JP7479754B2 - Cutting blade and cutting blade mounting mechanism - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an annular cutting blade for cutting a workpiece and a cutting blade attachment mechanism for attaching the cutting blade to the tip of a spindle.

Device chips used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers are manufactured from wafers made of materials such as silicon and silicon carbide. First, multiple planned division lines that intersect with each other are set on the surface of the wafer, and devices such as ICs (Integrated Circuits) and LSIs (Large Scale Integration) are formed in each area defined by the planned division lines on the surface of the wafer. Next, the wafer is ground from the back side to thin it, and then divided along the planned division lines to form individual device chips.

The wafer is divided by a cutting device equipped with an annular cutting blade. When the rotating cutting blade cuts into the wafer along the intended division line, a cutting groove is formed in the wafer and the wafer is divided. The cutting blade comprises, for example, an annular base made of aluminum and a cutting edge fixed to the outer periphery of the annular base. The cutting edge is formed by fixing diamond abrasive grains with nickel plating. In the cutting device, the cutting blade is attached to the tip of a spindle connected to a rotary drive source for use.

A cutting blade mounting mechanism is provided at the tip of the spindle, and the cutting blade is attached to the tip of the spindle via the cutting blade mounting mechanism. The cutting blade mounting mechanism includes a blade mount having, for example, a cylindrical boss portion and a flange portion that protrudes radially from the rear end of the boss portion.

When mounting a cutting blade to the cutting blade mounting mechanism, the boss is inserted into the mounting hole of the annular base, the flange supports the back side of the annular base, and the fixing nut is tightened into the threaded groove formed on the outer periphery of the tip of the boss. The cutting blade is then fixed by clamping the annular base between the fixing nut and the flange (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-39919 A

However, when screwing the fixing nut onto the tip of the boss, the fixing nut needs to be tightened with a specified torque. Therefore, unless the work is performed by a skilled worker, a dedicated tightening jig equipped with a mechanism for measuring torque is required. In addition, when the fixing nut is tightened, the cutting blade rotates as the fixing nut rotates and comes into contact with the flange, so the contact surface of the flange is likely to become rough. If the contact surface becomes rough, it becomes difficult to fix the cutting blade in the correct orientation, and there is also the risk that the fixing of the cutting blade may become unstable.

The present invention was made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a cutting blade that does not require a fixing nut when fixed to a blade mount, and a cutting blade attachment mechanism that can fix the cutting blade without using a fixing nut.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutting blade comprising an annular base having a mounting hole formed in the center and a cutting blade provided on the outer periphery of the annular base, the annular base having an electromagnet therein.

Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutting blade mounting mechanism for mounting a cutting blade having an annular base including either a first ferromagnetic body having properties as a permanent magnet or a first electromagnet and having a mounting hole formed in the center, and a cutting blade provided on the outer periphery of the annular base, the cutting blade mounting mechanism comprising a blade mount mounted to the tip of the spindle, the blade mount comprising a boss portion inserted into the mounting hole of the annular base, and a flange portion having an annular support surface protruding radially from the rear end of the boss portion and supporting the back side of the annular base of the cutting blade , the flange portion including a second electromagnet , and the cutting blade can be mounted to the blade mount by the magnetic force acting between the annular base and the flange portion.

Furthermore , according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutting blade mounting mechanism for mounting a cutting blade to a spindle, the cutting blade having an annular base including a first ferromagnetic material that does not have permanent magnet properties and having a mounting hole formed in the center, and a cutting blade provided on the outer periphery of the annular base, the cutting blade mounting mechanism comprising a blade mount mounted to the tip of the spindle, the blade mount comprising a boss portion inserted into the mounting hole of the annular base, and a flange portion having an annular support surface protruding radially from the rear end of the boss portion and supporting the back side of the annular base of the cutting blade, the flange portion including an electromagnet , and the cutting blade can be mounted to the blade mount by the magnetic force acting between the annular base and the flange portion.

In the cutting blade and cutting blade attachment mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention, a fixing nut is not required. This is because the cutting blade can be fixed to the blade mount by magnetic force. Therefore, any worker can easily perform the fixing work without using a dedicated jig. In the fixing work by magnetic force, the cutting blade does not rotate with the fixing nut, so the contact surface of the flange portion does not become rough.

Therefore, the present invention provides a cutting blade that does not require a fixing nut when fixed to a blade mount, and a cutting blade attachment mechanism that can fix the cutting blade without using a fixing nut.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cutting device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic view of a part of the cutting unit. FIG. 3A is a side view that typically shows a cutting blade, and FIG. 3B is a plan view that typically shows a blade mount. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of a cutting blade fixed to a cutting blade mounting mechanism. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic view of a part of the cutting unit. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of a cutting blade fixed to a cutting blade mounting mechanism. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic view of a part of the cutting unit. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of a cutting blade fixed to a cutting blade mounting mechanism. FIG.

