Cleaning member, cleaning tool, and method for cleaning cutting blade

Abstract

To improve efficiency in cleaning of a cutting blade.SOLUTION: In cleaning of a cutting blade (23) for processing a workpiece (2), a plate-shaped cleaning member (41) made of an elastic member containing resin is used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning member, a cleaning tool, and a cleaning method used for cleaning a cutting blade. [Background technology]

[0002] Cutting blades used to cut workpieces used in semiconductor devices include electroformed blades made from electroformed grinding wheels with diamond abrasive grains fixed with nickel plating, and saw blades made from super steel alloys with multiple saw blades on the outer periphery of a circular base.

[0003] When an electroformed blade used to cut workpieces such as silicon wafers becomes clogged with cutting chips, the blade is cut through a dresser board (dressing board) containing abrasive grains to expose the diamond abrasive grains from the plating layer and restore sharpness, a process known as sharpening (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In contrast, saw blades used to cut workpieces such as copper and acrylic resin do not contain abrasive grains and do not require sharpening, but cutting chips may adhere to and remain on the saw blade. To restore the desired cutting performance of the saw blade, the remaining cutting chips must be removed.

[0004] In cutting machines, the dresser board is held on a sub-chuck table arranged near the chuck table that holds the workpiece during cutting, or is transported to and held on the chuck table in the same way as the workpiece (for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). When the dresser board is held on the chuck table, it is transported and held in the form of a frame unit in which the dresser board is attached to the inside of a ring frame via tape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-019075 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-057323 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-114575 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when saw blades are cleaned using a dresser board containing abrasive grains, the tip and width of the saw blade are worn away. Therefore, it has been difficult to clean saw blades while preventing wear using existing dresser boards for sharpening. Furthermore, cleaning electroformed blades, which have slits on their sides, using a dresser board to clean them is prone to wear on the blade sides. If the cutting blade is highly worn during cleaning, the cutting blade must be replaced more frequently, resulting in increased maintenance work. Furthermore, cleaning work must be performed while checking the degree of wear on the cutting blade, which can reduce cleaning efficiency.

[0007] In a cutting machine that does not have a sub-chuck table, the dresser board must be transported to the chuck table and prepared for being held there, requiring the time and effort of supporting the dresser board on the ring frame via tape.

[0008] In view of these problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaning member, a cleaning tool, and a cleaning method that can improve the overall efficiency of cleaning cutting blades. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure is a plate-shaped cleaning member made of an elastic member containing resin, used to clean a cutting blade that processes a workpiece.

[0010] As an example, the cleaning member preferably comprises a cured resin and silicon-based microparticles, and the cured resin is preferably a cured resin obtained by polymerizing at least one of alicyclic epoxy and glycidyl ether type epoxy as a main component with at least one of amines, phenols, carboxylic acids, and acid anhydrides as a curing agent, or a cured resin obtained by polymerizing at least one of alicyclic epoxy and glycidyl ether type epoxy.

[0011] The cleaning member cleans the cutting blade by contacting the rotating cutting blade.

[0012] The cutting blade is attached to a spindle of a cutting device, and the cutting device includes a chuck table that holds a workpiece of a frame unit, in which the workpiece is fixed to a ring frame via a tape, on a holding surface via the tape, and a pull-down unit that holds the ring frame of the frame unit including the workpiece held on the chuck table below the holding surface. In this case, the cleaning member may be formed to a size that allows it to be held by the chuck table and the pull-down unit.

[0013] One aspect of the present disclosure is a cleaning tool comprising a cleaning member of a size that can be held by the chuck table and the pull-down section, and a dresser board disposed on the cleaning member.

[0014] The cleaning member preferably has a groove formed therein that includes an inner side surface and a bottom surface.

[0015] One aspect of the present disclosure is a method for cleaning a cutting blade, comprising the steps of preparing a plate-shaped cleaning member made of an elastic material containing resin, rotating the cutting blade, and contacting the cleaning member with the rotating cutting blade.

[0016] The cutting blade has a plurality of saw blades, each having a cutting edge portion that contacts and cuts the workpiece and a back portion opposite the cutting edge portion, and in the step of contacting the cleaning member with the cutting blade, it is preferable to rotate the cutting blade so that the back portion moves in the direction of rotation of the cutting blade. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The cleaning member, cleaning tool, and cleaning method of the present disclosure can improve the efficiency of cleaning cutting blades. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounting structure of a cutting blade. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cutting blade is being cleaned using the cleaning member of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the cleaning member and cutting blade of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a cleaning member according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cleaning member of the second embodiment is held by a chuck table and a pull-down portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a cleaning member according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a cleaning tool according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which a cleaning member according to a fifth embodiment is held on a sub-chuck table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The cleaning member, cleaning tool, and cleaning method of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a cutting device 10 equipped with a cutting blade to be cleaned will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the cutting device 10 is equipped with a chuck table 12 and a pull-down unit 13 on a base 11. The detailed configuration will be described later, but the pull-down unit 13 is disposed on the outer periphery of the disk-shaped chuck table 12.

