Apparatus and method of handling the apparatus

Abstract

To provide a device which does not require a work for installing a separate fixation member around a movable body, and does not require a work for removing the fixation member when being transported to an installation location and executing an installation work.SOLUTION: A device comprises: a chuck body 64 at a tip of which a taper part 64a, that displaces from an open state in which rotation of a ball screw 62 is permitted to a coupling state in which rotation of the ball screw 62 is regulated, is formed; a bracket 63 which arranges the chuck body 64 on the ball screw 62; and a reverse taper part 311c which is formed on a movable body 31, and engages the taper part 64a of the chuck body 64 to make the coupling state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus including a rail body supported by a base, a movable body disposed movably on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body, and a handling method for the apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] A wafer having a plurality of devices such as ICs and LSIs formed on its surface and partitioned by a dicing line is divided into individual device chips by a dicing device or a laser processing device and used in electric devices such as mobile phones and personal computers.

[0003] A dicing device includes a chuck table for holding a wafer, cutting means for cutting the wafer held by the chuck table, X-axis feed means for relatively machining and feeding the chuck table and the cutting means in the X-axis direction, Y-axis indexing feed means for relatively indexing and feeding the chuck table and the cutting means in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction, Z-axis plunge feed means for plunge feeding the cutting means in the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, a cassette table for placing and vertically moving a cassette containing a plurality of wafers, unloading means for unloading the wafer from the cassette to a temporary receiving table, and conveying means for conveying the wafer from the temporary receiving table to the chuck table (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When transporting the dicing apparatus described above to its installation site by a transport vehicle such as a truck, there is a risk that the movable parts, such as the chuck table, which are moved by the X-axis feed mechanism, Y-axis feed mechanism, Z-axis feed mechanism, etc., may move due to shaking and vibration during transport, potentially causing damage or malfunction of the dicing apparatus. Therefore, separate fixing members are prepared and positioned around the movable parts so that the movable parts are fixed during transport.

[0006] However, when fixing members are used to prevent the movable body from moving, as described above, the work of installing the fixing members around the movable body is required, and when the device arrives at the installation site and the installation work is carried out, the fixing members must be removed, and furthermore, the removed fixing members must be disposed of or collected for reuse, which presents a problem of a troublesome and inconvenient installation process. Such problems are not limited to dicing devices, but can occur in any device equipped with a rail body supported on a base, a movable body movably disposed on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body, such as a laser processing device.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main technical problem is to provide a device that does not require the installation of a separate fixing member around a movable body when fixing the movable body in a device so that it does not move, and does not require the removal of the fixing member when transporting the device to the installation site and performing the installation work, and also to provide a method for handling the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned main technical problems, the present invention provides a device comprising a rail body supported on a base, a movable body movably disposed on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body, wherein the device comprises a chuck body having a tapered portion formed at its tip that displaces from an open state that allows rotation of the ball screw to a fastened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw by an external force, and the chuck body The ball screw is supported in a rotatable manner.A device is provided comprising a bracket and a reverse tapered portion formed on the movable body that engages with the tapered portion of the chuck body to achieve the fastened state.

[0009] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a device comprising a rail body supported on a base, a movable body movably disposed on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body, wherein the movable body has a chuck body with a tapered portion at its tip that is formed on the movable body and displaces from an open state that allows rotation of the ball screw to a fastened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw by an external force, and the ball screw Supported in a state that allows for free rotation A device is provided that includes a reverse tapered portion that engages with the tapered portion of the chuck body to fasten the chuck body.

[0010] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a method for handling the above-mentioned apparatus is provided, comprising: a ball screw fixing step of rotating the ball screw in the forward direction to engage the reverse tapered portion with the tapered portion and fasten the chuck body to fix the ball screw; an apparatus moving step of moving the apparatus to an installation location; and a release step of rotating the ball screw in the reverse direction at the installation location to open the chuck body and release the fixing of the ball screw. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present invention relates to a device comprising a rail body supported on a base, a movable body movably disposed on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body, wherein the device comprises a chuck body having a tapered portion formed at its tip that displaces from an open state that allows rotation of the ball screw to a fastened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw by an external force, and the chuck body The ball screw is supported in a rotatable manner.The device includes a bracket and a reverse tapered portion formed on the movable body that engages with the tapered portion of the chuck body to achieve the fastened state. This eliminates the need to interpose a separate fixing member to prevent the movable body from moving, and the need to remove and dispose of the fixing member after arriving at the installation site, thus resolving the problem of cumbersome installation work.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention includes a rail body supported on a base, a movable body movably disposed on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body, the movable body having a chuck body with a tapered portion at its tip that is formed on the movable body and displaces from an open state that allows rotation of the ball screw to a fastened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw by an external force, and the ball screw Supported in a state that allows for free rotation By including a reverse tapered portion that fastens the chuck body, it eliminates the need to interpose a separate fixing member to prevent the movable body from moving, and the need to remove and dispose of the fixing member after arriving at the installation site, thus resolving the problem of cumbersome installation work.

