Patent ID: 7370398

Claim:
A method for calibrating a clamping mechanism, to be used for clamping a workpiece upon a support surface with a predetermined clamping force, comprising the steps of: determining the thickness dimension of a particular workpiece to be clamped upon a support surface; predetermining the amount of clamping force to be generated by a clamping mechanism when the clamping mechanism is clampingly engaged with the particular workpiece so as to securely clamp the particular workpiece upon said support surface by means of said predetermined clamping force; utilizing a clamping mechanism which can generate a predetermined amount of clamping force as a function of an incremental degree to which said clamping mechanism is to be compressed; inserting a master calibration block, having a thickness dimension which is less than said thickness dimension of said particular workpiece by an amount which is equal to said incremental degree to which said clamping mechanism is to be compressed, upon said support surface; movably adjusting said clamping mechanism, with respect to said master calibration block disposed upon said support surface, in a first direction until said clamping mechanism is disposed at a position with respect to said master calibration block wherein said clamping mechanism is disposed in non-compressed contact with said master calibration block disposed upon said support surface; and locking said clamping mechanism at said adjusted position with respect to said master calibration block, whereby when said locked and calibrated clamping mechanism is used to clamp said particular workpiece, having said thickness dimension which is greater than said thickness dimension of said master calibration block by said amount which is equal to said incremental degree to which said clamping mechanism is to be compressed so as to generate said predetermined amount of clamping force, upon said support surface, said calibrated clamping mechanism will undergo said incremental degree of compression equal to the difference between said thickness dimensions of said master calibration block and said particular workpiece so as to generate said predetermined amount of clamping force upon said workpiece disposed upon said support surface and thereby securely clamp said workpiece upon said support surface.