Ceramic cutting method and device

Abstract

A ceramic cutting method and apparatus includes a light beam irradiation unit that irradiates a light beam having a wavelength absorbed by a ceramic, a damage generation unit that generates a fine damage at a cutting start portion on a cutting path of an outer contour of the ceramic, and a control unit that adjusts an output power, a shape, a light beam mode, a light beam irradiation area, and a cutting speed of the light beam irradiated by the light beam irradiation unit and controls driving of the light beam irradiation unit, adjusts the cutting speed in proportion to the light beam output power using the light beam having the light beam mode and the light beam shape set based on a ceramic material and a thickness or a ceramic tempering depth, and locally heats the ceramic below a melting point of the ceramic to adjust a region affected by heating and a thermal stress so as to prevent the ceramic from being cut in an arbitrary direction, generates a thermal stress above a maximum thermal strength of the ceramic to enable the ceramic to be cut in a desired path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention discloses a ceramic cutting method and apparatus, and more specifically, a ceramic cutting method and apparatus for cutting ultra-thin film glass, chemically tempered or thermally tempered glass. Background Technology

[0002] Ceramics refer to a three-dimensional network structure of solid material formed after the crystalline material aggregates following a sintering process in which metals and non-metals or metalloids are combined through heat treatment to form crystalline material.

[0003] Unlike older ceramic materials that primarily use natural raw materials such as clay, kaolin, feldspar, and silica, new ceramic materials made from high-purity synthetic raw materials such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride, alumina, zirconia, and barium titanate have recently gained popularity and are being used in a wide range of fields, including electrical, magnetic, mechanical, chemical, optical, and biological fields.

[0004] Generally, ceramic materials (hereinafter referred to as "ceramics") are cut in the following ways: by using a high-hardness wheel made of materials such as diamonds with a hardness higher than that of ceramics to create cracks and then striking (braking), or by grinding and cutting with a high-hardness grinding whetstone.

[0005] Recently, lasers or high-output power beams have been used to heat ceramics, melt and vaporize them to create grooves, and then braking is used to cut them or to completely remove the material.

[0006] On the other hand, tempered glass, which is now used as cover glass for electronic products such as mobile phones or tablets, has been chemically tempered to make it less prone to scratches or breakage, and its use is increasing.

[0007] Furthermore, Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) has recently been developed for foldable displays. UTG is a type of cover window designed to overcome the shortcomings of existing glass. It involves tempering glass with a thickness of approximately 40 μm to improve flexibility and durability.

[0008] However, in existing laser cutting methods, the material cracks and experiences thermal shock when melting or vaporizing ceramics. Therefore, when cutting thin glass such as UTG, chemically tempered glass, or thermally tempered glass, the material is easily damaged due to cracking and thermal shock, making it unsuitable for mass production.

[0009] Therefore, existing technology involves cutting the tempered glass into sizes suitable for the product before tempering it, and then tempering each piece of glass individually before use.

[0010] (Patent Document 1) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1119289 (March 15, 2012)

[0011] (Patent Document 2) Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-112532 (June 10, 2013) Summary of the Invention

[0012] Technical issues

[0013] The present invention aims to solve the problems mentioned above. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a ceramic cutting method and apparatus that can cut ceramics with a surface tempering depth of more than 1 μm or thin ceramic plates with a thickness of less than 3 mm without cracking or damage.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a ceramic cutting method and apparatus that can compensate for errors that occur during ceramic cutting and ensure straight-line cutting.

[0015] Technical solution

[0016] To achieve the aforementioned objective, the ceramic cutting apparatus of the present invention comprises: a beam irradiation unit that irradiates a beam having a wavelength absorbed by the ceramic; a damage generation unit that generates minute damage at the cutting initiation portion of the cutting path on the ceramic outline; and a control unit that adjusts the output power, shape, beam pattern, beam irradiation area, and cutting speed of the beam irradiated by the beam irradiation unit and controls the driving of the beam irradiation unit; using a beam having a beam pattern and beam shape set based on the ceramic material and thickness or the ceramic tempering depth, adjusting the cutting speed in a manner proportional to the beam output power, and locally heating the ceramic to below the melting point of the ceramic, adjusting the area affected by heat and thermal stress to prevent the ceramic from being cut in any direction, generating thermal stress above the maximum heat resistance strength of the ceramic, and cutting the ceramic along the desired path.

