Patent ID: 7785517

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a finished poly(amic acid) or polyimide workpiece, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an unfinished poly(amic acid) or polyimide workpiece having an initial surface area, said unfinished workpiece comprising a plurality of receiving points spaced along the periphery of the workpiece; (b) suspending the unfinished poly(amic acid) or polyimide workpiece by said receiving points to provide a tension uniformly distributed along the workpiece; and (c) processing the suspended unfinished poly(amic acid) or polyimide workpiece by at least one of chemical imidization, thermal imidization and solvent removal, under said tension uniformly distributed along the workpiece, wherein said tension is provided by said processing, to produce the finished poly(amic acid) or polyimide workpiece, wherein the finished poly(amic acid) or polyimide workpiece has a final surface area that is smaller than the initial surface area, and wherein the finished poly(amic acid), or polyimide workpiece displays uniform properties in all axes and directions of the finished workpiece.