[0013] Furthermore, the method for handling the device of the present invention includes a ball screw fixing step of rotating the ball screw in the forward direction to engage the reverse tapered portion with the tapered portion and fasten the chuck body to fix the ball screw; a device moving step of moving the device to the installation location; and a release step of rotating the ball screw in the reverse direction at the installation location to release the chuck body and release the fixing of the ball screw. This eliminates the need for interposing a separate fixing member to prevent the movable body from moving, and the need to remove the fixing member and dispose of it after arriving at the installation location, thus resolving the problem of the installation work being cumbersome in terms of surface area, etc. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is an overall perspective view of the dicing apparatus of this embodiment. [Figure 2]Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a chuck body and a nut member with a reverse tapered portion, which are installed in the dicing device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] (a) A cross-sectional view of the chuck body shown in Figure 2 in the open state, (b) A cross-sectional view of the chuck body shown in Figure 2 in the fastened state, and (c) A cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the chuck body and nut member installed in the dicing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] (a) A cross-sectional view of the chuck body shown in Figure 4 in the open state, and (b) A cross-sectional view of the chuck body shown in Figure 4 in the fastened state. [Figure 6] (a) A modified example of the chuck body and nut member shown in Figure 4, a cross-sectional view showing the chuck body in an open state, and (b) A cross-sectional view showing the chuck body shown in (a) in a fastened state. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments relating to an apparatus configured based on the present invention, and embodiments relating to a method for handling the apparatus, will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 shows an overall perspective view of a dicing apparatus 1 disclosed as an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. The dicing apparatus 1 is arranged on a base 2 and includes a holding means 3 for holding a workpiece, a cutting means 5 for performing cutting on the workpiece held by the holding means 3, a first feeding means 6 for feeding the holding means 3 and the cutting means 5 relative to each other in the X-axis direction indicated by arrow X in the figure, and a second feeding means 7 for indexing and feeding the cutting means 5 in the Y-axis direction indicated by arrow Y in the figure, which is perpendicular to the X-axis direction.

[0017] On the base 2, a pair of first rail bodies 2a, 2a along the X-axis direction and a pair of second rail bodies 2b, 2b along the Y-axis direction are supported. The holding means 3 includes a first movable body 31 movably disposed on the first rail bodies 2a, 2a, a cylindrical member 32 fixed to the upper surface of the first movable body 31, a cover member 33 fixed to the upper portion of the cylindrical member 32, a chuck table 34 protruding from the upper surface of the cover member 33 for sucking and holding the workpiece, and a clamp 35 disposed at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the chuck table 34 (four in this embodiment) for gripping a frame supporting the workpiece.

[0018] The first feed means 6 includes a motor 61 and a ball screw 62. The motor 61 is disposed at one end of the ball screw 62, and the other end is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 63 disposed on the base 2. The rotational movement of the motor 61 is transmitted to a nut member 311 (also refer to FIG. 2) disposed on the lower surface side of the first movable body 31 via the ball screw 62 by a ball screw mechanism and converted into a linear movement. Thereby, the first movable body 31 is advanced and retreated in the X-axis direction along the first rail bodies 2a, 2a on the base 2.

[0019] The cutting means 5 is supported by a second movable body 53 movably disposed along the second rail bodies 2b, 2b along the Y-axis direction, and is disposed at a rear position adjacent to the Y-axis direction of the region where the holding means 3 moves in the X-axis direction. The cutting means 5 includes a spindle unit 50, and a blade cover 52 for protecting a cutting blade 51 fixed to the tip of the rotating spindle and having a cutting edge on the outer periphery is disposed on the tip side of the spindle unit 50. A rotational drive source such as a motor (not shown) is accommodated on the rear end side of the spindle unit 50, and the cutting blade 51 is rotated by rotating the motor. Further, an imaging means 4 for imaging the workpiece held by the holding means 3 and detecting the region to be processed is integrally disposed on the spindle unit 50.