[0017] Furthermore, to achieve the aforementioned objective, the ceramic cutting method of the present invention includes the following steps: step a, irradiating a light beam having a wavelength absorbed by the ceramic by a light beam irradiation unit; step b, generating minute damage at the cutting initiation portion of the cutting path on the ceramic outline by a damage generation unit; and step c, controlling the drive of the light beam irradiation unit by adjusting the output power, shape, beam pattern, beam irradiation area, and cutting speed of the light beam irradiated by the light beam irradiation unit; using a light beam having a beam pattern and beam shape set based on the ceramic material and thickness or the ceramic tempering depth, adjusting the cutting speed in a manner proportional to the beam output power, and locally heating the ceramic to below the melting point of the ceramic, adjusting the area affected by heat and thermal stress to prevent the ceramic from being cut in any direction, generating thermal stress above the maximum heat resistance strength of the ceramic, and cutting the ceramic according to the desired path.

[0018] Invention Effects

[0019] As mentioned above, the ceramic cutting method and apparatus according to the present invention can achieve the following effects: ceramics, that is, ceramics with a surface tempered to a tempering depth of 1 μm or more, or thin ceramic plates with a thickness of 3 mm or less, can be cut in a manner without cracking or damage.

[0020] That is, according to the present invention, a beam having a beam pattern and beam shape set based on the thickness of the ceramic material and the depth of ceramic tempering is used to adjust the cutting speed in a manner proportional to the beam output power and to locally heat the ceramic to below the melting point of the ceramic, thereby adjusting the area affected by heat and the thermal stress to prevent the ceramic from being cut in any direction, generating thermal stress above the maximum heat resistance of the ceramic, and cutting the ceramic along the desired path.

[0021] Furthermore, according to the present invention, when cutting thin ceramic sheets, a coolant can be further sprayed onto the ceramic surface irradiated by the light beam to reduce thermal deformation of the ceramic surface, enabling precise cutting along the desired path.

[0022] Furthermore, according to the present invention, when cutting ceramics, the current cutting position of the irradiated light beam is measured in real time, the difference between the measured cutting position and the cutting line is calculated, and the offset of the cutting position is compensated in real time, thereby improving the straightness of the cutting line and the cutting performance. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a configuration diagram of a ceramic cutting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is an example diagram of the UTG cutting process.

[0025] Figure 3 This explains the process of compensating for the offset of the cutting position.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the preferred embodiment of the ceramic cutting method of the present invention, step by step.

[0027] Figure 5 and Figure 6 Examples of tempered glass and UTG with their surfaces tempered after being damaged during the cutting process are shown.

[0028] Figures 7 to 9 Each of the first to third embodiments illustrates ceramics cut using the ceramic cutting methods described. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The preferred embodiments of the ceramic cutting method and apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] This invention irradiates the ceramic to be cut with a beam of light with a preset beam width, heating it below the melting point of the ceramic and generating internal thermal stress in the material above its maximum heat resistance, thereby cutting the ceramic along the desired path without cracking or damage.

[0031] Therefore, the present invention adjusts the output power and shape of the light beam irradiating the ceramic, the beam pattern and the cutting speed, and heats the ceramic.

[0032] That is, the present invention cuts ceramics with a surface tempering depth of more than 1 μm or thin ceramic plates with a thickness of less than 3 mm in a manner without cracking or damage.

[0033] For example, tempered glass, which has undergone heat or chemical tempering to be used in cover plates for electronic products, has surface stress. Therefore, tempered glass is difficult to cut in the desired direction due to slight mechanical damage or thermal shocks such as lasers, even when cut in any direction.

[0034] Furthermore, thinner glass sheets with a thickness of less than 3 mm have weaker impact strength due to their thinner thickness. Therefore, even if they are subjected to slight mechanical damage or thermal shock such as lasers, they can be cut in any direction and it is difficult to cut them in the desired direction.

[0035] That is, tempered glass will break immediately if a groove is slightly created by a mechanical wheel, and it will also break immediately if a laser is used to heat or melt it slightly.

[0036] Moreover, thin glass will break in any direction if grooves are slightly created by mechanical wheels, and it will also break in any direction if it is slightly heated or melted by a laser.

