A work-piece deflection management system including: (a) a first and a second vacuum chambers, each said vacuum chamber having an air-bearing seal circumscribing one of its sides, and (b) a work-piece plate; wherein the air-bearing seals are aligned to face one-another with the work-piece plate respectively there-between, allowing the work-piece to be laterally slid with respect to the air-bearing seals while maintaining a first predefined vacuum level within the first vacuum chamber and maintaining a second predefined vacuum level within the second vacuum chamber.