84.64 Machine-tools for working stone, ceramics, concrete, asbestos-cement or like mineral materials or for cold-working glass.
In general machine-tools are power-driven but similar machines, worked by hand or pedal, are also covered by this heading. These latter types can be distinguished from the hand tools of heading 82.05 and from the tools for working in the hand of heading 84.67, by the fact that they are usually designed to be mounted on the floor, on a bench, on a wall or on another machine, and are thus usually provided with a base plate, mounting frame, stand, etc.(¥°) MACHINES FOR WORKING STONE, CERAMICS, CONCRETE, ASBESTOS-CEMENT OR LIKE MINERAL MATERIALS This group covers not only machines for working natural stone, but also those for working similar hard materials (ceramics, concrete, artificial stone, asbestos-cement, etc.). Although most machines for working precious or semi precious stones have special features (higher precision, etc.), they are nevertheless classified in this heading. The heading includes : (A) Sawing or cutting machines, such as : (1) Sawing machines proper (circular saws, band saws and reciprocating saws, including those using toothless blades, etc.). (2) Disc (e.g., abrasive) cutting machines, including machines for grooving or cutting false joints on concrete surfaces or on the face of building stone. (3) Helical wire cutting machines. These operate by means of an endless steel wire consisting of several spirally twisted strands, and guided by a system of grooved pulleys. The wire, assisted by an abrasive mixture of powdered sandstone and water, cuts into the stone by friction. (B) Machines for splitting or cleaving. (C) Machines for grinding, smoothing, polishing, graining, etc. (D) Machines for drilling or milling. (E) Machines for turning, engraving, carving, cutting mouldings, etc. (F) Machines for cutting or dressing grinding wheels. (G) Machine-tools for working ceramic products (drilling, cutting, milling, polishing, etc.), except machines for working ceramic paste or unfired articles of ceramic materials (e.g., machines for moulding or shaping ceramic paste, heading 84.74). (¥±) MACHINE TOOLS FOR COLD WORKING GLASS This category covers machine tools used for cold working glass, but it excludes machines used for hot working glass (i.e., glass heated until it becomes fluid or plastic) (heading 84.75). Nevertheless, the fact that in some cases the glass is slightly heated to facilitate certain processes does not exclude the machines from this heading, since they are working on glass which still retains the consistency of a hard material. Many of these machines carry out operations similar to those mentioned in paragraph (¥°) above in connection with stone or the like. Others, on the other hand, are employed for more specific work, e.g., decorative finishing, or for certain specialised uses (e.g., optical or watch-making). The following, in particular, fall in this latter category : (1) Glass cutting machines, of the wheel or diamond type. (2) Glass cutting (shaping) machines, for facetting, or for cut glass articles. (3) Trueing, grinding, etc., machines, used mainly for smoothing edges, levelling bases or trimming moulded objects. (4) Polishing machines. Polishing is sometimes followed by a still more specialised finishing process, known as smoothing, executed by felt disc machines; such machines also fall in this heading. (5) Engraving machines of the grinding wheel or diamond type; sand jet engraving machines are, however, excluded (heading 84.24). (6) Machine-tools used for finishing or polishing optical, spectacle or clock or watch glass. These include the special circular glass-cutter which is used to cut out eye-pieces for spectacles, and also machines for shaping or polishing optical glass by wearing down the surface of lenses, prisms, spectacle lenses (spherical, ring shaped, cylindrical, multi focus, etc.), etc. PARTS AND ACCESSORIES Subject to the general provisions regarding the classification of parts (see the General Explanatory Note to Section XVI), parts and accessories (other than the tools of Chapter 82) of the machine tools of this heading fall in heading 84.66. This heading also excludes :(a) Hand tools or hand or pedal operated grinding wheels (heading 82.05). (b) Machines for twisting glass fibres into yarns, weaving machines, and other machines of heading 84.45 or 84.46. (c) Machine tools for working any material by removal of material, by laser or other light or photon beam, ultrasonic or plasma arc processes and other machines of heading 84.56. (d) Tools for working in the hand, pneumatic, hydraulic or with self-contained electric or non-electric motor (heading 84.67). (e) Crushing, grinding, mixing, moulding, agglomerating, casting, brick making, etc., machines (heading 84.74). (f) Machine-tools for sawing, scribing or scoring semiconductor boules or wafers (e.g., "wafer dicers"), and machine-tools for grinding, polishing or lapping semiconductor boules or wafers or flat panel displays (heading 84.86). Subheading Explanatory Note. Subheading 8464.10 This subheading covers the sawing or cutting machines described in paragraph (A) of Part (¥°) of the Explanatory Note to heading 84.64.
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