Cutting apparatus and cutting method

Abstract

To improve workability in cutting a plate-like workpiece having no mark.SOLUTION: A cutter (1) includes a chucking table (21) that holds a plate-shaped workpiece (W) having an upper surface on which a linear projection (W1) and a linear recess (W2) are alternately arranged, a cutter unit (51) that cuts the plate-shaped workpiece held on the chucking table, an X-axis moving mechanism (13) that processing-feeds the chucking table in a longitudinal direction of the projection, and a Y-axis moving mechanism (31) that moves the cutter unit (51) in a direction orthogonal to a processing-feed direction. In addition, the cutting apparatus includes the measuring unit (60) that measures the upper surface height of the plate-shaped workpiece, the width measurement control section (71) that moves the measuring unit in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the protruding portion of the plate-shaped workpiece and measures the width of the protruding portion, and the processing control section (72) that moves the cutting unit by the X-axis moving mechanism and performs cutting processing in the longitudinal direction of the protruding portion at a predetermined position within the width measured by the width measurement control section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device and a cutting method for cutting a plate-shaped workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cutting device that cuts a workpiece with a cutting blade. Before cutting the workpiece, Patent Document 1 captures an image of a pattern (mark) that is identical to a predetermined key pattern formed on the workpiece, and performs processing to recognize the cutting position from the pattern. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-106405 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a cutting device such as that in Patent Document 1, when cutting a workpiece that does not have a mark, the operator must manually specify the position to be cut, which results in poor workability.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and one of its objects is to provide a cutting device and cutting method that can improve the workability in cutting plate-shaped workpieces that do not have marks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A cutting device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a chuck table that holds the underside of a plate-shaped workpiece having alternating linear convex and concave portions arranged on its upper surface, a cutting unit that cuts the plate-shaped workpiece held on the chuck table, a processing feed unit that relatively feeds the cutting unit and the chuck table in the longitudinal direction of the convex portions or the concave portions, and an index feed unit that moves the cutting unit and the chuck table relatively in a direction perpendicular to the processing feed direction in a horizontal plane, and the cutting device also comprises a measurement unit that measures the height of the upper surface of the plate-shaped workpiece or the thickness of the plate-shaped workpiece, a width measurement control unit that moves the measurement unit and the plate-shaped workpiece relatively in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the convex portions or the concave portions of the plate-shaped workpiece, thereby measuring the width of the convex portions or the concave portions, and a processing control unit that moves the cutting unit and the chuck table relatively in the processing feed direction by the processing feed unit, and performs cutting processing on the concave portions or in the longitudinal direction of the convex portions at a predetermined position within the width measured by the width measurement control unit.

[0007] One embodiment of the cutting method of the present invention is a cutting method for performing cutting processing on a plate-shaped workpiece having alternating linear convex and concave portions on its upper surface, within the width of the convex or concave portions, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the convex or concave portions, and comprises: a holding step for holding the lower surface of the plate-shaped workpiece with a chuck table; a width measuring step for measuring the height of the upper surface of the plate-shaped workpiece or the thickness of the plate-shaped workpiece by moving a measuring unit relative to the plate-shaped workpiece in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the convex or concave portions, thereby measuring the width of the convex or concave portions; and a cutting step for performing cutting processing on the plate-shaped workpiece by moving a cutting unit relative to the chuck table in the longitudinal direction of the convex or concave portions, using a predetermined position within the width of the convex or concave portion measured in the width measuring step as a processing point. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the width of the convex or concave portion of the plate-shaped workpiece is measured by the measuring unit, and the chuck table and the cutting unit are moved relative to each other so that a predetermined position within the measured width is cut. This makes it possible to automatically recognize the cutting position of a plate-shaped workpiece that does not have a mark and cut it, thereby improving the workability of the cutting process. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10A to 10C are partial cross-sectional views for explaining a holding step and a width measuring step. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining a cutting step. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a θ adjustment step. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a cutting device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the cutting device according to this embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown below and can be modified as appropriate. For the sake of convenience, some components are omitted in Figure 1.