The cutting blade and cutting blade attachment mechanism according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The cutting blade attachment mechanism is installed in a cutting unit of a cutting device and used. The cutting blade is attached to the cutting device via the cutting blade attachment mechanism and used. First, the cutting device in which cutting of the workpiece is performed will be described. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a cutting device 2.

The workpiece (not shown) cut by the cutting device 2 is, for example, a substantially disk-shaped wafer made of Si (silicon), SiC (silicon carbide), GaN (gallium nitride), GaAs (gallium arsenide), or other semiconductor material. Alternatively, the workpiece is a plate-shaped substrate made of a material such as sapphire, quartz, glass, or ceramics. The glass is, for example, alkali glass, non-alkali glass, soda-lime glass, lead glass, borosilicate glass, quartz glass, or the like.

A number of mutually intersecting division lines are set on the surface of the workpiece, and devices such as ICs and LSIs are formed in each area partitioned by the division lines on the surface of the workpiece. The workpiece is thinned by grinding from the back side, and then cut and divided along the division lines to form individual device chips.

For example, the workpiece is attached to a tape attached to the annular frame and handled as one unit with the annular frame. Handling the workpiece using the annular frame and tape can protect the workpiece from shocks and other issues that occur when the workpiece is transported. Furthermore, expanding the tape can increase the spacing between each chip formed by dividing the workpiece, making it easier to pick up the chips.

The cutting device 2 includes a base 4 that supports each of the components. A cassette support table 6 that is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown) is provided at the front corner of the base 4. A cassette 8 that contains multiple workpieces is disposed on the upper surface of the cassette support table 6. For ease of explanation, only the outline of the cassette 8 is shown in FIG. 1.

A rectangular opening 4a is formed on the side of the cassette support table 6 so that its longitudinal direction is along the X-axis direction (machining feed direction). A ball screw type X-axis movement mechanism (not shown), a table cover 10 that covers the top of the X-axis movement mechanism, and a bellows-shaped dust-proof and drip-proof cover 12 are arranged inside the opening 4a. The X-axis movement mechanism has an X-axis movement table (not shown) covered by the table cover 10, and moves this X-axis movement table in the X-axis direction.

A chuck table 14 is disposed on the upper surface of the X-axis moving table so as to be exposed from the table cover 10. The chuck table 14 has the function of suction-holding a workpiece placed on the holding surface 14a exposed upward. The chuck table 14 is connected to a rotary drive source (not shown) such as a motor, and rotates around an axis of rotation roughly parallel to the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). In addition, the chuck table 14 moves in the X-axis direction together with the X-axis moving table and the table cover 10 by an X-axis moving mechanism.

The chuck table 14, which holds the workpiece by suction, has a porous member on its upper surface that has the same diameter as the workpiece. The upper surface of the porous member serves as the holding surface 14a that holds the workpiece by suction. Inside the chuck table 14, a suction path is formed, one end of which is connected to a suction source such as an ejector provided outside the chuck table 14. The other end of the suction path reaches the porous member. In addition, clamps 14b are provided around the periphery of the chuck table 14 to secure the annular frame that supports the workpiece from all four sides.

The cutting device 2 is provided with a transport unit (not shown) in an area adjacent to the opening 4a that transports the workpiece from the cassette 8 to the chuck table 14, etc. Above the chuck table 14, a cutting unit 38 that cuts the wafer 1 with an annular cutting blade 44 is disposed. A support structure 16 for supporting the cutting unit 38 is disposed on the upper surface of the base 4. The support structure 16 is provided with an arm 18 at its upper part that extends above the opening 4a so as to cross the opening 4a.

An indexing feed unit 20 that moves the cutting unit 38 in the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction) is provided on the upper front surface of the support structure 16. The indexing feed unit 20 has a pair of Y-axis guide rails 22 that extend along the Y-axis direction on the front surface of the support structure 16. A Y-axis moving plate 24 is slidably attached to the pair of Y-axis guide rails 22. A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back surface side (rear surface side) of the Y-axis moving plate 24, and a Y-axis ball screw 26 parallel to the Y-axis guide rails 22 is screwed into this nut portion.

A Y-axis pulse motor (not shown) is connected to one end of the Y-axis ball screw 26. By rotating the Y-axis ball screw 26 with the Y-axis pulse motor, the Y-axis moving plate 24 moves in the Y-axis direction along the Y-axis guide rail 22.

A lifting unit 28 that raises and lowers the cutting unit 38 along the Z-axis direction (up and down direction) is provided on the surface (front) of the Y-axis moving plate 24. The lifting unit 28 has a pair of Z-axis guide rails 30 aligned along the Z-axis direction on the surface of the Y-axis moving plate 24. A Z-axis moving plate 32 is slidably attached to the pair of Z-axis guide rails 30.

