Patent ID: 7632047

Claim:
An assembly for performing a manufacturing operation on a surface of a workpiece, comprising: a base configured to be positioned proximate the workpiece; a tool support assembly having a first component coupled to the base and a second component moveable along a translation axis relative to the first component, the second component to position a tool to perform the manufacturing operation on the surface of the workpiece, the tool operating along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the translation axis; and a biasing device including: a first portion coupled to the first component; a second portion coupled to the second component, the first and second portions being moveably coupled and configured to apply a biasing force via a flow of a pressurized medium to the second component to at least partially counterbalance a force exerted on the second component along the translation axis by a weight of the tool support assembly and the tool during performance of the manufacturing operation; and a control component configured to adjustably control at least one of a magnitude and a direction of the biasing force applied to the second component by regulating the flow of the pressurized medium to the biasing device.