[0020] The cutting device 10 is equipped with a cutting feed mechanism 14 that moves the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 in the X-axis direction. The cutting feed mechanism 14 is equipped with a pair of guide rails 141 that are arranged on the base 11 and extend in the X-axis direction, a ball screw 142 that is provided between the pair of guide rails 141 and extends in the X-axis direction, a motor 143 that drives and rotates the ball screw 142, and an X-axis moving block 144 that is supported on the pair of guide rails 141 so as to be slidable in the X-axis direction. A threaded portion (not shown) provided on the X-axis moving block 144 is threadedly engaged with the ball screw 142. When the motor 143 is driven to rotate the ball screw 142, the X-axis moving block 144 moves in the X-axis direction along the guide rails 141.

[0021] A rotation mechanism 15 that supports the chuck table 12 rotatably around an axis in the Z-axis direction is provided on the X-axis moving block 144. The chuck table 12 is supported on the upper part of the rotation mechanism 15, and the chuck table 12 can be rotated by the driving force of a motor (not shown) provided in the rotation mechanism 15.

[0022] The cutting device 10 is equipped with an indexing feed mechanism 16 that moves the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction. The indexing feed mechanism 16 is equipped with a pair of guide rails 161 that are arranged on the base 11 and extend in the Y-axis direction, a ball screw 162 that is provided between the pair of guide rails 161 and extends in the Y-axis direction, a motor 163 that rotationally drives the ball screw 162, and a Y-axis moving block 164 that is supported so as to be slidable in the Y-axis direction relative to the pair of guide rails 161. A threaded portion (not shown) provided on the Y-axis moving block 164 is threadedly engaged with the ball screw 162. When the motor 163 is driven to rotate the ball screw 162, the Y-axis moving block 164 moves in the Y-axis direction along the guide rails 161.

[0023] The cutting device 10 is equipped with an elevator mechanism 17 that moves the cutting unit 20 in the Z-axis direction. The elevator mechanism 17 is equipped with a pair of guide rails 171 that are arranged on the Y-axis moving block 164 and extend in the Z-axis direction, a ball screw 172 that is provided between the pair of guide rails 171 and extends in the Z-axis direction, a motor 173 that rotationally drives the ball screw 172, and a Z-axis moving block 174 that is supported on the pair of guide rails 171 so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction. A threaded portion (not shown) provided on the Z-axis moving block 174 is threadedly engaged with the ball screw 172. When the motor 173 is driven to rotate the ball screw 172, the Z-axis moving block 174 moves in the Z-axis direction along the guide rails 171.

[0024] The cutting unit 20 includes a spindle housing 21 that protrudes from the Z-axis moving block 174 in the Y-axis direction (negative Y-axis direction). An imaging unit 18 that captures images of the downward direction is provided on the side of the spindle housing 21. A spindle 22, which is a rotation shaft extending in the Y-axis direction, is rotatably supported inside the spindle housing 21. The spindle 22 is driven to rotate by a spindle motor (not shown) disposed inside the spindle housing 21, and rotates around an axis extending in the Y-axis direction. A cutting blade 23 is attached to the tip of the spindle 22, and a blade cover 24 that partially covers the periphery of the cutting blade 23 is attached to the tip of the spindle housing 21.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2 , the tip of the spindle 22 protrudes from the spindle housing 21 in the Y-axis direction (negative Y-direction), and an annular mount flange 25 having a diameter larger than that of the spindle 22 is provided on the protruding portion. A male thread 26 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion of the spindle 22 that protrudes beyond the mount flange 25 in the Y-axis direction (negative Y-direction). The illustrated cutting blade 23 is a so-called saw blade, which has a central hole 232 through which the spindle 22 is inserted at the center of a disk-shaped circular base 231 made of a carbide alloy, and a plurality of saw blades 233 formed continuously in the circumferential direction around the outer periphery of the circular base 231. Each saw blade 233 is a mountain-shaped protrusion having a cutting edge 234 that contacts and cuts the workpiece 2 to be machined, and a back portion 235 on the opposite side of the cutting edge 234, and the tip formed by the cutting edge 234 and the back portion 235 forms an acute angle. The rotation direction of the spindle 22 when cutting the workpiece 2 with the cutting blade 23 is a first direction R1, and the cutting edge portion 234 faces the first direction R1 (the direction of rotation when cutting the workpiece 2). The back portion 235 faces a second direction, which is the rotation direction opposite to the first direction R1.

[0026] When attaching the cutting blade 23 to the spindle 22, the tip of the spindle 22 is inserted into the central hole 232 of the circular base 231, and the cutting blade 23 is moved in the Y-axis direction (+Y direction) until the side surface of the circular base 231 on the +Y direction side abuts the mount flange 25. Next, the tip of the spindle 22 is inserted into the central hole 271 of the annular retaining flange 27, and the retaining flange 27 is abutted against the side surface of the circular base 231 on the -Y direction side. Furthermore, the annular fixing nut 28 is threaded onto the male thread 26 protruding from the central hole 271 of the retaining flange 27, and the fixing nut 28 is tightened. As a result, the cutting blade 23 is fixed to the tip of the spindle 22 with the circular base 231 of the cutting blade 23 sandwiched between the mount flange 25 and the retaining flange 27. The cutting blade 23 can be removed from the spindle 22 by rotating the fixing nut 28 in the direction opposite to the tightening direction.

