A linear transfer stroking boom has a housing suspended from a support which may be the travel carriage of an overlying longitudinally reciprocal shuttle. A cylinder assembly is mounted within the housing and includes a reciprocal piston rod on a longitudinal axis. A plurality of parallel spaced guide rods are slidably mounted upon and extend through the ends of the housing and outwardly thereof. Boom mount plates span the ends of the guide rods with the piston rod secured to one boom mount plate. A pair of parallel spaced boom extension arms are removably mounted upon the boom mount plates and extend forwardly of the housing. A workpiece gripping assembly spans and depends from the free ends of the boom arms. Reciprocal movement of the piston rod effects corresponding longitudinal movements of the boom arms in the same direction as and simultaneous with feed corresponding movements of the travel carriage.

Apparatus (11), which includes two adjacent wafer treating facilities (21 and 22), features an overhead positioning mechanism (20), the operation of which is controlled by a control module (48) to handle articles, such as semiconductor wafers (16), in a plurality of sequential plating operations. The vertical movement of a manipulator extension (46) is controlled with a relatively greater degree of precision to protect the wafers from becoming damaged. In the horizontal direction, a traveling frame (106) steadies a lead screw (59) spanning an extended distance between the two facilities (21 and 22) to support a precise movement of the manipulator extension (46) with respect to both of the facilities.

There is disclosed a system for handling or positioning of structural parts or tools on a guide track for an intermediate carrier provided with a displacing device and a positioning device. The guide track for the intermediate carrier has its end portions mounted in carrier plates. These end plates are joined by bracing plates extending parallel to the guide track and defined by two guide posts arranged in a plane extending obliquely to the vertical.

An elongated housing 10 has a positioning rod 13 located therein, slidable with respect to the housing. A guide rod 14 slides parallel to the positioning rod. The guide rod and the positioning rod are coupled together by end elements 38, 39. The housing 10 is formed with recesses or bores 11, 12 for the positioning rods 13, 14 and additionally is formed with bores to transfer energy at power level for subsequent positioning or operating units, as well as to permit transfer of control signals. The positioning rod can be operated by fluid pressure by coupling a piston, slidable within its operating space and forming a cylinder, or by an electrical rack-and-pinion or worm screw drive. The unit is compact and closed towards the outside, suitable for modular association with similar or other units, and devoid of external flexible hoses or cables interfering with access thereto.

A loading arm apparatus having a displaceable main shaft formed as a fluid operable cylinder with a fixed piston which may be clamped at any position along its displacement by a fluid operable clamping means operable against its wall. A guide rod placed in a common block with the main shaft can be clamped also by a separate clamp simultaneously with the main shaft. As a result, the main shaft can be mounted with a large play.