[0037] On the other hand, by using a laser to heat the appropriate area of ​​the minute damage formed on the ceramic outline to generate appropriate thermal stress, it is possible to induce cutting from the minute damage, that is, from the cutting start point, along the desired path.

[0038] In other words, during laser heating, if the internal thermal stress of the ceramic is weak due to a low heating temperature, it can prevent breakage in any direction. Therefore, ceramics cannot be cut at low heating temperatures, while ceramics may melt or break in any direction due to thermal shock if the heating temperature is too high.

[0039] Therefore, by properly adjusting the internal thermal stress of the ceramic, it is possible to prevent cutting in any direction, but to induce a cutting line from the starting point of the cut to the area where the laser generates thermal stress. That is, stress can be generated to cut along the desired path.

[0040] As mentioned earlier, when cutting ceramics, if any of the following is not optimized: the output power of the beam, the beam mode, the beam shape, the beam irradiation area, or the cutting speed, the ceramics will melt and suffer thermal damage or remain unresponsive.

[0041] Therefore, if a beam with a beam pattern and beam shape optimized for ceramic material and thickness is used to adjust the cutting speed in a manner proportional to the beam output power, the ceramic is locally heated below its melting point. At this point, thermal stress is generated at a value above the maximum heat resistance of the ceramic, and the ceramic can be cut along the desired path without damaging the material.

[0042] That is, the present invention adjusts and optimizes the output power, shape, beam mode, beam irradiation area and cutting speed of the beam irradiating the ceramic and heats the ceramic, so that the ceramic can be cut without cooling the heated ceramic or melting and vaporizing the ceramic.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a configuration diagram of a ceramic cutting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] The following directional terms such as "left side", "right side", "front", "rear", "above" and "below" will be defined as indicating each direction based on the state shown in the respective figures.

[0045] Furthermore, please note that although this embodiment describes a ceramic cutting apparatus and method for cutting UTG, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and can also be applied to cutting very thin glass, chemically tempered glass or thermally tempered glass with a thickness of less than 100 μm, such as UTG.

[0046] like Figure 1As shown, the ceramic cutting apparatus 10 of a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes: a beam irradiation unit 20, which irradiates a beam B having a wavelength absorbed by UTG in order to cut the ceramic 11 (e.g., UTG) to be cut in a manner without cracking or damage; a damage generation unit 30, which finely generates initial damage at the cutting start portion on the cutting path of the ceramic outline; and a control unit 40, which controls the driving of the beam irradiation unit 20 by adjusting the output power, shape, beam mode, beam irradiation area and cutting speed of the irradiated beam.

[0047] The beam illumination unit 20 may include: a beam generator 21, which adjusts the output power, shape, beam mode, beam illumination area and cutting speed of the beam according to the control signal of the control unit 40 and generates a beam; a lens unit 22, which focuses the beam generated by the beam generator 21 and irradiates it toward the UTG; and a driving unit 23, which drives the lens unit 22 so that the beam moves along the direction to be cut.

[0048] The beam illumination unit 20 can illuminate the beam in a roughly circular, elliptical, or quadrilateral shape so that the illuminated beam is symmetrical about the cutting line.

[0049] On the other hand, the beam irradiation unit 20 can also irradiate the beam when cutting the curved section to be described below or when compensating for the offset of the cutting position. The shape of the beam is asymmetrical to the tangent of the cutting line.

[0050] The function of the damage generation unit 30 is to generate initial damage in minute detail at the cutting start point S of the cutting operation on the cutting path W of the UTG outline to be cut.

[0051] For example, Figure 2 This is an example diagram of the UTG cutting process.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, when cutting a roughly square-shaped UTG to the required size, the cutting path W is formed as follows: starting from the outer contour of the UTG, for example, from the cutting start point S set as the upper right end, it moves sequentially in the directions of downward, left, upward, and right. Here, each vertex of the cutting path W can be formed with a rounded curved surface so as to correspond to each vertex of the display screen suitable for electronic products.

[0053] The damage generation unit 30 can be equipped with a mechanical wheel or can utilize the beam generator 21 of the beam irradiation unit 20, depending on the ceramic material to be cut.

[0054] For example, when the damage generation unit 30 is equipped with a mechanical wheel, it can form initial damage in minute detail at the cutting start point S, such as forming point-like cracks or grooves.