[0027] The cutting unit 20 can accommodate different types of cutting blades, and can also replace the cutting blade 23 with the electroformed cutting blade 29. The cutting blade 29 is made of an electroformed grinding stone with diamond abrasive grains fixed with nickel plating. The center of the cutting blade 29 is provided with a central hole 291 through which the spindle 22 passes, and the cutting blade 29 can be attached to and detached from the spindle 22 using the same procedure as for attaching the cutting blade 23 described above.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, a frame unit 1 equipped with a workpiece 2 to be processed is transported to a cutting device 10. The frame unit 1 is configured such that the plate-shaped workpiece 2 is fixed to the inside of an annular ring frame 4 via a tape 3. The workpiece 2 is also called a workpiece. When a cutting blade 23, which is a saw blade, is attached to the cutting unit 20, the workpiece 2, which is made of, for example, copper or acrylic resin, is cut. The tape 3 is flexible and stretchable, and is attached to the underside of the workpiece 2.

[0029] 6, the chuck table 12 has a recess 31 on the top of a disk-shaped frame 30, and a holding plate 32 made of a porous material attached inside the recess 31. The upper surface of the frame 30 and the upper surface of the holding plate 32 are flush with each other, forming the holding surface of the chuck table 12. A suction mechanism 33 is connected to the holding plate 32, and negative pressure can be applied to the upper surface of the holding plate 32 by sucking air with the suction mechanism 33.

[0030] A plurality of pull-down sections 13 are provided at intervals around the periphery of the chuck table 12. In this embodiment, the pull-down sections 13 are arranged in four locations on the +X side, -X side, +Y side, and -Y side of the chuck table 12 (see FIG. 1). The number and arrangement of the pull-down sections 13 are not limited to the illustrated form. Each pull-down section 13 includes a support section 34 that protrudes laterally from the outer periphery of the frame 30 of the chuck table 12, and a clamp 35 that can be opened and closed relative to the support section 34 (see FIG. 6).

[0031] In the frame unit 1 transported to the cutting device 10, the workpiece 2 is held on the holding surface of the chuck table 12 via the tape 3. By operating the suction mechanism 33 to apply negative pressure to the upper surface of the holding plate 32, the workpiece 2 is suction-held on the holding surface of the chuck table 12 via the tape 3. In addition, the lower surface of the ring frame 4 is placed on the support portion 34, and the clamp 35 is closed to press down on the upper surface of the ring frame 4, so that the ring frame 4 is held by the pull-down portion 13. The position at which the pull-down portion 13 holds the ring frame 4 is located below (in the -Z direction) the holding surface of the chuck table 12. As a result, the frame unit 1 is held with the tape 3 in the area between the workpiece 2 and the ring frame 4 pulled.

[0032] With the frame unit 1 held on the chuck table 12 and the pull-down section 13 as described above, the cutting device 10 rotates the spindle 22, lowers the cutting unit 20 using the lifting mechanism 17, and sets the height position of the cutting blade 23 to a position where the saw blade 233 at the lower end of the cutting blade 23 can cut into the workpiece 2. Furthermore, based on an image of the workpiece 2 captured by the imaging section 18, the cutting feed mechanism 14 and the indexing feed mechanism 16 align the workpiece 2 and the cutting blade 23 relative to each other, and position the cutting blade 23 on an extension of the X-axis direction of the processing line (the line to be cut) of the workpiece 2. At this stage, the lower end of the cutting blade 23 is located outside the workpiece 2 in the X-axis direction and is not in contact with the workpiece 2.

[0033] Once the above settings are complete, the workpiece 2 is machined using the rotating cutting blade 23. When machining the workpiece 2 using the cutting blade 23, the rotation direction of the spindle 22 is set to a first direction R1 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The first direction R1 is the direction in which the cutting edge portion 234 of the saw blade 233 advances in the rotation direction of the cutting blade 23, contacting and cutting the workpiece 2. The cutting feed mechanism 14 moves the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 in the X-axis direction, causing the rotating cutting blade 23 to cut into the workpiece 2 and perform machining along a machining line extending in the X-axis direction. After machining along the machining line, the indexing feed mechanism 16 moves the cutting unit 20 in the Y-axis direction, thereby positioning the cutting blade 23 on an extension of the X-axis direction of the unmachined machining line on the workpiece 2. In this manner, machining along multiple machining lines of the workpiece 2 can be performed. Furthermore, by rotating the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 using the rotation mechanism 15, cutting can be performed on the workpiece 2 along machining lines in different directions.

[0034] The pull-down section 13 holds the ring frame 4 at a position below (-Z direction side) the holding surface of the chuck table 12, so that even if the cutting blade 23 is positioned outside the X-axis direction relative to the workpiece 2 before and after cutting processing along the processing line, the cutting blade 23 does not come into contact with the ring frame 4.

[0035] When cutting is performed using the cutting device 10, chips adhere to the cutting blade 23. The cutting unit 20 is equipped with a nozzle that sprays cutting water toward the cutting point where the cutting blade 23 contacts the workpiece 2 and toward the side of the cutting blade 23. However, spraying cutting water alone is not enough to prevent chips from adhering to the cutting blade 23. Since chips remaining on the cutting blade 23 reduce cutting performance (processing efficiency), cleaning is performed to remove the chips from the cutting blade 23 and restore desired cutting performance. However, if the cutting blade 23 is cleaned by cutting it into a dresser board containing abrasive grains, as used to sharpen electroplated blades, the saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 will be significantly worn. The inventors of the present application conducted research and experiments to solve this problem and discovered that by using an elastic material containing resin as a cleaning member used to clean the cutting blade 23, chips can be removed from the cutting blade 23 while preventing wear on the saw blade 233.