A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear side) of the Z-axis moving plate 32, and a Z-axis ball screw 34 is screwed into this nut portion so as to be parallel to the Z-axis guide rail 30. A Z-axis pulse motor 36 is connected to one end of the Z-axis ball screw 34, and the Z-axis moving plate 32 moves in the Z-axis direction along the Z-axis guide rail 30 by rotating the Z-axis ball screw 34 with the Z-axis pulse motor 36.

A cutting unit 38 is fixed to the bottom of the Z-axis moving plate 32. An imaging unit 40 is provided adjacent to the cutting unit 38 to image the workpiece held by suction on the chuck table 14 and detect the position of the planned division line. The indexing feed unit 20 controls the positions of the cutting unit 38 and imaging unit 40 in the Y-axis direction, and the lifting unit 28 controls the positions of the cutting unit 38 and imaging unit 40 in the Z-axis direction.

When cutting the workpiece held on the chuck table 14, the chuck table 14 and the cutting unit 38 are moved relative to each other to align the cutting blade 44 with the planned dividing line of the workpiece. Next, the cutting unit 38 is lowered to a predetermined height while the cutting blade 44 is rotated, and the chuck table 14 is fed for processing along the X-axis direction. When the cutting edge of the rotating cutting blade 44 comes into contact with the workpiece, the workpiece is cut and divided.

At the opposite side of the opening 4a to the cassette support table 6, an opening 4b is formed. A cleaning unit 42 for cleaning the workpiece after cutting is arranged inside the opening 4b. The cleaning unit 42 includes a spinner table 42a that rotates while holding the workpiece, and an injection nozzle 42b that injects cleaning water from above onto the workpiece held on the spinner table 42a. The workpiece cleaned by the cleaning unit 42 is stored back into the cassette 8.

The cutting unit 38 will be further described. FIG. 2 includes a perspective view showing a cutting blade 44 mounted on the cutting unit 38. FIG. 3(A) is a side view showing the cutting blade 44. FIG. 4 includes a cross-sectional view showing the cutting blade 44. The cutting blade 44 shown in FIG. 2 is a cutting blade called a hub type, and has an annular base 48 with an attachment hole 50 in the center and a cutting blade 52 provided on the outer periphery of the annular base 48.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic structure of the cutting unit 38 with the blade cover removed. The cutting unit 38 has a spindle 54 that constitutes a rotation axis parallel to the Y-axis direction (see Figure 1), and the cutting blade 44 is fixed to the tip of the spindle 54. The base end side of the spindle 54 is housed in a spindle housing 46 fixed to the Z-axis moving plate 32 (see Figure 1). A rotation drive source (not shown), such as a motor, provided inside the spindle housing 46 is connected to the base end side.

The spindle 54 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a tapered shape that gradually reduces in diameter toward the tip, and a bolt fixing hole 58 is formed at the tip. The bolt fixing hole 58 has a thread cut in such a way that it can be tightened by rotating the bolt in the same direction as the spindle 54 rotates during cutting.

A cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 for fixing the cutting blade 44 to the tip of the spindle 54 is attached to the tip of the spindle 54. The cutting blade 44 is attached to the tip of the spindle 54 via the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55. The cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 includes, for example, a blade mount 70 and a rotary joint 60.

A rotary joint 60 is fixed to the front end face of the spindle housing 46. The rotary joint 60 has a cylindrical blade mount housing 66 aligned along the Y-axis direction in the center. A joint opening 64 is formed in the blade mount housing 66 of the rotary joint 60, penetrating along the Y-axis direction. The tip side of the spindle 54 is inserted into the joint opening 64, and a portion of the rear end side of the blade mount 70 (described below) attached to the tip of the spindle 54 is rotatably housed therein.

The end surface of the spindle housing 46 is formed with a plurality of threaded holes 56 into which bolts 62a (see FIG. 4, etc.) used to secure the rotary joint 60 are screwed. The rotary joint 60 is formed with through holes 62 arranged in a manner corresponding to the arrangement of the threaded holes 56. The rotary joint 60 is fixed to the spindle housing 46 in such a manner that the tip of the spindle 54 protrudes from the joint opening 64 by passing the bolts 62a through the through holes 62 and screwing them into the threaded holes 56.

The blade mount 70 attached to the tip of the spindle 54 holds the cutting blade 44. The blade mount 70 has a cylindrical boss portion 72 that extends in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) and is inserted into the mounting hole 50 of the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44. The blade mount 70 also has a flange portion 74 that protrudes radially outward from the rear end of the boss portion 72 and has an annular support surface 76 that supports the back side of the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44.

The blade mount 70 further includes a cylindrical rear end 82 that extends rearward beyond the flange portion 74, and includes a spindle mounting hole 70a (see FIG. 4, etc.) into which the tip of the spindle 54 is inserted inside the flange portion 74 and the rear end 82. The spindle mounting hole 70a is exposed to the rear side, and the spindle 54 is inserted from the rear side.

