Patent ID: 7662024

Claim:
An apparatus for polishing an object at a contact region between the apparatus and a surface of the object, the apparatus comprising: a. a rotary positioning device comprising a turret rotatable around a turret axis; b. a base for affixing structures thereto, the base mounted on the turret and comprising a plate having a surface defining a plane perpendicular to the turret axis; c. a drive wheel connected to a rotatable shaft, the drive wheel having a perimeter, and the rotatable shaft disposed in a housing joined to the plate and having a rotational axis that is substantially parallel to the turret axis; d. a polishing wheel assembly comprising: i. an elongated arm including a proximal end joined to the base, and a distal end; and ii. a rotatable polishing wheel supported at the distal end of the elongated arm, the rotatable polishing wheel having a perimeter; and e. a polishing belt comprising an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface engageable with the perimeters of the drive wheel and the polishing wheel; wherein during polishing the object, the elongated arm is rotatable around the turret axis so as to control the location of the contact region between the apparatus and the surface of the object, with respect to the perimeter of the polishing wheel.