Patent ID: 7823488

Claim:
A device for producing microstructures, comprising: a spindle which can be rotated about a longitudinal axis thereof; a fixture provided on said spindle for clamping a workpiece; a linear drive adapted to produce a linear feed motion in a first direction; an actuator arranged on said linear drive; wherein said actuator comprises: a fast drive for driving a tool in an axial direction substantially perpendicular to a workpiece surface by generating a fast advancing motion of said tool in the axial direction; a guide mechanism coupled at a first axial end to said fast drive and at a second axial end to said tool and configured to allow feeding of the tool in the axial direction of said fast drive, and to substantially resist movement of said tool in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction; and an attenuator coupled to said guide mechanism for damping axial movement of said fast drive; wherein said guide mechanism further includes biasing means for generating a restoring force acting against said advancing motion and said guide mechanism comprises a ram disposed in a sealed cavity and movably supported within a housing against said restoring force, and further wherein said ram is biased against said fast drive by a fluid pressure.