[0011] First, the overall configuration of the cutting device will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cutting device of the embodiment. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions shown in Fig. 1 are perpendicular to one another. The X-axis and Y-axis directions are approximately horizontal, and the Z-axis direction is the up-down direction (vertical direction). In addition, in the following drawings, the front side in the X-axis direction will be referred to as the +X side, the back side as the -X side, the left side in the Y-axis direction as the +Y side, the right side as the -Y side, and the upper side in the Z-axis direction as the +Z side and the lower side as the -Z side.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting device 1 is configured to cut (cut) a plate-shaped workpiece W held on a chuck table 21 by a cutting blade 54 of a cutting unit 51 in a full cut manner.

[0013] The plate-shaped workpiece W has a rectangular planar shape and is configured with linear convex portions W1 and concave portions W2 arranged alternately on its upper surface. More specifically, in this embodiment, the convex portions W1 are formed by convex stripes (linear protrusions) extending parallel to the X-axis direction, and the concave portions W2 are formed by concave stripes (linear concave portions) extending parallel to the X-axis direction. The convex portions W1 are formed side by side at a predetermined pitch in the X-axis direction, and the concave portions W2 are formed between the convex portions W1 adjacent to each other in the Y-axis direction. The concave portions W2 are formed side by side at a predetermined pitch in the X-axis direction, and the convex portions W1 are formed between the concave portions W2 adjacent to each other in the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the pitch between the convex portions W1 and the pitch between the concave portions W2 are formed to be the same, but they may be different.

[0014] The shape of the projections W1 and recesses W2 as viewed from a direction parallel to the extension direction may be rectangular, triangular, parabolic, bell-shaped, semicircular, or semi-elliptical. Tape T is attached to the underside of the plate-like workpiece W, and the tape T may be formed by laminating an adhesive layer containing glue on a substrate, for example.

[0015] On the base 11 of the cutting device 1, an X-axis movement mechanism 13 (processing feed unit) is arranged to move the chuck table 21 in the X-axis direction, which is the cutting direction (processing feed direction) of the cutting blade 54.

[0016] The X-axis movement mechanism 13 has a pair of guide rails 14 arranged on the base 11 and parallel to the X-axis direction, and a motor-driven X-axis table 15 slidably installed on the pair of guide rails 14. A nut portion (not shown) is formed on the rear side of the X-axis table 15, and a feed screw 16 is threadedly engaged with this nut portion. When an X-axis servo motor 18 connected to one end of the feed screw 16 is rotated, the chuck table 21 is fed for cutting along the pair of guide rails 14 in the X-axis direction.

[0017] A chuck table 21 and a rotation mechanism 22 for holding the plate-shaped workpiece W are provided on the X-axis table 15. A holding surface 24 made of a porous ceramic material is formed on the chuck table 21, and the underside of the plate-shaped workpiece W is suction-held via the tape T by negative pressure generated on the holding surface 24. The holding surface 24 is connected to a suction source 25 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that generates negative pressure. In this embodiment, the chuck table 21 suction-holds the plate-shaped workpiece W so that the longitudinal directions of the convex portions W1 and concave portions W2 are parallel to the X-axis direction.

[0018] The rotation mechanism 22 includes a shaft 26 and a direct drive motor 27 disposed below the chuck table 21. The shaft 26 is a rotation axis whose axial direction is the Z-axis direction (vertical direction), and extends downward from the lower surface of the chuck table 21. The direct drive motor 27 has a built-in encoder that detects the rotation angle of the shaft 26, and is provided so as to be able to rotate the chuck table 21 via the shaft 26 around the center of the holding surface 24. In addition, a gate-shaped upright wall portion 12 is provided on the upper surface of the base 11 so as to straddle the movement path of the chuck table 21.

[0019] The vertical wall portion 12 is provided with a Y-axis movement mechanism 31 (index feed unit) that moves the cutting unit 51 in the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction in a horizontal plane parallel to the holding surface 24, and a Z-axis movement mechanism 41 that moves the cutting unit 51 in the Z-axis direction.

[0020] The Y-axis movement mechanism 31 has a pair of guide rails 34 that are arranged in front of the upright wall portion 12 and are parallel to the Y-axis direction, and a Y-axis table 35 that is slidably installed on the pair of guide rails 34. A nut portion (not shown) is formed on the back side of the Y-axis table 35, and a feed screw 36 is threadedly engaged with the nut portion. A Y-axis servo motor 37 is connected to one end of the feed screw 36 for the Y-axis table 35. The feed screw 36 is rotated by the Y-axis servo motor 37, thereby moving the Y-axis table 35, the Z-axis movement mechanism 41, and the cutting unit 51 in the Y-axis direction along the guide rails 34.