The spindle 54 has a tapered shape with a smaller diameter toward the tip, and the outer circumferential surface 54a is tapered. The inner circumferential surface of the spindle mounting hole 70a has a tapered shape that corresponds to the tapered shape of the outer circumferential surface 54a of the spindle 54. The blade mount 70 further includes a bolt receiving hole 88 formed on the inside of the boss portion 72 so as to be exposed to the forward side. The bolt receiving hole 88 is connected to the spindle mounting hole 70a.

When the tip of the spindle 54 is inserted into the spindle mounting hole 70a, the bolt fixing hole 58 formed at the tip of the spindle 54 is exposed to the front side through the bolt accommodating hole 88. Then, after inserting the spindle 54 into the spindle mounting hole 70a, the fixing bolt 96 with the washer 94 passed through it is inserted from the front side into the bolt accommodating hole 88 of the blade mount 70 and the fixing bolt 96 is screwed into the bolt fixing hole 58. Then, the blade mount 70 is fixed to the tip of the spindle 54.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cutting unit 38 equipped with a cutting blade mounting mechanism 55. Figure 4 includes a cross-sectional view of a blade mount 70 fixed to the tip of the spindle 54. The outer diameter of the boss portion 72 corresponds to the inner diameter of the mounting hole 50 of the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44.

When the cutting blade 44 is fixed to the tip of the spindle 54 using the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55, the boss 72 of the blade mount 70 is passed through the mounting hole 50 of the annular base 48. Conventionally, a screw thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the boss 72, and the cutting blade 44 is fixed by screwing a fixing nut into the tip of the boss 72 that is passed through the mounting hole 50 of the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44.

However, when screwing the fixing nut onto the tip of the boss portion 72, the fixing nut needs to be tightened with a specified torque. Therefore, unless the work is performed by a skilled worker, a dedicated tightening jig equipped with a mechanism for measuring the torque is required.

In addition, when the fixing nut is tightened, the cutting blade 44 rotates with the rotation of the fixing nut while contacting the flange portion 74, so the contact surface (annular support surface 76) of the flange portion 74 is likely to become rough. If the contact surface becomes rough, it becomes difficult to fix the cutting blade 44 in the correct orientation, and there is also a risk that the fixing of the cutting blade 44 becomes unstable.

Therefore, in the cutting blade 44 and cutting blade attachment mechanism 55 according to this embodiment, the fixing operation is performed by magnetic force instead of a fixing nut. Below, we will explain the cutting blade 44 that can be fixed by magnetic force, and the cutting blade attachment mechanism 55 that can fix the cutting blade 44 by magnetic force.

Figure 3 (A) is a front view of the cutting blade 44 according to this embodiment. In Figure 3 (A), the internal structure of the annular base 48 is indicated by dashed lines. The annular base 48 contains ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d therein. Note that, in the example shown in Figure 3 (A), four ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d are included in the annular base 48, but the number of ferromagnetic bodies is not limited to this.

In the cutting blade 44, it is preferable that the multiple ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d are arranged symmetrically about the mounting hole 50 so that the cutting blade 44 is fixed to the blade mount 70 without bias by magnetic force. Alternatively, the annular base 48 may include an annular ferromagnetic body therein that surrounds the mounting hole 50 from the outside.

Now, the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d will be described. Ferromagnetic bodies are formed of, for example, iron, cobalt, nickel, and compounds containing these metals. However, ferromagnetic bodies are not limited to these. Here, a ferromagnetic body is defined as an object that has the property of being magnetized when a magnet is brought close to it, and that has the property of generating a force that attracts it to the magnet. After the magnetized ferromagnetic body is separated from the magnet, residual magnetization may remain in the ferromagnetic body. Ferromagnetic bodies that retain this residual magnetization become permanent magnets. In other words, ferromagnetic bodies include permanent magnets.

When the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d are permanent magnets, the orientation of the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d is adjusted in advance so that the direction of the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet is oriented in the direction along the insertion direction of the mounting hole 50 in the vicinity of the permanent magnet. In other words, when the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d are permanent magnets, the north pole or south pole of each of the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d is oriented in advance toward the front or back surface of the annular base 48.

When the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44 contains ferromagnetic materials 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d, the cutting blade 44 can be attached to the blade mount 70 by the magnetic force acting between the cutting blade 44 and the flange portion 74 of the blade mount 70. The flange portion 74 also contains a ferromagnetic material inside so that a magnetic force is generated between the cutting blade 44, which contains the ferromagnetic materials 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d, and the flange portion 74.

Figure 3(B) is a front view showing a blade mount 70 including ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d inside the flange portion 74. In Figure 3(B), the internal structure is shown by dashed lines. Inside the flange portion 74, the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d are arranged in a number and arrangement corresponding to the number and arrangement of the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d of the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44 attached to the blade mount 70.

For example, if an annular ferromagnetic material is included inside the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44, it is preferable that an annular ferromagnetic material with a diameter similar to that of the annular ferromagnetic material is also disposed inside the flange portion 74.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the cutting blade 44 mounted on the blade mount 70. As shown in Figure 4, when the cutting blade 44 is mounted on the blade mount 70, the orientation of the cutting blade 44 is adjusted so that the positions of the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d of the annular base 48 match the positions of the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d of the flange portion 74.