[0055] Alternatively, if the damage generation unit 30 uses the beam generator 21, it can heat the cutting start part S to a temperature below the melting point to form subtle initial damage.

[0056] On the other hand, the operation of generating initial damage at the cutting start point S using the damage generation unit 30 can be removed in the following state, that is, in the state where damage has already been generated on the ceramic 11 to be cut, i.e., on the outer contour portion of the UTG.

[0057] The control unit 40 can control the cutting speed of a beam with a beam pattern and shape set based on the ceramic material 11 to be cut, i.e., based on the thickness of the UTG or the tempering depth of the tempered glass, in a manner proportional to the beam output power, thereby locally heating the ceramic 11 to below its melting point. Furthermore, the control unit 40 can control the cutting speed to prevent the ceramic 11 from being cut in any direction, adjusting the area affected by heat and the thermal stress, generating thermal stress at a value above the maximum heat resistance of the ceramic 11, and cutting the ceramic 11 along the desired path.

[0058] The control unit 40 can control the beam irradiation area to be increased proportionally to the thickness of the UTG or the depth of tempering of the tempered glass.

[0059] For example, the control unit 40 can control the heating of the material by an area of ​​0.01 to 10,000 times the UTG thickness A.

[0060] Furthermore, the control unit 40 can selectively apply and control one or more beam modes, including a Gaussian mode using a general Gaussian distribution and a left-right symmetrical mode with output power distribution symmetrical about the cutting line.

[0061] Furthermore, the control unit 40 can control the drive of the beam irradiation unit 20 so as to adjust the cutting speed proportionally to the output power of the beam and cut the ceramic 11.

[0062] On the other hand, the control unit 40 can control the drive of the beam irradiation unit 20 so that when cutting ceramics such as tempered glass, the temperature at which the tempering formed on the ceramic is released is lowered and the ceramic is cut.

[0063] Please refer to the previous document. Figure 1 The ceramic cutting device 10 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention further includes a measuring unit 50 for measuring the current cutting position of the irradiated light beam, and a control unit 40 for calculating in real time the difference between the cutting position P measured by the measuring unit 50 and the preset cutting line L and controlling it to compensate for the difference Δx and Δy between the measured cutting position P and the cutting line L.

[0064] For example, Figure 3 This explains the process of compensating for the offset of the cutting position.

[0065] When the cutting line L approaches the outer contour of the ceramic 11 to be cut, the heat release in the outer contour direction of the cutting line L is relatively less, while the heat release in the inner direction of the cutting line L is relatively more. Therefore, the cutting line L will bend towards the outer contour direction.

[0066] Therefore, in this embodiment, when performing a straight-line cutting operation with the cutting position P close to the outer contour of the ceramic 11, the beam can be irradiated after compensating for the amount of bending in the outer contour direction, or the straightness can be ensured by using a beam pattern that has a relatively weak output power distribution in the outer contour direction of the cutting line L and a relatively strong output power distribution in the inner direction.

[0067] Moreover, when cutting curved surfaces, the tangential heat of the curved cutting line is released relatively more through the outer contour of the curve and relatively less through the interior of the curve.

[0068] Therefore, in this embodiment, when cutting curved surfaces, the following beam pattern is used to compensate for the cutting position in proportion to the amount of deviation from the cutting line, so as to achieve high-quality cutting of ceramics. This beam pattern has a relatively weak output power in the direction of deviation from the cutting line, that is, the output power of the outer part of the beam is relatively weak, and the output power of the inner part of the curve is relatively strong.

[0069] As mentioned above, the present invention measures the current cutting position of the irradiated light beam in real time when cutting ceramics, calculates the difference between the measured cutting position and the preset cutting line, and compensates for the offset of the cutting position in real time, thereby improving the straightness of the cutting line and the cutting performance.

[0070] On the other hand, such as Figure 1 As shown, the ceramic cutting device 10 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention may further include a coolant spraying unit 60, which sprays coolant onto the surface of the ceramic 11 where the beam irradiated by the beam irradiation unit 20 meets when cutting thin ceramic plates 11 with a thickness of less than 3 mm.

[0071] The coolant injection unit 60 sprays coolant onto the surface of the ceramic 11 irradiated by the beam, thereby reducing thermal deformation of the ceramic 11 surface during cutting.