[0036] The cleaning member preferably comprises a composition containing a cured resin and silicon-based microparticles. The cured resin is preferably a cured product obtained by polymerizing at least one of alicyclic epoxy and glycidyl ether epoxy as a base agent with at least one of amines, phenols, carboxylic acids, and acid anhydrides as a curing agent. Bisphenol A epoxy is used as an example of the base agent for the cured resin. Modified alicyclic polyamine is used as an example of the curing agent for the cured resin. Alternatively, the cured resin is preferably a cured product obtained by polymerizing at least one of alicyclic epoxy and glycidyl ether epoxy.

[0037] The cleaning member made of an elastic material containing resin has, for example, a flexural modulus of 3.0 GPa or more and 4.0 GPa or less and a density of 1.19 g / cm 3 or more and 1.40 g / cm 3 The following are preferable: By providing these characteristics, excellent cleaning performance is exhibited when removing cutting chips from the cutting blade 23, and the cleaning member can be held smoothly by the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 described later.

[0038] 3 to 8 show variations of cleaning members formed using an elastic material containing a resin having the above-described composition and physical properties, and cleaning tools equipped with the cleaning members.

[0039] 3 and 4, a cleaning unit 40 is configured by attaching a plate-shaped cleaning member 41 made of an elastic material containing resin via tape 43 to a ring frame 42 having a configuration similar to that of the ring frame 4 in the frame unit 1 described above. The cleaning member 41 is a rectangular plate that is sized to fit inside the ring frame 42. As an example, the lengths of the cleaning member 41 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions are set to 37.5 mm x 75 mm.

[0040] The cleaning member 41 is formed with a plurality of grooves 44 extending in the X-axis direction at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , each groove 44 is a bottomed groove having a pair of substantially parallel inner side surfaces 441 facing each other in the Y-axis direction and a bottom surface 442 connecting the lower ends of the pair of inner side surfaces 441. The width W1 of the groove 44, which is the distance between the pair of inner side surfaces 441, is narrower than the width W2 of the saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23. As an example, the width W1 of the groove 44 is set to approximately −0.05 mm relative to the width W2 of the saw blade 233. In other words, when the width W2 of the saw blade 233 is 0.1 mm, the width W1 of the groove 44 is set to 0.05 mm. In this case, the depth D of the groove 44 from the surface of the cleaning member 41 to the bottom surface 442 is set to approximately 0.6 mm. The grooves 44 are formed in the cleaning member 41 using a processing device such as the cutting device 10.

[0041] A cleaning method for cleaning a cutting blade will be described. Each of the following steps, except for some of the preparation steps (such as manufacturing the cleaning member 41) prior to attaching the cleaning member 41 to the cutting device 10, can be automatically executed under the control of the control unit 19 (see FIG. 1) provided in the cutting device 10. Therefore, unless a subject controlling the operation of the cutting device 10 is specified, it is assumed that the control unit 19 is performing the control.

[0042] Cleaning of the cutting blade 23 is performed at a predetermined timing determined by the control unit 19 of the cutting device 10. For example, the control unit 19 continuously monitors the load current value of the spindle motor that drives the spindle 22, and determines that the cutting ability of the cutting blade 23 has deteriorated and cleaning is necessary when the increase in the load current value relative to the start of processing when the cutting blade 23 is in a clean state with no cutting debris attached exceeds a predetermined threshold. As one example, the threshold for the increase in the load current value at which cleaning is determined to be necessary is set to 0.4 A.

[0043] When cleaning the cutting blade 23, a process of preparing the cleaning member 41 is performed. This preparation process includes manufacturing the plate-shaped cleaning member 41 using the material described above, forming grooves 44 in the cleaning member 41, attaching the cleaning member 41 to the ring frame 42 via tape 43 (forming the cleaning unit 40), and attaching the cleaning unit 40 to the cutting device 10. When attaching the cleaning unit 40 to the cutting device 10, similar to the attachment of the frame unit 1 described above, the cleaning member 41 is held on the holding surface of the chuck table 12 via tape 43, and the ring frame 42 is held by the multiple pull-down portions 13 (support portions 34 and clamps 35). The ring frame 42 is held below (in the -Z direction) the holding surface of the chuck table 12.

[0044] 3 shows the cleaning unit 40 in a state where the ring frame 42 is not held by the pull-down portion 13, i.e., where the ring frame 42 is not pulled down below the cleaning member 41, but in the actual preparation process, the cleaning unit 40 is set in a state where the ring frame 42 is positioned lower than the position shown in Fig. 3. Also, although the blade cover 24 is not shown in Fig. 3, cleaning of the cutting blade 23 is performed with the blade cover 24 attached to the cutting unit 20.

[0045] After the step of preparing the cleaning member 41 is completed, the spindle motor of the cutting unit 20 is driven to rotate the spindle 22. The rotation of the spindle 22 rotates the cutting blade 23. The rotation direction of the spindle 22 when cleaning the cutting blade 23 is set to a second direction R2, which is opposite to the rotation direction during cutting. The second direction R2 is the direction in which the back portion 235 of the saw blade 233 advances in the rotation direction of the cutting blade 23.