[0020] As shown in the figure, the second movable body 53 comprises a horizontal wall portion 53a slidably disposed on the second rail bodies 2b, 2b and a vertical wall portion 53b erected on the horizontal wall portion 53a. The spindle unit 50 is supported on the vertical wall portion 53b so as to be able to move up and down. The second movable body 53 is configured to be movable along the Y-axis direction by a second feeding means 7. The second feeding means 7 comprises a motor 71 and a ball screw 72 whose end is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 73 disposed on the base 2. The second feeding means 7 transmits the rotational motion of the motor 71 to a nut member (not shown) disposed on the lower side of the horizontal wall portion 53a, converts it into linear motion via a ball screw mechanism, and moves the second movable body 53 back and forth in the Y-axis direction along the second rail bodies 2b, 2b on the base 2.

[0021] A pair of third rail bodies 54, 54 are provided on the side of the vertical wall portion 53b of the second movable body 53, supported along the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) indicated by arrow Z (partially shown as thin lines). A third movable body 55, which functions as a support member for the spindle unit 50, is slidably attached to the third rail bodies 54, 54. A motor 56 is disposed on the vertical wall portion 53b, and the rotation of the motor 56 is converted into linear motion by a ball screw mechanism via a ball screw, one end of which is rotatably supported in a bearing portion (not shown), and transmitted to the third movable body 55. By rotating the motor 56 forward or backward, the third movable body 55 is moved forward and backward in the Z-axis direction.

[0022] The dicing device 1 is equipped with control means (not shown in the illustration). The control means is composed of a computer and includes a central processing unit (CPU) that executes calculations according to a control program, a read-only memory (ROM) for storing the control program and the like, a read-write random access memory (RAM) for temporarily storing calculation results and the like, an input interface, and an output interface (details are not shown in the illustration). The control means controls each operating part of the dicing device 1 and can also perform alignment based on images captured by the imaging means 4.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, a nut member 311, which is disposed on the lower side of the first movable body 31, is screwed onto the ball screw 62 of this embodiment. By rotating the ball screw 62 in the direction indicated by arrow R1 (forward rotation direction), the nut member 311 can be moved in the direction indicated by arrow R2. Note that in Figure 2, the first movable body 31, which is connected to the upper surface 311a of the nut member 311, is omitted for the sake of explanation. A chuck body 64 is also disposed on the ball screw 62. The chuck body 64 has a tapered portion 64a formed at its tip that can be displaced from an open state that allows rotation of the ball screw 62 to a tightened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw 62 by external force. The chuck body 64 has a shaft portion 64b on the rear end side opposite to the tapered portion 64a in the longitudinal direction, and the rear end of the shaft portion 64b is fixed to a bearing portion 63. In other words, the bearing portion 63 is a bracket that has the function of disposing the chuck body 64 on the ball screw 62. The chuck body 64 has a through hole 64c that penetrates the tapered portion 64a and the shaft portion 64b, through which the ball screw 62 is inserted. The inner diameter of the through hole 64c is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ball screw 62, by 0.1 to 0.5 mm, when no external force is applied to the tapered portion 64a, and is set to a size that does not fix the ball screw 62. The chuck body 64 is made of, for example, a hard urethane resin, and has multiple (four in this embodiment) evenly spaced split portions 64d that span the tapered portion 64a and the shaft portion 64b, except for a part of the rear end side of the shaft portion 64b (bearing portion 63 side). The chuck body 64 is not necessarily limited to being made of urethane resin, but may be made of other resins, or even metal. However, when forming the chuck body 64 from metal, it is preferable to coat the portion of the chuck body 64 that comes into contact with the ball screw 62 in the fastened state with resin so as not to damage the ball screw 62 when the chuck body 64 is fastened as described later.

[0024] As can be seen from Figure 3 in addition to Figure 2, in the nut member 311 formed on the lower surface of the first movable body 31, an annular reverse tapered portion 311c is formed on the plane 311b facing the chuck body 64, which engages with the tapered portion 64a of the chuck body 64.

[0025] The dicing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is generally as described above. The handling method for moving the dicing apparatus 1 described above from the transport source, for example, the assembly plant of the dicing apparatus 1, to a desired installation location (for example, a processing plant that cuts semiconductor wafers) and installing it will be explained.