[0021] The Z-axis movement mechanism 41 has a pair of guide rails 44 that are arranged on the Y-axis table 35 and are parallel to the Z-axis direction, and a Z-axis table 45 that is slidably installed on the pair of guide rails 44. A spindle housing 52 of a cutting unit 51 is connected to the lower end of the Z-axis table 45. A nut portion (not shown) is formed on the back side of the Z-axis table 45, and a feed screw 46 is threadedly engaged with the nut portion. A Z-axis servo motor 47 is connected to one end of the feed screw 46 for the Z-axis table 45. The feed screw 46 is rotated by the Z-axis servo motor 47, thereby moving the Z-axis table 45 and the cutting unit 51 in the Z-axis direction along the guide rails 44 (up and down).

[0022] Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the cutting device of the embodiment before cutting processing. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 2 during cutting processing in the cutting device of the embodiment. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in the cutting unit 51, a spindle 53 is rotatably supported in a spindle housing 52, and a cutting blade 54 is attached to the tip (end on the +Y side) of the spindle 53. The cutting blade 54 is formed in a disk shape made of diamond abrasive grains solidified with a bonding agent.

[0023] A blade cover 55 is fixed to the end of the spindle housing 52 on the −Y side, and the blade cover 55 covers the periphery of the cutting blade 54 except for approximately the lower half of the cutting blade 54.

[0024] A pair of cutting water nozzles 57 are arranged on the blade cover 55 on both sides in the Y-axis direction, sandwiching the cutting blade 54. Cutting water is supplied to the cutting water nozzles 57 from a cutting water supply source (not shown). Jet ports are formed on the opposing surfaces of the pair of cutting water nozzles 57, and cutting water is supplied to the cutting blade 54 from both sides in the Y-axis direction through each jet port, and the cutting water hitting the side surface of the cutting blade 54 cools and cleans the machining point.

[0025] The cutting device 1 of this embodiment further includes a measurement unit 60. The measurement unit 60 includes a back pressure sensor 61 that serves as a non-contact upper surface height measuring device, and a sensor moving mechanism 62 that moves the back pressure sensor 61 in the Z-axis direction.

[0026] The back pressure sensor 61 is connected to an air supply source 63 (see FIG. 1). The lower end of the back pressure sensor 61 is a nozzle that sprays air onto the plate-shaped workpiece W below held on the chuck table 21, and measures the height of the top surface of the plate-shaped workpiece W by detecting the back pressure of the air. The back pressure sensor 61 is indirectly supported on the spindle housing 52 of the cutting unit 51 via a sensor moving mechanism 62.

[0027] The sensor moving mechanism 62 employs an appropriate structure using a cylinder, motor, slider, ball screw, or the like that moves the back pressure sensor 61 in the Z-axis direction. Via the sensor moving mechanism 62, the back pressure sensor 61 can be moved between the measurement position shown in Fig. 2 and the retracted position shown in Fig. 3. The measurement position shown in Fig. 2 is a position where the lower end forming the nozzle of the back pressure sensor 61 approaches but does not contact the top surface of the plate-shaped workpiece W. The retracted position shown in Fig. 3 is, for example, above the bottom surface of the spindle housing 52 and sufficiently separated from the top surface of the plate-shaped workpiece W.

[0028] The cutting device 1 is provided with a control unit 70 that controls each part of the device (see FIG. 1). The control unit 70 is composed of a processor that executes various processes, a memory, etc. The control unit 70 controls various operations such as cutting the plate-shaped workpiece W and measuring the height of the top surface of the plate-shaped workpiece W in accordance with a control program stored in the memory.