[0046] As in the cutting process for the workpiece 2 described above, the cutting unit 20 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 17 to position the lower saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 so that it corresponds to the cleaning member 41. More specifically, the height position of the cutting blade 23 in the Z-axis direction is set to a position where the lower tip of the saw blade 233 does not contact the bottom surface 442 of the groove 44 and the saw blade 233 enters the groove 44 partially (the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 4 ). The cutting blade 23 is also positioned so that it is located on the extension of a predetermined groove 44 in the X-axis direction (a position offset from the groove 44 in the X-axis direction). The alignment of the groove 44 of the cleaning member 41 and the cutting blade 23 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions is performed by operating the cutting feed mechanism 14 and the indexing feed mechanism 16 while referring to an image of the cleaning member 41 captured by the imaging unit 18. At this stage, the lower end of the cutting blade 23 does not contact the cleaning member 41.

[0047] Once the above settings are complete, a process is performed in which the cleaning member 41 is brought into contact with the rotating cutting blade 23. The cutting feed mechanism 14 moves the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 in the X-axis direction, causing the cutting blade 23 to rotate in the second direction R2, and the saw blade 233 enters the groove 44 of the cleaning member 41.

[0048] 4, when the saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 having a relatively large width W2 enters the groove 44 having a relatively small width W1, both side surfaces of the saw blade 233 come into contact with a pair of inner side surfaces 441 of the groove 44 so as to bite into them, resulting in a wiping form, and cutting debris adhering to the saw blade 233 is removed by contact with the cleaning member 41. By moving the cutting blade 23 and the cleaning member 41 relatively in the X-axis direction while rotating the cutting blade 23, the saw blade 233 can be cleaned over the entire circumferential direction of the cutting blade 23.

[0049] The cleaning member 41, made of an elastic material containing resin, does not contain abrasive grains, unlike the dresser boards used to sharpen electroplated blades, so cutting chips can be removed without wearing down the sides or tip of the saw blade 233.

[0050] During cleaning, the cutting blade 23 is rotated in the second direction R2 and the saw blade 233 is cut into the cleaning member 41 from the back 235 side, thereby efficiently removing cutting debris adhering to the saw blade 233. Contact with the cleaning member 41 does not easily wear down the entire saw blade 233, but by cutting into the cleaning member 41 from the back 235 side, the cutting edge 234 is more effectively prevented from being worn, and the shape of the cutting edge 234 can be maintained.

[0051] When cleaning the cutting blade 23, the cutting blade 23 and the cleaning member 41 can be moved relative to each other in any direction in the X-axis direction. That is, the cleaning member 41 may be moved from the −X direction to the +X direction in accordance with the second direction R2, which is the rotation direction of the cutting blade 23. Alternatively, the cleaning member 41 may be moved from the +X direction to the −X direction, in the opposite direction to the second direction R2, which is the rotation direction of the cutting blade 23. The cleaning member 41 may also be moved in a reciprocating direction that includes both of these directions. In particular, when the cleaning member 41 is moved from the +X direction to the −X direction, in the opposite direction to the second direction R2, the relative speed of the saw blade 233 passing through the contact point with the cleaning member 41 increases, and improved cleaning effectiveness can be expected.

[0052] The tip of the saw blade 233 has an acute angle, which makes it difficult for cutting debris to adhere or accumulate, and therefore, in the operation example of this embodiment, cleaning is performed without bringing the tip of the saw blade 233 into contact with the bottom surface 442 of the groove 44. However, cleaning may also be performed with the tip of the saw blade 233 in contact with the bottom surface 442 of the groove 44. This allows the cleaning effect of contact with the cleaning member 41 to be obtained even for the tip of the saw blade 233.

[0053] Once the cutting blade 23 has been moved (one or more times) along one groove 44 to clean it, that groove 44 is treated as used, and the next cleaning operation is performed by inserting the saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 into an unused groove 44. This allows the cleaning member 41 to consistently achieve high cleaning effectiveness. By moving the cutting blade 23 along multiple grooves 44 when cleaning one cutting blade 23, the cleaning effectiveness can be enhanced. The number of grooves 44 used to clean one cutting blade 23 is appropriately determined depending on the material of the workpiece 2 to be cut, the ease with which cutting debris adheres, and other conditions. As an example, when the workpiece 2 is made of resin, the cleaning member 41 with the above specifications was able to sufficiently clean the cutting blade 23 by cleaning along six lines of grooves 44.

[0054] The amount of relative movement between the cutting blade 23 and the cleaning member 41 and the number of grooves 44 used required to clean one cutting blade 23 are preset in the control unit 19, and when these conditions reach the set values, the control unit 19 detects that cleaning is complete and ends the cleaning operation. Specifically, in the process of ending the cleaning operation, the lifting mechanism 17 lifts up the cutting unit 20 (moves the cutting blade 23 away from the cleaning unit 40), stops the rotation of the spindle 22, etc.