When the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d are permanent magnets, the orientation of the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d is adjusted in advance so that the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets is oriented in the direction along the extension direction of the boss portion 72 in the vicinity of the permanent magnets. In other words, when the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d are permanent magnets, the north pole or south pole of each of the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d is oriented toward the surface of the flange portion 74 that faces the annular base 48.

Here, if the ferromagnetic materials 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d of the annular base 48 and the ferromagnetic materials 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d of the flange portion 74 are ferromagnetic materials that do not have the properties of a permanent magnet, a sufficiently strong magnetic force is not generated between them. In other words, the cutting blade 44 cannot be attached to the blade mount 70 by magnetic force. Therefore, it is preferable that at least one of the two is a ferromagnetic material that has the properties of a permanent magnet.

In addition, if both of them have the properties of permanent magnets, they must be arranged on the annular base 48 and the flange portion 74, respectively, with their different south and north poles facing each other so that they do not repel each other.

For example, each of the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d having the properties of a permanent magnet and included in the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44 is disposed on the annular base 48 with its north pole facing the flange portion 74. At this time, each of the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d having the properties of a permanent magnet and included in the flange portion 74 of the blade mount 70 is disposed on the annular base 48 with its south pole facing the annular base 48.

Furthermore, the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d arranged in a ring shape inside the annular base 48 may have opposite poles facing the flange portion 74 between adjacent ones. And the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d arranged in a ring shape inside the flange portion 74 may have opposite poles facing the annular base 48 between adjacent ones.

For example, the north poles of the ferromagnetic materials 90a, 90c included in the annular base 48 are directed toward the flange portion 74, and the south poles of the ferromagnetic materials 80a, 80c included in the flange portion 74 are directed toward the annular base 48. The south poles of the ferromagnetic materials 90b, 90d included in the annular base 48 are directed toward the flange portion 74, and the north poles of the ferromagnetic materials 80b, 80d included in the flange portion 74 are directed toward the annular base 48. In this case, the magnetic field is strengthened, and the cutting blade 44 is firmly fixed by the blade mount 70.

Furthermore, in this case, when the cutting blade 44 is detached from the blade mount 70, it is advisable to rotate only the cutting blade 44 around the boss portion 72 while fixing the blade mount 70. In this case, the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d of the annular base 48 and the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d of the flange portion 74 face each other with the same poles, and a repulsive force is generated between the cutting blade 44 and the flange portion 74.

As explained above, the cutting blade 44 is attached to the cutting unit 38 by magnetic force via the cutting blade attachment mechanism 55. In this case, there is no need to use a fixing nut or the like. Therefore, any worker can easily perform the fixing work without using a dedicated jig. In the fixing work by magnetic force, the cutting blade 44 does not rotate with the fixing nut, so the contact surface of the flange portion 74 does not become rough.

The flange portion 74 may include an electromagnet instead of the ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, and 80d, and the blade mount 70 may be provided with a power supply path for supplying power to the electromagnet. In this case, the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 further includes a power source that serves as a source of power supplied to the electromagnet, and a switch for switching the electromagnet on and off. Next, a cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 having an electromagnet on the flange portion 74 will be described.

Figure 6 includes a cross-sectional view showing a blade mount 70 in which the flange portion 74 includes electromagnets 80e and 80f. The electromagnets 80e and 80f included in the flange portion 74 are coils formed by winding a conductive wire including a material such as a copper wire. The electromagnets 80e and 80f have two terminals, each of which is connected to a power source.

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic diagram of the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 including the blade mount 70. As shown in Figure 5, the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 includes a power source 98 and a switch 100. One end of the wire 68a is connected to one terminal of the power source 98, and one end of the wire 68b is connected to the other terminal of the power source 98. Here, the wires 68a and 68b can be general conductive wires having a core such as copper and an insulating coating covering the core. The switch 100 is provided between the power source 98 and either one of the wires 68a and 68b.

The wires 68a, 68b are laid inside the rotary joint 60 from the cylindrical wire introduction portion 68. Two annular terminals 64a, 64b are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the joint opening 64 of the rotary joint 60 around the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface. The two annular terminals 64a, 64b are provided separately from each other. For example, the annular terminal 64a is connected to the other end of the wire 68a, and the annular terminal 64b is connected to the other end of the wire 68b. The annular terminal 64b is formed from a conductive material such as iron, copper, silver, or gold.

Here, each of the annular terminals 64a, 64b is covered with an insulating material such as resin or rubber so that the annular terminals 64a, 64b are insulated from the main body of the rotary joint 60. The annular terminals 64a, 64b are then provided in the joint opening 64 of the rotary joint 60 via the insulating material.