[0029] Here, the control unit 70 is provided with a width measurement control unit 71 and a processing control unit 72. The width measurement control unit 71 controls, for example, the driving of the Y-axis servo motor 37 of the Y-axis movement mechanism 31 to move the Y-axis table 35 and the cutting unit 51 in the Y-axis direction, which is a direction perpendicular to (intersecting with) the longitudinal direction of the convex portion W1 or the concave portion W2 of the plate-shaped workpiece W. This movement causes relative movement in the Y-axis direction between the measuring unit 60 supported by the cutting unit 51 and the plate-shaped workpiece W held on the chuck table 21. During this movement, the width measurement control unit 71 measures the width of the convex portion W1 or the concave portion W2 in the Y-axis direction based on the measurement result output from the back pressure sensor 61 and the number of pulses of the encoder that detected the driving of the Y-axis servo motor 37.

[0030] The machining control unit 72, for example, controls the drive of the Y-axis servo motor 37 of the Y-axis movement mechanism 31 to move the cutting unit 51 so that the cutting blade 54 is positioned at a predetermined position within the width of the convex portion W1 or the concave portion W2 measured by the width measurement control unit 71, as the machining point. Then, it controls the drive of the X-axis servo motor 18 of the X-axis movement mechanism 13 to move the X-axis table 15 and the chuck table 21 in the X-axis direction, which is the machining feed direction, by the X-axis movement. This movement causes the cutting unit 51 and the chuck table 21 to move relatively in the X-axis direction. Therefore, at the Y-axis position where the cutting blade 54 is positioned, the high-speed rotating cutting blade 54 cuts into the plate-shaped workpiece W to perform cutting in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the convex portion W1 or the concave portion W2.

[0031] In the following description of the operation of each part of the cutting device 1, unless a control entity is specified, it is assumed that the operation is controlled by a control signal sent from the control unit 70.

[0032] Next, a method for cutting a plate-shaped workpiece W using the cutting device 1 will be described. The cutting method of this embodiment involves a holding step, a width measurement step, a θ adjustment step (angle adjustment step), and a cutting step. Here, a full cut process is performed at the center of each of the multiple protrusions W1 in the plate-shaped workpiece W in the Y-axis direction, cutting the entire thickness direction.

[0033] In the holding process, the plate-shaped workpiece W is transported onto the chuck table 21 with the surface on which the convex portions W1 and concave portions W2 of the plate-shaped workpiece W are formed facing upward. Then, after the plate-shaped workpiece W is placed so that it fits within the surface of the holding surface 24 of the chuck table 21, the holding surface 24 is connected to the suction source 25, and the underside of the plate-shaped workpiece W is sucked and held to the chuck table 21 via the tape T. During this transport of the plate-shaped workpiece W, the plate-shaped workpiece W is aligned via an alignment mechanism (not shown) or the like so that the convex portions W1 and concave portions W2 of the plate-shaped workpiece W are held parallel to the X-axis direction.

[0034] After the holding step is performed, a width measurement step is performed to measure the width of the convex portion W1 of the plate-shaped workpiece W. In the width measurement step, the Y-axis servo motor 37 is driven to position the back pressure sensor 61 of the measurement unit 60 further to the -Y-axis direction side than the end of the plate-shaped workpiece W on the -Y-axis direction side. Thereafter, the sensor moving mechanism 62 is driven to lower the back pressure sensor 61, and the lower end of the back pressure sensor 61 is positioned at a measurement position where it approaches but does not come into contact with the top surface of the plate-shaped workpiece W.

[0035] From this state, the width measurement control unit 71 controls the drive of the Y-axis servo motor 37 of the Y-axis movement mechanism 31 to move the back pressure sensor 61 in the +Y-axis direction while inputting the measurement result of the back pressure sensor 61. The measurement result of the back pressure sensor 61 changes significantly at the boundary position between the convex portion W1 and the concave portion W2 as the moving back pressure sensor 61 moves. Therefore, the width measurement control unit 71 acquires the number of pulses in the encoder built into the Y-axis servo motor 37 when the measurement result of the back pressure sensor 61 changes, thereby measuring and storing the widths and formation positions of all convex portions W1 in the Y-axis direction of the plate-shaped workpiece W. After the back pressure sensor 61 has completed measurement of the entire range in the Y-axis direction of the plate-shaped workpiece W, the sensor movement mechanism 62 is driven to raise the back pressure sensor 61 and position it at the retracted position.