[0072] That is, if it is the aforementioned thin ceramic plate 11, the surface of the ceramic plate 11 is heated by the beam irradiation unit 20 and separated by instantaneous heating, but as time goes by, the molten ceramic plate 11 is not cut and is fused together.

[0073] Therefore, in this embodiment, when cutting the thin ceramic plate 11, a coolant is also sprayed onto the surface of the ceramic 11 irradiated by the light beam to reduce the thermal deformation of the ceramic surface, enabling precise cutting along the required path.

[0074] Next, combined Figure 4 The ceramic cutting method of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail.

[0075] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the preferred embodiment of the ceramic cutting method of the present invention, step by step.

[0076] exist Figure 4 In step S10, the control unit 40 sets the output power, shape, beam pattern, and beam irradiation area of ​​the beam irradiated by the beam irradiation unit 20 according to the ceramic 11 to be cut, that is, according to the thickness of the UTG or the tempering depth of the tempered glass.

[0077] In step S12, the control unit 40 controls the drive of the damage generation unit to generate initial damage at the cutting start point S where the cutting operation begins, along the cutting path W of the UTG outline to be cut.

[0078] At this time, if the ceramic 11 to be cut, that is, the outer contour of the UTG, has already been damaged, the control unit 40 can omit the operation of generating initial damage at the cutting start point S using the damage generation unit 30.

[0079] In step S14, the control unit 40 controls the drive of the beam irradiation unit 20 to irradiate the beam according to the set output power, shape and beam pattern of the beam.

[0080] In this way, the beam generated on the beam illumination unit 20 illuminates the UTG, and the driving unit 23 of the beam illumination unit 20 drives the lens unit 22 so that the beam moves along the cutting line L.

[0081] Here, the control unit 40 controls the drive of the beam irradiation unit 20 so as to adjust the cutting speed proportionally to the output power of the beam irradiating the UTG (step S16).

[0082] At this time, when cutting UTG, the coolant injection unit 60 is driven by the control signal of the control unit to spray coolant onto the surface of the ceramic 11 irradiated by the beam to reduce the thermal deformation of the UTG surface, and can precisely cut along the required path.

[0083] On the other hand, the control unit 40 can control the drive of the beam irradiation unit 20 so that when cutting ceramics such as tempered glass, the temperature at which the tempering formed on the ceramic is released is lowered and the ceramic is cut.

[0084] During the UTG cutting process as described above, the measuring unit 50 measures the current cutting position (step S18).

[0085] For example, the camera module in the measurement unit 50 captures the current cutting position P, and the control unit 40 can analyze the captured image and calculate the X and Y coordinates of the current cutting position.

[0086] Next, the control unit 40 compares the calculated current cutting position P with the cutting line L and checks whether the differences Δx and Δy between the cutting position P and the cutting line exceed the preset limit range (step S20).

[0087] If the result of the inspection in step S20 is that the surface cutting causes the difference Δx and Δy between the cutting position P and the cutting line L to exceed the limit range, the control unit 40 performs control to compensate for the offset of the cutting position according to the difference Δx and Δy (step S22).

[0088] For example, when performing a straight-line cutting operation with the cutting position P close to the outer contour, the control unit 40 can control the beam to compensate for the amount of curvature in the outer contour direction before irradiating the beam, or use a beam pattern that has a relatively weak output power distribution in the outer contour direction of the cutting line L and a relatively strong output power distribution in the inner direction to ensure straightness.

[0089] Alternatively, when performing curved surface cutting, the control unit 40 can control the ceramic to perform high-quality cutting by using a beam pattern that compensates for the offset of the cutting position in proportion to the amount of deviation from the cutting line. This beam pattern has an output power distribution that is relatively weak in the direction of deviation from the cutting line, i.e., relatively strong in the outer part of the beam and relatively strong in the inner part of the curve.

[0090] In step S24, the control unit 40 checks whether the cutting operation is completed and repeats steps S14 to S24 until the cutting operation is completed.

[0091] On the other hand, if the result of step S24 is that the cutting operation is completed, the control unit 40 stops the driving of each device installed in the ceramic cutting device 10 and ends the operation.