The outer peripheral surface 86 of the rear end 82 of the blade mount 70 is provided with two annular terminals 84a, 84b at positions that face the two annular terminals 64a, 64b when the rear end 82 is accommodated in the joint opening 64. The annular terminals 84a, 84b are covered with an insulating material such as resin or rubber so as to be insulated from the main body of the blade mount 70. They are then provided on the rear end 82 of the blade mount 70 via the insulating material.

The annular terminals 64a and 64b provided in the joint opening 64 may protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the joint opening 64 as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the annular terminal 64a is likely to come into contact with the annular terminal 84a and become electrically conductive, and the annular terminal 64b is likely to come into contact with the annular terminal 84b and become electrically conductive. Note that, instead of the annular terminals 64a and 64b, the annular terminals 84a and 84b may protrude from the outer peripheral surface 86 of the rear end 82.

In other words, even when the cutting blade 44 is attached to the blade mount 70 and the spindle 54 is rotated to rotate the cutting blade 44 together with the blade mount 70, the electrical connection between the annular terminal 64a and the annular terminal 84a is maintained. Similarly, the electrical connection between the annular terminal 64b and the annular terminal 84b is maintained.

The blade mount 70 further includes two internal wires 84c and 84d, one end of which is connected to the annular terminals 84a and 84b, respectively. The two wires 84c and 84d can be wires with an insulating coating, similar to the wires 68a and 68b. The other ends of the two wires 84c and 84d are each connected to the electromagnet 80e. The above-described configuration completes a circuit that supplies power from the power source 98 to the electromagnet 80e.

The blade mount 70 further includes two internal wires 84e, 84f, one end of which is connected to the annular terminals 84a, 84b, respectively. The other ends of the two wires 84e, 84f are each connected to the electromagnet 80f. In this manner, all the electromagnets provided on the flange portion 74 of the blade mount 70 are connected to the power source 98. The supply of power to each electromagnet 80 can be switched on and off by turning the switch 100 on and off.

The rotary joint 60 and the blade mount 70 are provided with passages for passing the wires 68a, 68b, 84c, 84d, 84e, and 84f inside, but these passages are omitted in FIG. 6.

When fixing the cutting blade 44 having the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d to the blade mount 70, first, the boss portion 72 is inserted into the mounting hole 50 of the annular base 48, and the annular support surface 76 of the flange portion 74 is brought into contact with the annular base 48. Next, the switch 100 is turned on to supply power to each of the electromagnets 80e and 80f to generate a magnetic field.

Then, the electromagnets 80e and 80f attract the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d due to magnetic force. This fixes the cutting blade 44. If you want to release the fixation of the cutting blade 44, you can simply turn off the switch 100.

In addition, if the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, and 90d have the properties of permanent magnets, care must be taken when installing the electromagnets 80e and 80f so that when power is supplied to the electromagnets, a magnetic force that attracts the electromagnets is generated. In this case, when removing the cutting blade 44 from the blade mount 70, the direction of the power supply 98 can be changed so that the electromagnets 80e and 80f generate magnetic fields in opposite directions. This generates a repulsive force between the annular base 48 and the flange portion 74, making it easier to remove the cutting blade 44.

The electromagnet may be provided on the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44 instead of the flange portion 74. Next, a cutting blade 44 having electromagnets inside the annular base 48 instead of the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, 90d, and a cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 having a mechanism capable of supplying power to the electromagnets will be described. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cutting blade 44 having electromagnets 92a, 92c inside the annular base 48, and a cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 capable of supplying power to the electromagnets 92a, 92c.

Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the cutting blade attachment mechanism 55. As shown in Figure 7, the cutting blade attachment mechanism 55 includes a power source 98 and a switch 100. The electromagnets 92a and 92c are configured similarly to the electromagnets 80e and 80f described above. The power source 98, the switch 100, the wiring 68a and 68b, and the annular terminals 64a and 64b provided in the joint opening 64 of the rotary joint 60 have already been described using Figures 5 and 6, so repeated description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, two terminals 104a, 104b are provided on the outer peripheral surface 86 of the rear end 82 of the blade mount 70 at positions that face the two annular terminals 64a, 64b when the rear end 82 is accommodated in the joint opening 64. Even if two terminals 104a, 104b arranged in a dot pattern are provided on the outer peripheral surface 86 instead of the above-mentioned annular terminals 84a, 84b, the two terminals 104a, 104b are always electrically connected to the annular terminals 64a, 64b when the blade mount 70 rotates.

The terminals 104a and 104b are covered with an insulating material such as resin or rubber so as to be insulated from the main body of the blade mount 70. They are then provided at the rear end 82 of the blade mount 70 via the insulating material. The blade mount 70 has two internal wires 84g and 84h, one end of which is connected to the terminals 104a and 104b, respectively.

In addition, two terminals 78a and 78b are provided on the outer peripheral surface 78 of the boss portion 72 of the blade mount 70. The other ends of the two wirings 84g and 84h are connected to the two terminals 78a and 78b, respectively.

