Patent ID: 6799758
Filing Date: 2004-10-05
Classification: B23Q

Abstract:
A clamping apparatus, comprising:a clamping chuck; a work piece carrier adapted to be releasably connected to said clamping chuck; said work piece carrier having a flat bottom surface and comprising a clamping pin protruding from said fiat bottom surface; said clamping chuck comprising a central opening for receiving said clamping pin of said work piece carrier, said central opening having a conical inserting portion; said clamping pin comprising at least one surface portion corresponding in shape to the shape of said conical inserting portion of said central opening for aligning the position of said clamping pin in any direction selected from the following group: X-direction, Y-direction, and X- and Y-directions; said clamping chuck further comprising a clamping mechanism for clampingly fixing said clamping pin of said work piece carrier in said central opening, and at least one surface portion serving as a Z-direction stop member; and said clamping pin and said clamping chuck being dimensioned such that, prior to activating said clamping mechanism, a gap exists between said flat bottom surface of said work piece carrier and said surface portion of said clamping chuck serving as a Z-direction stop member after said clamping pin of said work piece carrier has been inserted into said central opening of said clamping chuck so that said at least one surface portion of said clamping pin has engaged said conical inserting portion of said central opening and thereby has aligned said clamping pin with reference to said clamping chuck in any direction selected from the following group: X-direction, Y-direction, and X- and Y-directions, whereby and wherein said clamping pin or a portion of said clamping chuck that defines said central opening of said clamping chuck is adapted to be elastically deformed upon activation of said clamping mechanism to further pull in said clamping pin into said central opening and simultaneously said work piece carrier towards said surface portion of said clamping chuck serving as a Z-direction stop member until said flat bottom surface of said work piece carrier rests on said surface portion of said clamping chuck serving as a Z-direction stop member.