[0026] Before transporting the dicing device 1 from the transport source, a ball screw fixing step is performed to prevent the first movable body 31 from moving due to shaking or vibration during transport. In the ball screw fixing step, first, the motor 61 of the first feed means 6 is activated to rotate the ball screw 62 in the forward direction indicated by arrow R1. The power supplied to the motor 61 at this time (e.g., 50W) can be less than the power supplied when the dicing device 1 performs cutting (e.g., 100W). As a result, the first movable body 31 moves together with the nut member 311 in the direction indicated by arrow R2 in Figure 3(a), and as shown in Figure 3(b), the reverse tapered portion 311c formed on the nut member 311 engages with the tapered portion 64a of the chuck body 64. After engagement, the motor 61 is kept running until a predetermined torque is reached, and then the power to the motor 61 is turned OFF, applying an external force from the reverse tapered portion 311c to the tapered portion 64a of the chuck body 64. As a result, the split portion 64d is formed, causing the tip of the chuck body 64 to bend in the direction of arrow R3 shown in Figure 3(b), reducing the diameter of the through hole 64c in the chuck body 64, and fixing the ball screw 62 in place. This completes the ball screw fixing step. With this ball screw fixing step, the ball screw 62 remains fixed even when the power to the motor 61 is turned OFF, preventing the first movable body 31 from moving even if the dicing device 1 shakes or vibrates during transport.

[0027] As described above, once the ball screw fixing step is performed and the chuck body 64 is fastened, the device moving step is performed to move the dicing device 1 to the desired installation location. Details of the device moving step are omitted, but the device is transported to the installation location by being loaded onto a transport vehicle such as a truck.

[0028] Once the dicing device 1 is installed at the designated location, power is supplied to the dicing device 1 after appropriate assembly work. Then, the motor 61 is activated to rotate the ball screw 62 in the opposite direction to arrow R1 in Figure 2. At this time, it is preferable that the power supplied to the motor 61 is greater than the power supplied when executing the ball screw fixing step (for example, 100W). As a result, the nut member 311 separates from the chuck body 64 fixed to the bearing portion 63, resulting in the state shown in Figure 3(a). The external force applied to the tapered portion 64a of the chuck body 64 is released, and it returns from the fastened state to the open state. In this way, the chuck body 64 is opened, the fixing of the ball screw 62 is released, and the fixing release step is completed. In the ball screw fixing step described above, the area in which the reverse tapered portion 311c of the nut member 311 engages with the tapered portion 64a of the chuck body 64 is an area that the first movable body 31 does not reach during normal operation when the dicing device 1 performs cutting on the workpiece. Therefore, the ball screw 62 will not be unintentionally fixed and the first movable body 31 will not become immobile during cutting. The ball screw fixing step and the ball screw release step described above are stored as a control program in the control means and are executed according to the operator's instructions.

[0029] In the above explanation, only the operation of the chuck body 64 and the reverse tapered portion 311c formed on the nut member 311 of the first movable body 31 was described. However, equivalent configurations are provided for the second movable body 53 that moves on the second rail body 2b and the ball screw 72 that moves the second movable body 53, as well as for the third movable body 55 that moves on the third rail body 54 and the ball screw (not shown) that moves the third movable body 55. As a result, by performing a ball screw fixing step before the device movement step and a fixing release step after the device movement step, the second movable body 53 and the third movable body 55 are also fixed without the need for separate fixing members.

[0030] According to the embodiment described above, the work of interposing separate fixing members to prevent each movable body from moving, and the work of removing, disposing of, or collecting the fixing members after arriving at the installation site are eliminated, thus resolving the problem of the installation work being cumbersome in terms of surface area, etc.

[0031] In the embodiment described above, the chuck body 64 is disposed on the ball screw 62 by a bearing portion 63 that functions as a bracket, and an inverse tapered portion 311c that engages with the tapered portion 64a of the chuck body 64 is formed on the nut member 311 of the first movable body 31. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Figure 3(c), a chuck body 64' having a tapered portion 64a', a shaft portion 64b', a through hole 64c', and a split portion 64d' similar to the chuck body 64 described above may be disposed on the nut member 311 of the first movable body 31, and a block body 65 having an annular inverse tapered portion 65a that engages with the tapered portion 64a' of the chuck body 64' may be disposed on the bearing portion 63. With this configuration, as with the embodiment described above, it is possible to perform the ball screw fixing step, which involves rotating the ball screw 62 in the forward direction to engage the reverse tapered portion 65a with the tapered portion 64a' of the chuck body 64', thereby applying an external force to the chuck body 64' and fixing the ball screw 62 in a fastened state. This allows for the same effects and advantages as in the embodiment described above.