[0036] Here, in the width measurement process, the convex portions W1 and concave portions W2 of the plate-shaped workpiece W are parallel to the X-axis direction, so the Y-axis direction, which is the movement direction of the back pressure sensor 61, is perpendicular (intersects) with the longitudinal direction of the convex portions W1 and concave portions W2. Furthermore, the movement of the back pressure sensor 61 by the Y-axis movement mechanism 31 is a relative movement of the back pressure sensor 61 with respect to the plate-shaped workpiece W.

[0037] After the width measurement step, a θ adjustment step is performed to make the cutting direction (X-axis direction, processing feed direction) of the cutting blade 54 parallel to the extension direction of the convex portion W1. In the θ adjustment step, as shown in Figure 4, the same width measurement step as described above is performed at at least two measurement positions P1 and P2 on the plate-shaped workpiece W that are different in the X-axis direction, and the chuck table 21 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 22 so that the formation positions P3 and P4 in the Y-axis direction of the same convex portion W1 in two of the width measurement steps coincide. Note that in the plate-shaped workpiece W in Figure 4, only the convex portion W1 is hatched to make it easier to distinguish between the convex portion W1 and the concave portion W2.

[0038] The rotation of the chuck table 21 in the θ adjustment process may be controlled by calculating a correction angle θ for rotating the chuck table 21 and controlling the rotation mechanism 22. As an example of this control, first, the distance x between different measurement positions P1 and P2 in the X-axis direction on the plate-shaped workpiece W is set and stored in advance. Then, the amount of deviation y between the forming positions P3 and P4 is calculated, and the amount of deviation y and the stored distance x between the measurement positions P1 and P2 are substituted into "tan θ=x / y" to calculate the correction angle θ, which is then used to control the direct drive motor 27 (see FIG. 1) of the rotation mechanism 22.

[0039] After the θ adjustment process is performed, a cutting process is performed to cut the plate-shaped workpiece W. In the cutting process, after measurement in the width measurement process and adjustment in the θ adjustment process, the chuck table 21 is moved in the +X-axis direction from directly below the cutting blade 54.

[0040] The machining control unit 72 calculates the center position in the Y-axis direction, which is a predetermined position within the width of the convex portion W1, as the machining point based on the width and formation position of the convex portion W1 in the Y-axis direction measured in the width measurement process.

[0041] If the value of the encoder built into the Y-axis servo motor 37 stored when the back pressure sensor 61 detected the width during the width measurement process is used, the cutting position of the cutting blade 54 will not be the center position of the convex portion W1 in the Y-axis direction. This is because there is a slight delay in the detection of the convex portion W1 and the concave portion W2 by the back pressure sensor 61. As a countermeasure to this, we will explain Countermeasure 1, which uses an offset value performed during the cutting process, and Countermeasure 2, which accurately detects the position of the convex portion W1.

[0042] [Measure 1] In the width measurement process, for example, if the Y-axis movement mechanism 31 is used to move the back pressure sensor 61 and the cutting blade 54 in the -Y-axis direction at a predetermined constant speed for measurement, when the back pressure sensor 61 arrives at a position shifted toward the -Y side from the boundary position between the convex portion W1 and the concave portion W2, the boundary position between the convex portion W1 and the concave portion W2 is detected and the value of the encoder built into the Y-axis servo motor 37 is stored. Therefore, in Countermeasure 1, an offset value (negative value) is added to the distance in the Y-axis direction between the back pressure sensor 61 and the cutting blade 54 when the machining control unit 72 calculates the machining point. Note that this offset value can be set by performing test cutting after the width measurement process, based on the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction between the center position of the convex portion W1 and the test-cut kerf.

[0043] [Measure 2] Countermeasure 2 does not require setting an offset value as in Countermeasure 1. In the width measurement process, similarly to the above, the back pressure sensor 61 and the cutting blade 54 are measured at a constant speed in the -Y-axis direction using the Y-axis movement mechanism 31, and then measured at a constant speed in the +Y-axis direction at the same speed as in the -Y-axis direction. Then, in Countermeasure 2, the machining control unit 72 calculates the machining point by setting the midpoint between the value of the center position of the convex portion W1 detected by the encoder of the Y-axis servo motor 37 when measured with movement in the -Y-axis direction and the value of the center position of the convex portion W1 detected by the encoder of the Y-axis servo motor 37 when measured with movement in the +Y-axis direction as the center position of the convex portion W1, which is the predetermined position where the cutting blade 54 cuts in.