[0092] Through the process described above, the present invention optimizes the output power, shape, beam pattern, beam irradiation area, and cutting speed of a beam irradiating ceramics, i.e., tempered glass with a tempering depth of more than 1 μm or thin glass with a thickness of less than 3 mm, and enables cutting without cracking or damage by irradiating below the melting point.

[0093] Next, combined Figures 5 to 9This section describes methods for cutting ceramics of various materials and thicknesses.

[0094] first, Figure 5 and Figure 6 Examples of tempered glass and UTG with surfaces damaged during the cutting process are shown respectively. Furthermore, Figures 7 to 9 Each of the first to third embodiments illustrates ceramics cut using the ceramic cutting methods described.

[0095] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, tempered glass with a tempered surface and UTG are prone to breakage during the process of being cut by an irradiated beam if the output power and shape of the beam, the beam mode, the beam irradiation area and the cutting speed are not optimized.

[0096] [Example 1]

[0097] In the first embodiment, such as Figure 7 The image shows a piece of borosilicate glass approximately 0.05 mm thick cut.

[0098] The control unit 40 controls the laser beam, which has an infrared wavelength of approximately 750 nm to 1000 μm, to irradiate the material to be cut with an output power of approximately 400 W. Instead of using a typical Gaussian beam, a beam mode is used where the output power at the outer edge is higher than that at the center. At this time, the cutting speed can be set to approximately 400 mm / s, the beam shape to be symmetrical about the cutting line, and the irradiation area to be approximately 3 mm². 2 .

[0099] [Example 2]

[0100] In the second embodiment, such as Figure 8 The image shows a cut of soda-lime glass approximately 2.8 mm thick.

[0101] The control unit 40 controls the laser beam with an infrared wavelength to irradiate the material to be cut with an output power of approximately 700W, using a beam mode where the output power of the outer contour is higher than that of the central part, instead of a typical Gaussian beam. At this time, the cutting speed can be set to approximately 500mm / s, the beam shape to be symmetrical about the cutting line, and the irradiation area of ​​the beam to be approximately 10mm². 2 .

[0102] [Example 3]

[0103] In the third embodiment, as Figure 9The image shows a cut of chemically tempered glass (also known as gorilla glass) with a surface thickness of approximately 0.5 mm.

[0104] Here, the chemical tempering depth (DOL) of the chemically tempered glass is approximately 50 μm.

[0105] When chemically tempered glass is cut using existing technologies such as mechanical wheels or laser beams, it immediately shatters into small pieces due to its strong chemical tempering.

[0106] Therefore, the control unit 40 controls the laser beam with an ultraviolet wavelength of approximately 1 nm to 380 nm to irradiate the material to be cut with an output power of approximately 50 W, using a beam mode where the output power of the outer contour is higher than that of the central part, instead of using a typical Gaussian beam. At this time, the cutting speed can be set to approximately 200 mm / s, the beam shape to be a bilaterally symmetrical shape based on the cutting line, and the irradiation area of ​​the beam to be approximately 10 mm². 2 .

[0107] The invention implemented by the inventors has been specifically described above with reference to the embodiments described above. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. It is natural that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit.

[0108] Industrial applications

[0109] This invention applies to the following ceramic cutting method and apparatus technology, which optimizes the output power, shape, beam pattern, beam irradiation area, and cutting speed of a light beam irradiating ceramic, that is, tempered glass with a tempering depth of more than 1 μm or thin glass with a thickness of less than 3 mm, and cuts without cracking or damage by irradiating below the melting point.

Claims

1. A ceramic cutting apparatus, characterized by, cutting a ceramic whose surface is tempered with a depth of 1 μm or more or a thin plate ceramic with a thickness of 3 mm or less in a damage-free manner, the ceramic cutting apparatus comprising: a light beam irradiation unit that irradiates a light beam having a wavelength that is absorbed by the ceramic; a damage generation unit that generates a fine damage at a cutting start portion on a cutting path of an outer contour of the ceramic; and a control unit that adjusts an output power, a shape, a light beam pattern, a light beam irradiation area of the light beam irradiated by the light beam irradiation unit, a cutting speed and controls a drive of the light beam irradiation unit, the light beam is formed in an asymmetric shape to a tangent line of a cutting line when cutting a curved portion or compensating for a deviation of a cutting position, and is formed in a symmetric shape to the cutting line when cutting a remaining straight line portion, the control unit adjusts the cutting speed in proportion to the light beam output power, controls so as to adjust the light beam irradiation area in proportion to a thickness of the ceramic, uses a light beam having a light beam pattern and a light beam shape that is set based on a ceramic material and a thickness or based on a ceramic tempering depth, adjusts the cutting speed in proportion to the light beam output power and locally heats the ceramic to below a melting point of the ceramic, adjusts a region affected by heating and a thermal stress so as to prevent the ceramic from being cut in an arbitrary direction, generates a thermal stress with a value above a maximum thermal strength of the ceramic and cuts the ceramic along a desired path.