[0032] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes other embodiments described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Note that the apparatuses according to the other embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6 are modified only in part from the dicing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1, and the overall perspective view and description of the same configuration are omitted.

[0033] Figure 4 shows, in an exploded perspective view, a chuck body 66 having a tapered portion 66a formed at its tip that displaces from an open state that allows rotation of the ball screw 62 to a fastened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw 62 by external force; a chuck body holding member 67 that functions as a bracket for mounting the chuck body 66 to the ball screw 62; and an annular reverse tapered portion 311c formed on the nut member 311 of the first movable body 31 that engages with the tapered portion 66a of the chuck body 66 to apply external force and fasten it.

[0034] The chuck body 66 has a shaft portion 66b on the rear side of the tapered portion 66a, and a rectangular prism-shaped guide portion 66c is formed in the center of the shaft portion 66b. The chuck body holding member 67 has a substantially cubic shape as shown in the figure, and is surrounded by side walls 67a with the front side open, forming a housing space 67b for housing the chuck body 66. In addition, a guide hole 67d is formed in the bottom portion 67c of the chuck body holding member 67 into which the guide portion 66c of the chuck body 67 is slidably inserted.

[0035] The chuck body 66 has a tapered portion 66a and a through hole 66e that penetrates the shaft portion 66b and the guide portion 66c, through which the ball screw 62 is inserted. The inner diameter of the through hole 66e is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ball screw 62, by 0.1 to 0.5 mm, when no external force is applied, as described later. The chuck body 66 is made of, for example, a hard urethane resin, and has multiple (four in this embodiment) split portions 66f that span the tapered portion 66a and the shaft portion 66b at equal intervals.

[0036] The shaft portion 66b of the chuck body 66 is inserted into the housing space 67b of the chuck body holding member 67, and the shaft portion 66b and guide portion 66c protrude outward from the guide hole 67d. As shown in the figure, the ring nut 66h is screwed onto the male thread 66d formed on the end of the shaft portion 66b with the spring S interposed, thereby holding the spring S (see also Figure 5(a)). The open end 67e of the chuck body holding member 67 is fixed to the planar side 311b of the nut member 311 of the first movable body 31 by appropriate fixing means, and the above-mentioned members are integrated. As can be seen from Figure 5(a), when the chuck body 66 is in the open state, the tapered portion 66a of the chuck body 66 is slightly separated by 2 to 10 mm from the reverse tapered portion 311c of the nut member 311 by the action of the spring S. With the above configuration, the chuck body 66 is held by the chuck body holding member 67 on the nut member 311 and is also mounted on the ball screw 62.

[0037] An embodiment of the ball screw fixing step, which is carried out based on the above configuration, will be described.

[0038] In the ball screw fixing step performed in the configuration shown in Figures 4-5, first, as shown in Figure 5(a), with the chuck body 66 separated from the bearing portion 63, the motor 61 of the first feed means 6 described above is activated to rotate the ball screw 62 in the forward rotation direction indicated by arrow R1. At this time, the power supplied to the motor 61 (e.g., 50W) can be less than the power supplied when the dicing device 1 performs cutting (e.g., 100W). This moves the nut member 311 in the direction indicated by arrow R2 in Figure 5(a). Then, the nut member 311 approaches the bearing portion 63, and as shown in Figure 5(b), the rear end portion 66g of the shaft portion 66b of the chuck body 66 comes into contact with the bearing portion 63. Furthermore, by continuing to operate the motor 61, the nut member 311 moves in the direction indicated by arrow R2, pushing the chuck body 66 and compressing the spring S, engaging the reverse tapered portion 311c formed on the nut member 311 with the tapered portion 66a of the chuck body 66. Furthermore, by continuing to operate the motor 61 until a predetermined torque is reached, an external force is applied to the tapered portion 66a of the chuck body 66 from the reverse tapered portion 311c, forming the aforementioned split portion 66f, causing the tip of the chuck body 66 to bend in the direction of arrow R3 shown in Figure 5(b). As a result, the through hole 66e of the chuck body 66 shrinks in diameter, creating a fastened state that secures the ball screw 62. With this, the ball screw fixing step is completed. By performing this ball screw fixing step, the ball screw 62 remains fixed even when the motor 61 is stopped, preventing the first movable body 31 from moving even if the dicing device 1 shakes or vibrates during transport.

