belt conversion grinding wheel frame. Fluid under pressure in the chamber escapes through the apertures to the working surface and mounting surface. The pressure of the gas expands the abrasive-belt while being mounted onto the abrasive-belt conversion grinding wheel frame. The mounting surface is diametrically tapered in relation to the working surface to afford initial engagement of the abrasive-belt which further assists mounting the abrasive-belt onto the working surface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for lapping the air bearing surfaces of hard disk head sliders including the steps of installing a lapping plate charged with lapping abrasive onto a lapping contour plate, applying a negative pressure to a cavity of the lapping contour plate communicating with the charged lapping plate to deform the lapping plate into conformance with a contour of the lapping contour plate, applying a lapping force to a slider in contact with the lapping plate, and moving the slider relative to the lapping plate to form an air bearing contour following the contour of the lapping contour plate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for polishing a thin film formed on a semiconductor substrate. A table covered with a polishing pad is orbited about an axis. Slurry is fed through a plurality of spaced-apart holes formed through the polishing pad to uniformly distribute slurry across the pad surface during polishing. A substrate is pressed face down against the orbiting pad's surface and rotated to facilitate, along with the slurry, the polishing of the thin film formed on the substrate.

Abstract: An inflatable sanding drum used for a drill or a lathe to said a wood has a cover between an abrasive member and a rubber bladder which defines an air chamber of the roller. Thus, even if the abrasive member is worn out by the friction with the wood surface, the rubber bladder is protected from damage. When the cover is damaged, it may be replaced with a new cover thus reducing the risk of damage to the rubber bladder.