2. The ceramic cutting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by, removing the damage generation unit if an outer contour portion of the ceramic to be cut is in a state where a damage has been generated.

3. The ceramic cutting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by, the control unit controls the drive of the light beam irradiation unit so as to heat to a temperature below which tempering of the ceramic is released and cut when cutting the tempered ceramic.

4. The ceramic cutting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by, further comprising a coolant injection unit that injects a coolant to a ceramic surface where the light beam irradiated by the light beam irradiation unit meets when cutting the thin plate ceramic with a thickness of 3 mm or less and reduces thermal deformation of the ceramic surface and enables cutting.

5. The ceramic cutting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by, further comprising a measurement unit that measures a cutting position where the irradiated light beam is currently cutting, the control unit controls as follows when the cutting position measured by the measurement unit is cut away from a cutting line of the ceramic, uses a light beam pattern having a relatively weak output power distribution in a direction away from the cutting line and a relatively strong output power distribution in an opposite direction in proportion to an amount of deviation from the cutting line, or compensates for an irradiation position of the light beam to ensure straightness.

6. A ceramic cutting method that cuts a ceramic whose surface is tempered with a depth of 1 μm or more or a thin plate ceramic with a thickness of 3 mm or less in a damage-free manner, characterized by, comprising the steps of: a step a of irradiating a light beam having a wavelength that is absorbed by the ceramic by a light beam irradiation unit; a step b of generating a fine damage at a cutting start portion on a cutting path of an outer contour of the ceramic by a damage generation unit; and and Step c, the control unit adjusts the output power, shape, beam pattern, beam irradiation area and cutting speed of the light beam irradiated by the light beam irradiation unit to control the drive of the light beam irradiation unit, The light beam is formed in an asymmetric shape to the tangent of the cutting line when cutting the curved portion or compensating for the deviation of the cutting position, and is formed in a symmetric shape to the cutting line when cutting the remaining straight line portion, The control unit adjusts the cutting speed in proportion to the light beam output power, controls the irradiation area of the light beam in proportion to the thickness of the ceramic, uses a light beam having a beam pattern and beam shape set based on the ceramic material and thickness or based on the ceramic tempering depth, adjusts the cutting speed in proportion to the light beam output power, and heats the ceramic locally to below the melting point of the ceramic, adjusts the heated area and thermal stress to prevent the ceramic from being cut in any direction, generates thermal stress above the maximum thermal strength of the ceramic, and cuts the ceramic along the desired path.

7. The ceramic cutting method according to claim 6, wherein If the outer portion of the ceramic to be cut has already generated damage, the step b is omitted.

8. The ceramic cutting method according to claim 6, wherein In the step c, the control unit controls the drive of the light beam irradiation unit to heat below the temperature at which the tempering of the ceramic is released and cut when cutting the tempered ceramic.

9. The ceramic cutting method according to claim 6, wherein Further comprising the following steps: Step d is a step of spraying a coolant, when cutting a thin plate ceramic of 3 mm or less in thickness, a coolant spraying unit further sprays a coolant to the ceramic surface where the light beam irradiated by the light beam irradiation unit meets to reduce thermal deformation of the ceramic surface to enable cutting.

10. The ceramic cutting method according to claim 6, wherein Further comprising the following steps: Step e, the measurement unit measures the cutting position of the light beam currently cutting the ceramic; and Step f, the control unit controls as follows, if the measured cutting position cuts away from the cutting line of the ceramic, in proportion to the amount of deviation from the cutting line, uses a light beam pattern having a relatively weak output power distribution in the direction deviating from the cutting line and a relatively strong output power distribution in the opposite direction, or compensates for the irradiation position of the light beam to ensure straightness.

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