[0044] After implementing Measure 1 or Measure 2, the machining control unit 72 controls the driving of the Y-axis servo motor 37 in the Y-axis movement mechanism 31 to move the cutting unit 51 in the Y-axis direction, and positions the cutting blade 54 at the calculated machining point on the first convex portion W1 from the +Y-axis direction side of the plate-shaped workpiece W. Here, the movement of the cutting unit 51 in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis movement mechanism 31 is a relative movement between the cutting unit 51 and the chuck table 21, and the Y-axis direction is perpendicular to the X-axis direction, which is the machining feed direction in the horizontal plane.

[0045] Thereafter, the machining control unit 72 controls the driving of the Z-axis servo motor 47 to cause the cutting blade 54 to cut into the plate-shaped workpiece W (to lower the cutting blade to a height at which the cutting blade will cut). Next, the machining control unit 72 controls the driving of the X-axis servo motor 18 to move the chuck table 21 in the X-axis direction. In other words, the cutting unit 51 and the chuck table 21 are relatively fed in the X-axis direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the protrusion W1, via the X-axis movement mechanism 13, and the high-speed rotating cutting blade 54 cuts the plate-shaped workpiece W held on the chuck table 21. As a result, cutting is performed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the protrusion W1 at the center position of the protrusion W1 in the Y-axis direction where the cutting blade 54 is positioned, and as shown in FIG. 3, a groove M is formed in the protrusion W1 of the plate-shaped workpiece W, and the plate-shaped workpiece W is cut.

[0046] After forming such grooves M, the drive of the Z-axis servo motor 47 is controlled to raise the cutting blade 54 to a position where it does not come into contact with the plate-shaped workpiece W, and then the chuck table 21 is moved in the +X-axis direction from directly below the cutting blade 54. Next, the drive of the Z-axis servo motor 47 is controlled to lower the cutting blade 54 to a height where the cutting blade 54 cuts into the plate-shaped workpiece W. Thereafter, the processing control unit 72 controls the drive of the Y-axis servo motor 37 based on the measurement results in the width measurement process, and positions the cutting blade 54 at the processing point of the second convex portion W1 from the +Y-axis direction side of the plate-shaped workpiece W. Then, by repeating the same operations as described above, cutting processing is performed on all of the convex portions W1.

[0047] When cutting the second or subsequent convex portions W1, the widths of all convex portions W1 may be calculated and the center position of the widths may be calculated as the processing point, or the index amount in the Y-axis direction of the convex portion W1 may be calculated and the position moved by that index amount may be calculated as the processing point.

[0048] According to the above embodiment, even if the workpiece to be cut does not have a mark for position recognition, the width of the convex portion W1 or the concave portion W2 can be measured, and cutting can be performed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the convex portion W1 or the concave portion W2 at a fixed processing point corresponding to the measured width. This makes it possible to automatically recognize the processing point, eliminating the need for the operator to specify the processing position, and enabling continuous processing, thereby improving productivity.

[0049] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made to the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, the size and shape shown in the accompanying drawings are not limited to these, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the effects of the present invention. In addition, the present invention can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

[0050] For example, the processing point for cutting the plate-shaped workpiece W can be changed in various ways as long as it is a predetermined position within the width of the convex portion W1 or the concave portion W2. For example, the processing point can be the center of the concave portion W2 in the Y-axis direction or the boundary position between the convex portion W1 and the concave portion W2. Therefore, in the width measurement process, the width measured by the back pressure sensor 61 includes at least one of the convex portion W1 and the concave portion W2 for which the processing point is calculated.

[0051] In addition, in the above embodiment, the sensor moving mechanism 62 is provided in the spindle housing 52, but this is not limited to this and various modifications are possible, for example, it may be provided in the Z-axis table 45 or the blade cover 55.

[0052] Furthermore, the measurement unit 60 may be a non-contact top surface height measuring device other than the back pressure sensor 61, or a non-contact thickness measuring device that measures the thickness of the plate-shaped workpiece W, as long as it can perform measurements in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

[0053] Examples of non-contact top surface height measuring devices include a configuration that measures the top surface height of the convex portion W1 and the concave portion W2 using the focus function of an imaging device, a displacement sensor that has a light-emitting element that emits laser light and a light-receiving element that receives reflected light, and a displacement sensor that has an oscillator that emits ultrasonic vibrations and a receiver that receives reflected vibrations.