The cutting blade 44 shown in FIG. 8 has electromagnets 92a, 92c inside the annular base 48 instead of the above-mentioned ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, 90d. Terminals 50a, 50b are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole 50 of the annular base 48 at positions corresponding to the two terminals 78a, 78b provided on the outer circumferential surface 78 of the boss portion 72.

In addition, like the terminals 104a and 104b, the terminals 78a and 78b may be covered with an insulating material to electrically insulate them from the blade mount 70, and the terminals 50a and 50b may be covered with an insulating material to electrically insulate them from the main body of the annular base 48. Inside the annular base 48, there is provided a wire 102a having one end connected to the terminal 50a and the other end connected to the electromagnet 92a, and a wire 102b having one end connected to the terminal 50b and the other end connected to the electromagnet 92a.

When mounting the cutting blade 44 to the blade mount 70, the boss portion 72 is inserted into the mounting hole 50 and the annular base 48 is brought into contact with the annular support surface 76 of the flange portion 74. At this time, the orientation of the cutting blade 44 is adjusted so that terminal 50a and terminal 78a come into contact and terminal 50b and terminal 78b come into contact at the same time. This completes the circuit that supplies power from the power source 98 to the electromagnet 92a.

Two annular conductive parts 50c, 50d surrounding the mounting hole 50 may be provided inside the annular base 48, and the two terminals 50a, 50b may be connected to the conductive parts 50c, 50d, respectively. Then, each electromagnet 92a, 92c provided on the annular base 48 may be electrically connected to the two terminals 50a, 50b via the two conductive parts 50c, 50d.

For example, inside the annular base 48, there is provided a wiring 102c having one end connected to the conductive portion 50c and the other end connected to the electromagnet 92c, and a wiring 102d having one end connected to the conductive portion 50d and the other end connected to the electromagnet 92c. In this way, in the cutting blade 44 and cutting blade attachment mechanism 55 shown in Figures 7 and 8, a circuit is formed that supplies power from the power source 98 to all of the electromagnets 92a, 92c. Then, by switching the switch 100 on and off, the cutting blade 44 can be attached and detached.

Here, a method for providing a ferromagnetic body or electromagnet to the annular base 48 or the flange portion 74 will be described. When providing the cutting blade 44 with the ferromagnetic bodies 90a, 90b, 90c, 90d or the electromagnets 92a, 92c, for example, a recess is formed from the front or back side of the annular base 48 to a predetermined installation position. Then, the object to be installed is placed at the bottom of the recess, and the recess is filled with a backfilling material such as a resin material.

When the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 is provided with ferromagnetic bodies 80a, 80b, 80c, 80d or electromagnets 80e, 80f, a recess is formed that reaches a predetermined installation position from the bottom surface of the recess 74b of the flange portion 74. Then, the object to be installed is placed at the bottom of the recess, and the recess can be filled with a backfilling material such as a resin material.

In addition, in order not to interfere with the magnetic force acting between the cutting blade 44 and the flange portion 74, it is advisable to use a non-magnetic material, such as aluminum, for the annular base 48 and the blade mount 70.

As described above, in the cutting blade 44 and cutting blade attachment mechanism 55 according to this embodiment, the cutting blade 44 is fixed by the magnetic force acting between the annular base 48 and the flange portion 74. Therefore, the cutting blade 44 can be easily fixed without using a dedicated jig.

Furthermore, the cutting blade 44 and cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 according to this embodiment will be described in other terms. The cutting blade 44 has a source of a magnetic field such as a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, and the blade mount 70 of the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 has an object that receives the magnetic field such as a ferromagnetic material or an electromagnet. Alternatively, the blade mount 70 has a source of a magnetic field, and the cutting blade 44 has an object that receives the magnetic field.

For example, the blade mount 70 of the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 used to mount the cutting blade 44 includes either a first ferromagnetic material having properties of a permanent magnet or a first electromagnet, and includes either a second ferromagnetic material or a second electromagnet in the flange portion 74. The second ferromagnetic material may have properties of a permanent magnet, for example. In this case, it can be said that the cutting blade 44 has a source of a magnetic field, and the blade mount 70 has an object that receives the magnetic field.

For example, the blade mount 70 of the cutting blade mounting mechanism 55 used to mount the cutting blade 44 including a first ferromagnetic material that does not have the properties of a permanent magnet includes either a second ferromagnetic material that has the properties of a permanent magnet in the flange portion 74, or an electromagnet. In this case, it can be said that the blade mount 70 has a source of a magnetic field, and the cutting blade 44 has an object that receives the magnetic field.

In either case, the cutting blade 44 can be attached to the blade mount 70 by the magnetic force acting between the annular base 48 and the flange portion 74.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified in various ways. In the above embodiment, an electromagnet is provided instead of a ferroelectric material on either the annular base 48 of the cutting blade 44 or the flange portion 74 of the blade mount 70 of the cutting blade attachment mechanism 55. However, one aspect of the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, an electromagnet may be provided on both the annular base 48 and the flange portion 74.