[0055] As described above, by applying the cleaning member 41 of this embodiment, it is possible to remove cutting chips from the cutting blade 23 while preventing wear on the saw blade 233. The cleaning member 41 of this embodiment has grooves 44 formed in advance, and the saw blade 233 is inserted into the grooves 44 to clean it. This makes it possible to remove cutting chips adhering to the side surface of the saw blade 233 while suppressing rotational resistance to the cutting blade 23. Note that, as a modified example, it is also possible to use a cleaning member without grooves 44. In this case, the saw blade 233 of the rotating cutting blade 23 cuts into the cleaning member to form grooves, thereby cleaning the cutting blade 23.

[0056] 5 and 6, a cleaning member made of an elastic member containing resin is configured as a plate-shaped cleaning member 50 having an external shape similar to that of the ring frame 4 in the frame unit 1. In other words, the cleaning member 50 is a shape that encompasses the range of the cleaning member 41, ring frame 42, and tape 43 in the cleaning unit 40 of the first embodiment, integrally formed as an elastic member containing resin, and is sized to be held by the chuck table 12 and also held by the pull-down section 13.

[0057] The cleaning member 50 has an outer shape including a first side 51 and a second side 52 that are generally parallel and extend in the X-axis direction, a third side 53 and a fourth side 54 that are generally parallel and extend in the Y-axis direction, and four chamfered portions 55 connecting these sides. Notches 56 that serve as indicators for indicating the orientation of the cleaning member 50 are formed on both sides of the first side 51. In addition, a plurality of grooves 57 that extend in the X-axis direction are formed in the central region of the cleaning member 50 at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction. The width of each groove 57 is set to the same as the width W1 of the groove 44 of the cleaning member 41 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 4).

[0058] FIG. 6 shows a state in which a cleaning member 50 is held by the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 of the cutting device 10. The peripheral regions of the cleaning member 50, along the first side 51, the second side 52, the third side 53, and the fourth side 54, are sandwiched and held by the support members 34 and the clamps 35, respectively. That is, unlike the cleaning unit 40 of the first embodiment, when the cleaning member 50 is attached to the cutting device 10, the pull-down unit 13 holds the peripheral region of the cleaning member 50. Because the cleaning member 50 is entirely made of an elastic material containing resin, the central region having the multiple grooves 57 is held on the holding surface of the chuck table 12, and the peripheral region is held below the holding surface by the pull-down unit 13. The region between the central region and the peripheral region can be elastically deformed to accommodate the difference in height.

[0059] Therefore, the cleaning member 50 can be held by the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 without a support member such as the ring frame 42 of the first embodiment. In other words, the cleaning member 50 encompasses the functions of the cleaning member 41, the ring frame 42, and the tape 43 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the process of preparing the cleaning member 50 does not require the work of attaching the tape 42 to the ring frame 41 or the work of attaching the cleaning member 40 to the tape 42. Furthermore, preparation of the cleaning member 50 can be completed without using a tape mounter or the like, which is a device for attaching the tape 42 to the ring frame 41. This reduces the effort required to prepare the cleaning member 50 and improves the efficiency of cleaning the cutting blade 23.

[0060] The thickness of the cleaning member 50 in the Z-axis direction is preferably set in the range of 1 mm to 3.5 mm. This range of thickness of the cleaning member 50 corresponds to the range of thicknesses generally applied to the ring frame 4 in the frame unit 1 transported to the cutting device 10. This makes it possible to directly hold the cleaning member 50 by the pull-down unit 13 (the support unit 34 and the clamp 35) without having to change the configuration of the cutting device 10 to hold the cleaning member 50 or use an adapter to hold the cleaning member 50.

[0061] The saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 is cleaned using the cleaning member 50 held by the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13. The method for cleaning the saw blade 233 using the cleaning member 50 is the same as the cleaning method using the cleaning member 41 of the first embodiment described above, in which the saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 rotating in the second direction R2 (see FIG. 3) is inserted into the groove 57, and the rotating cutting blade 23 and the cleaning member 50 are moved relatively in the X-axis direction.

[0062] The cleaning member 50 has a portion that comes into contact with the cutting blade 23 formed of an elastic material containing resin, and therefore can remove cutting chips from the cutting blade 23 while preventing wear on the saw blade 233. As a modified example, it is also possible to apply a cleaning member of a type that has a similar shape to the cleaning member 50 but does not have grooves 57 formed in the area that comes into contact with the cutting blade 23.

[0063] The inventors of the present application noticed that conventional work steps (such as attaching tape to a ring frame) that were a cause of complication when transporting and attaching a member for cleaning the cutting blade 23 to the chuck table 12 of the cutting device 10 could be omitted by improving the transport member. Therefore, the cleaning member 50, which includes a portion held by the pull-down portion 13, is formed from an elastic material containing resin. Furthermore, since the cleaning member 50 made of an elastic material containing resin includes a portion that comes into contact with the cutting blade 23 during cleaning, it prevents wear on the cutting blade 23 due to cleaning and reduces the frequency of replacing the cutting blade 23. Therefore, by using the cleaning member 50 of this embodiment, the efficiency of cleaning the cutting blade 23 can be synergistically improved in both the preparation stage for cleaning and the actual cleaning stage.

