Patent ID: 8122795

Claim:
In a process of producing a plurality of knife cut concentric ring sections into a device having first and second faces and formed of a non metallic pliant material, said ring sections being concentric with an axis of said device and extending parallel with said axis, said process comprising the steps of: a. mounting said first face of said device in a rotatable chuck means having a rotatable axis by means of a vacuum seal between said first device face and said chuck; b. rotating said device about said axis on said chuck means; c. positioning a knife means substantially perpendicular to the second face of said device at a first radial distance from said axis; d. moving said knife means parallel with said axis relative to said device whereby said knife means cuts a slit ring into said device while said device is rotated, said knife means moving to a position more closely adjacent said first face; e. continually rotating said device while said knife means continues to cut into said device; f. positioning said knife at another radial distance from said axis, and repeating steps d. and e. thereby forming a ring section; g. positioning said knife at another radial distance from said axis and repeating steps d. and e. to form a second ring section; and, h. dismounting said device from said chuck without removing said ring sections from said device; the improvement comprising increasing the size of said first face to create a thin extended elastomeric mounting flange such that the cross-sectional area of the first face disposed against said chuck is at least 150% of the cross-sectional area of the body of said device and further wherein the thin flange to be disposed against the vacuum chuck has a ridge disposed close to its outer perimeter which is received within a corresponding groove in the vacuum chuck.