In the above embodiment, the power supply 98 that supplies power to each electromagnet is electrically connected to each electromagnet via the rotary joint 60, but this is not a limitation of one aspect of the present invention. For example, the power supply 98 may be electrically connected to each electromagnet via the spindle 54. That is, two terminals may be provided on the outer peripheral surface 54a of the spindle 54, and two other terminals may be provided on the inner peripheral surface of the spindle mounting hole 70a of the blade mount 70 at positions corresponding to the two terminals.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the boss portion 72 of the blade mount 70 protrudes cylindrically, and the mounting hole 50 of the cutting blade 44 passes through the boss portion 72, but this aspect of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the outer peripheral surface 78 of the boss portion 72 may be formed with a protrusion or groove portion shaped along the extension direction of the boss portion 72, and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 50 may be formed with a groove or protrusion portion corresponding to the shape of the outer peripheral surface 78 of the boss portion 72.

In this case, the outer peripheral surface 78 of the boss portion 72 and the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 50 of the cutting blade 44 mesh with each other. Therefore, when a force in the rotational direction is applied to the cutting blade 44 fixed to the blade mount 70, the cutting blade 44 is prevented from slipping against the boss portion 72 in the rotational direction.

In the cutting device 2, when the cutting blade 44 cuts the workpiece held by suction on the chuck table 14, the cutting blade 44 receives a reaction force from the workpiece in the direction of rotation. At this time, the frictional force generated between the flange portion 74 and the annular base 48 suppresses slippage of the cutting blade 44. Furthermore, if the boss portion 72 and the annular base 48 are engaged, slippage is further suppressed.

In addition, the structures, methods, etc. relating to the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the purpose of the present invention.

2 Cutting device 4 Base 4a, 4b Opening 6 Cassette support base 8 Cassette 10 Table cover 12 Dust-proof/water-proof cover 14 Chuck table 14a Holding surface 14b Clamp 16 Support structure 18 Arm 20 Indexing feed unit 22, 30 Guide rail 24, 32 Moving plate 26, 34 Ball screw 28 Lifting unit 36 Pulse motor 38 Cutting unit 40 Imaging unit 42 Cleaning unit 42a Spinner table 42b Injection nozzle 44 Cutting blade 46 Spindle housing 48 Annular base 50 Mounting hole 50a, 50b Terminal 50c, 50d Conductive portion 52 Cutting blade 54 Spindle 54a Outer circumferential surface 55 Cutting blade mounting mechanism 56 Screw hole 58 Bolt fixing hole 60 Rotary joint [0033] 62 through hole 62a bolt 64 joint opening 64a, 64b annular terminal 66 blade mount housing 68 wire introduction portion 68a, 68b wire 70 blade mount 70a spindle mounting hole 72 boss portion 74 flange portion 74b recess 76 annular support surface 78 outer peripheral surface 78a, 78b terminal 80a, 80b, 80c, 80d ferromagnetic material 80e, 80f electromagnet 82 rear end portion 84a, 84b annular terminal 84c, 84d, 84e, 84f, 84g, 84h wire 86 outer peripheral surface 88 bolt housing hole 90a, 90b, 90c, 90d ferromagnetic material 92a, 92c electromagnet 94 washer 96 fixing bolt 98 power source 100 switch 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d Wiring 104a, 104b Terminal

Claims (3)

An annular base having a mounting hole formed in the center thereof;
A cutting blade provided on an outer periphery of the annular base,
The annular base has an electromagnet therein. A cutting blade mounting mechanism for mounting a cutting blade to a spindle, the cutting blade having an annular base including either a first ferromagnetic body having properties as a permanent magnet or a first electromagnet and a mounting hole formed in a center thereof, and a cutting blade provided on an outer periphery of the annular base,
A blade mount is attached to the tip of the spindle,
The blade mount comprises:
a boss portion to be inserted into the mounting hole of the annular base;
a flange portion having an annular support surface that protrudes radially from a rear end of the boss portion and supports a rear surface side of the annular base of the cutting blade,
The flange portion includes a second electromagnet;
A cutting blade mounting mechanism, characterized in that the cutting blade can be mounted on the blade mount by a magnetic force acting between the annular base and the flange portion. A cutting blade mounting mechanism for mounting a cutting blade to a spindle, the cutting blade having an annular base including a first ferromagnetic body not having properties of a permanent magnet and having a mounting hole formed in a center thereof, and a cutting blade provided on an outer periphery of the annular base,
A blade mount is attached to the tip of the spindle,
The blade mount comprises:
a boss portion to be inserted into the mounting hole of the annular base;
a flange portion having an annular support surface that protrudes radially from a rear end of the boss portion and supports a rear surface side of the annular base of the cutting blade,
The flange portion includes an electromagnet,
A cutting blade mounting mechanism, characterized in that the cutting blade can be mounted on the blade mount by a magnetic force acting between the annular base and the flange portion.

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