[0064] The third embodiment shown in Fig. 7 is configured as a plate-shaped cleaning member 60 by arranging rectangular plate-shaped cleaning pieces 62 similar to the cleaning member 41 of the first embodiment on a base member 61 having the same shape as the cleaning member 50 of the second embodiment. In other words, the base member 61 of the cleaning member 60 is sized to be held by the chuck table 12 and also by the pull-down portion 13. In the base member 61 shown in Fig. 7, components common to the cleaning member 50 of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as the corresponding parts of the cleaning member 50 shown in Fig. 5, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0065] Like the cleaning member 41 of the first embodiment and the cleaning member 50 of the second embodiment, the cleaning member 60 of this embodiment is formed of an elastic member containing resin. The base member 61 and the cleaning pieces 62 are made of the same material. The base member 61 and the cleaning pieces 62 may be formed separately and then fixed to each other by bonding or the like, or the entire cleaning member 60 including the base member 61 and the cleaning pieces 62 may be formed integrally.

[0066] Since the base member 61 is formed of an elastic material containing resin, the central region of the base member 61 on which the cleaning pieces 62 are arranged is held on the holding surface of the chuck table 12, and the peripheral portion of the base member 61 is held at a position below the holding surface by the pull-down portion 13, and the region between the central region and the peripheral portion of the base member 61 can be elastically deformed to follow the difference in height.

[0067] The saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 is cleaned using a cleaning member 60 having a base member 61 held by the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13. During cleaning, the saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 is brought into contact with a cleaning piece 62. The cleaning piece 62 has a plurality of grooves 63 extending in the X-axis direction formed at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction. The method of cleaning the saw blade 233 using the cleaning member 60 is the same as the cleaning method using the cleaning member 41 of the first embodiment described above. The saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 rotating in the second direction R2 (see FIG. 3 ) is inserted into the grooves 63, and the rotating cutting blade 23 and the cleaning member 60 are moved relatively in the X-axis direction.

[0068] The cleaning member 60 has cleaning pieces 62 that come into contact with the cutting blade 23 formed from an elastic material containing resin, and therefore can remove cutting debris from the cutting blade 23 while preventing wear on the saw blade 233. As a modified example, it is also possible to apply a cleaning member of a type that has a similar shape to the cleaning member 60 but does not have grooves 63 formed in the cleaning pieces 62.

[0069] The cleaning member 60 of this embodiment has features in common with the cleaning member 50 of the second embodiment, except that the cleaning pieces 62 are arranged in a protruding position on the base member 61, and can achieve the same effects as the cleaning member 50 described above.

[0070] The fourth embodiment shown in Fig. 8 is configured as a cleaning tool 70 by disposing a dresser board (cleaning board) 72 on a plate-shaped cleaning member 71 having the same shape as the cleaning member 50 of the second embodiment. That is, the cleaning member 71 is sized to be held by the chuck table 12 and also by the pull-down section 13. In the cleaning member 71 shown in Fig. 8, components common to the cleaning member 50 of the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as the corresponding parts of the cleaning member 50 shown in Fig. 5, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0071] The cleaning member 71 of this embodiment is made of an elastic material containing resin. Therefore, the central region of the cleaning member 71, on which the dresser board 72 is disposed, is held on the holding surface of the chuck table 12, and the peripheral edge of the cleaning member 71 is held at a position below the holding surface by the pull-down portion 13. The region between the central region and the peripheral edge of the cleaning member 71 can be elastically deformed to accommodate the difference in height.

[0072] The dresser board 72 is a rectangular plate-like member formed by dispersing abrasive grains such as white alundum or green carborundum in a binder such as resin or ceramics. The dresser board 72 may have a plurality of grooves extending in the X-axis direction formed at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction.

[0073] With the cleaning tool 70 attached to the chuck table 12 and the pull-down section 13, the cutting blade 29, which is an electroplated blade attached to the spindle 22, is rotated and brought into contact with the dresser board 72, thereby sharpening the cutting blade 29 so that the diamond abrasive grains are exposed from the nickel plating. In this case, the cleaning member 71 functions as a support member for supporting the dresser board 72. By using the cleaning member 71 made of an elastic member containing resin as a support member, the preparation of transporting the dresser board 72 and holding it on the chuck table 12 is less time-consuming than in a configuration and method in which the dresser board 72 is attached to a ring frame via tape before being transported, and cleaning (sharpening) of the cutting blade 29 can be performed efficiently.

[0074] The fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 9 illustrates a configuration in which a cleaning member 80 is held by a sub-chuck table 81 disposed near the chuck table 12. The cleaning member 80 is a plate-shaped member corresponding to the cleaning member 41 of the first embodiment or the cleaning piece 62 of the third embodiment, and serves to clean the cutting blade 23 by contacting it with the rotating cutting blade 23. The cleaning member 80 is made of an elastic member containing resin, and its material and characteristics are similar to those of the cleaning member 41 described above. The cleaning member 80 has a plurality of grooves (not shown) extending in the X-axis direction formed at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction. Unlike the cleaning member 41 and the cleaning piece 62, the cleaning member 80 is held directly on the holding surface of the sub-chuck table 81 without a ring frame or base member.

[0075] The sub-chuck table 81 is provided on a support plate 82 that is moved in the X-axis direction together with the chuck table 12 by the cutting feed mechanism 14 (FIG. 1), and the height position of the holding surface of the sub-chuck table 81 is approximately the same as the height position of the holding surface of the chuck table 12. The holding surface of the sub-chuck table 81 is formed with a suction groove (not shown) that connects to a suction mechanism 83, and by sucking air with the suction mechanism 83, a negative pressure is applied to the holding surface of the sub-chuck table 81, making it possible to suck and hold the cleaning member 80.