[0054] Examples of non-contact thickness measuring devices include a measuring device that has a light-emitting element that emits laser light and a light-receiving element that receives reflected light, and that measures the thickness based on the difference in reflected light on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-shaped workpiece W, and a measuring device that has an oscillator that emits ultrasonic vibrations and a receiver that receives reflected vibrations, and that measures the thickness based on the difference in reflected vibrations on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-shaped workpiece W.

[0055] When using a measuring instrument in the measurement unit 60 that can perform measurements at a position above and away from the plate-shaped workpiece W, the sensor moving mechanism 62 may be omitted and the instrument may be fixed directly to the spindle housing 52, Z-axis table 45, or blade cover 55.

[0056] The cutting unit 51 can be modified in various ways, such as by using a laser cutting device, as long as it can perform cutting in the longitudinal direction of the convex portions W1 and the concave portions W2.

[0057] Furthermore, although the processing feed unit is the X-axis moving mechanism 13, it may be any other device that can process and feed the cutting unit 51 and the chuck table 21 relative to each other, as long as at least one of the cutting unit 51 and the chuck table 21 can be moved to perform processing and feed.

[0058] Furthermore, although the index feed unit is the Y-axis moving mechanism 31, it may be any other device that can move the cutting unit 51 and the chuck table 21 relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the processing feed direction in a horizontal plane, as long as at least one of the cutting unit 51 and the chuck table 21 can be moved to perform index feed. [Industrial Applicability]

[0059] As described above, the present invention has the effect of automatically recognizing the processing position of a plate-like workpiece when cutting a plate-like workpiece that does not have a mark, thereby improving the workability of the cutting process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1: Cutting device 13: X-axis movement mechanism (processing feed unit) 21: Chuck table 31: Y-axis movement mechanism (index feed unit) 51: Cutting unit 60: Measurement unit 61: Back pressure sensor (non-contact top surface height measuring device) 70: Control unit 71: Width measurement control section 72: Processing control unit W: Plate-shaped workpiece W1: Convex part W2: Recess

Claims

1. A cutting device comprising: a chuck table for holding the underside of a plate-shaped workpiece having linear convex portions and concave portions alternately arranged on its upper surface; a cutting unit for cutting the plate-shaped workpiece held on the chuck table; a processing feed unit for relatively processing-feeding the cutting unit and the chuck table in the longitudinal direction of the convex portions or the concave portions; and an index feed unit for relatively moving the cutting unit and the chuck table in a direction perpendicular to the processing feed direction on a horizontal plane, A measuring unit that measures the height of the top surface of the plate-shaped workpiece or the thickness of the plate-shaped workpiece; a width measurement control section that measures the width of the convex portion or the concave portion by moving the measurement unit and the plate-like workpiece relatively in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the convex portion or the concave portion of the plate-like workpiece; a processing control unit that moves the cutting unit and the chuck table relative to each other in the processing feed direction by the processing feed unit, and performs cutting processing in the longitudinal direction of the recess or protrusion at a predetermined position within the width measured by the width measurement control unit.

2. 2. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit uses a non-contact top surface height measuring device for measuring the height of the top surface of the plate-like workpiece.

3. 2. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit uses a non-contact thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of the plate-like workpiece.

4. A cutting method for cutting a plate-like workpiece having linear convex portions and concave portions alternately arranged on an upper surface thereof, the cutting method comprising: cutting the convex portions or the concave portions in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the convex portions or the concave portions within the width of the convex portions or the concave portions; a holding step of holding the lower surface of the plate-shaped workpiece by a chuck table; a width measuring step of measuring the width of the convex portion or the concave portion by moving a measuring unit that measures the height of the upper surface of the plate-like workpiece or the thickness of the plate-like workpiece relative to the plate-like workpiece in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the convex portion or the concave portion; a cutting step of moving a cutting unit relative to the chuck table in the longitudinal direction of the convex portion or the concave portion, using a predetermined position within the width of the convex portion or the concave portion measured in the width measurement step as a processing point, and performing cutting processing on the plate-like workpiece.

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