[0076] The cleaning member 80 held by the sub-chuck table 81 is used to clean the saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23. The method of cleaning the saw blade 233 using the cleaning member 80 is the same as the cleaning method using the cleaning member 41 of the first embodiment described above, in which the saw blade 233 of the cutting blade 23 rotating in the second direction R2 is inserted into the groove of the cleaning member 80, and the rotating cutting blade 23 and the cleaning member 80 are moved relatively in the X-axis direction by the operation of the cutting feed mechanism 14.

[0077] Because the cleaning member 80 is made of an elastic material containing resin, it can remove cutting debris from the cutting blade 23 while preventing wear on the saw blade 233, thereby reducing the frequency of replacing the cutting blade 23. As a modified example, it is also possible to apply a cleaning member of a type that has a similar shape to the cleaning member 80 but does not have a groove formed in the area that comes into contact with the cutting blade 23.

[0078] The cleaning member and cleaning method of the present disclosure are suitable for cleaning cutting blades (saw blades) that have a saw blade on the periphery. Even in the case of electroformed blades with slits on the side, if cutting debris adheres to the slits, removing the debris using an existing dresser board can easily cause wear on the side of the blade, making cleaning using the cleaning member and cleaning method of the present disclosure useful. Therefore, the type of cutting blade to be cleaned is not limited to saw blades.

[0079] In the above embodiment, preferred specific examples of the composition and physical properties of the cleaning member are shown, but the cleaning member is not limited to these specific examples and may be any member that is made of an elastic material containing resin and has the effect of being able to clean while preventing wear on the cutting blade.

[0080] The cutting device 10 of the above embodiment is configured to move the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 in the cutting feed direction (X-axis direction) when cutting the workpiece 2 or cleaning the cutting blade 23 (29), but may also be configured to move the cutting unit 20 in the cutting feed direction. Also, the cutting device 10 may be configured to move the chuck table 12 and the pull-down unit 13 in the indexing feed direction (Y-axis direction).

[0081] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and may be variously changed, substituted, or modified without departing from the spirit of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Furthermore, if the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be realized in a different way due to technological advances or other derived technologies, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0082] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the work efficiency related to cleaning the cutting blade, and to save maintenance costs and time in the cutting device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1: Frame unit 2: Work (worked object) 3: Tape 4: Ring frame 10: Cutting equipment 12: Chuck table 13: Withdrawal section 14: Cutting feed mechanism 15: Rotation mechanism 16: Indexing feed mechanism 17: Lifting mechanism 18: Imaging unit 19: Control section 20: Cutting unit 21: Spindle housing 22: Spindle 23: Cutting blade 29: Cutting blade 30: Frame 32: Holding plate 33: Suction mechanism 34: Support part 35: Clamp 40: Cleaning unit 41: Cleaning materials 42: Ring frame 43: Tape 44: Groove 50: Cleaning materials 57: Groove 60: Cleaning materials 61: Base material 62: Cleaning piece 63:Groove 70: Cleaning equipment 71: Cleaning materials 72: Dresser board 80: Cleaning materials 81: Chuck table 233: Saw blade 234: Cutting edge 235: Back 441 :Inner side 442: Bottom

Claims

1. Used to clean cutting blades that process workpieces. made of an elastic member containing resin, A plate-shaped cleaning component.

2. Contains a cured resin and silicon-based particles, The cured resin product is a cured product obtained by polymerizing at least one of alicyclic epoxy and glycidyl ether epoxy as a base resin with at least one of amines, phenols, carboxylic acids, and acid anhydrides as a curing agent; or a cured product obtained by polymerizing at least one of an alicyclic epoxy and a glycidyl ether epoxy, 2. The cleaning member according to claim 1.

3. The cleaning member comprises: cleaning the cutting blade by contacting it with the rotating cutting blade; 3. The cleaning member according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The cutting blade is It is attached to the spindle of the cutting device, The cutting device is a chuck table that holds a workpiece of a frame unit, the workpiece being fixed to a ring frame via a tape, on a holding surface via the tape; a pull-down unit that holds the ring frame of the frame unit including the workpiece held on the chuck table below the holding surface, The cleaning member comprises: The workpiece is formed to a size that can be held by the chuck table and the pull-down unit.

3. The cleaning member according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The cleaning member according to claim 4 ; a dresser board disposed on the cleaning member; A cleaning tool consisting of:

6. A groove is formed, the groove including an inner side surface and a bottom surface.

3. The cleaning member according to claim 1 or 2.

7. 1. A cleaning method comprising: A step of preparing the cleaning member according to claim 1; rotating the cutting blade; and contacting the cleaning member with the rotating cutting blade. A method for cleaning a cutting blade.

8. The cutting blade is a cutting edge portion that comes into contact with the workpiece and cuts it; a plurality of saw blades each having a cutting edge portion and a back portion opposite the cutting edge portion, In the step of contacting the cleaning member with the cutting blade, Rotating the cutting blade so that the back portion faces in the direction of rotation of the cutting blade and advances; 8. The method for cleaning a cutting blade according to claim 7.

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