[0039] As described above, once the ball screw fixing step is performed and the chuck body 66 is fastened, the device moving step is performed to move the dicing device 1 to the desired installation location. Details of the device moving step are omitted, but the device is transported to the installation location by being loaded onto a transport vehicle such as a truck.

[0040] Once the dicing device 1 is installed at the installation location, as in the embodiment described earlier, after appropriate assembly work, power is supplied to the dicing device 1 to operate the motor 61 and rotate the ball screw 62 in the opposite direction to arrow R1 in Figure 4. At this time, it is preferable that the power supplied to the motor 61 is greater than the power supplied when executing the ball screw fixing step (for example, 100W). As a result, the reverse tapered portion 311c of the nut member 311 separates from the tapered portion 66a of the chuck body 66, releasing the external force applied to the tapered portion 66a of the chuck body 66, and returning from the fastened state described above to the open state shown in Figure 5(a). By opening the chuck body 66 in this way, the fixing release step of releasing the ball screw 62 is completed.

[0041] Furthermore, similar to the embodiment described above, the chuck body 66 and the reverse tapered portion 311c that engages with the tapered portion 66a of the chuck body 66 to fasten it are provided on the second movable body 53 that moves on the second rail bodies 2b, 2b and the ball screw 72 that moves the second movable body 53, as well as on the third movable body 55 that moves on the third rail bodies 54, 54 and the ball screw (not shown) that moves the third movable body 55. As a result, by performing the ball screw fixing step before the device movement step described above, the second movable body 53 and the third movable body 55 can also be fixed without the need for separate fixing members.

[0042] With the above-described embodiment, the need to interpose separate fixing members to prevent each movable part from moving, and the need to remove and dispose of the fixing members after arriving at the installation site are eliminated, thus resolving the problem of the installation work being cumbersome in terms of surface area, etc.

[0043] As described above, the embodiment described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 can be further modified. For the sake of explanation, the perspective view is omitted, but as shown in the cross-sectional view in Figure 6, a chuck body 68 may be disposed on the nut member 311 on the first movable body 31 side, having a tapered portion 68a formed at the tip that is displaced from an open state that allows rotation of the ball screw 62 to a tightened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw 62 by an external force. The chuck body 68 has substantially the same configuration as the chuck body 64 described with reference to Figures 2 and 3, and comprises a tapered portion 68a and a shaft portion 68b, with the rear end of the shaft portion 68b fixed to the plane 311b of the nut member 311. The chuck body 68 has a through hole 68c that penetrates the tapered portion 68a and the shaft portion 68b, through which the ball screw 62 is inserted. The inner diameter of the through hole 68c is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ball screw 62, by 0.1 to 0.5 mm, when no external force is applied to the tapered portion 68a. The chuck body 68 is made of, for example, a hard urethane resin, and has multiple cleavage portions 68d that span the tapered portion 68a and the shaft portion 68b at equal intervals, except for a part of the rear end side of the shaft portion 68b (nut member 311 side).

[0044] Furthermore, the ball screw 62 is provided with a block body 69 having an annular reverse tapered portion 69a that engages with the tapered portion 68a of the chuck body 68 to fasten the chuck body 68. The block body 69 is housed in the internal space 81 of a block body holding member 80, which has a cubic shape similar to that of the chuck body holding member 67 described above, and the block body holding member 80 is fixed to a nut member 311. The shaft portion 69b of the block body 69 opposite to the reverse tapered portion 69a is exposed through the guide hole 82 of the block body holding member 80, and a ring nut 69d is screwed onto the rear end portion 69c to hold a spring S between the block body holding member 80 and the block body holding member 80. As shown in Figure 6(a), when the nut member 311 is separated from the bearing portion 63, the action of the spring S maintains a state in which the reverse tapered portion 69a is slightly separated from the tapered portion 68a of the chuck body 68 by 2 to 10 mm.

[0045] When the ball screw fixing step described above is performed using the configuration shown in Figure 6(a), the motor 61 of the first feed means 6 described above is activated to rotate the ball screw 62 in the forward rotation direction indicated by arrow R1. The power supplied to the motor 61 at this time (e.g., 50W) can be less than the power supplied when the dicing device 1 performs cutting (e.g., 100W). This moves the nut member 311 in the direction indicated by arrow R2 in Figure 6(a). As the nut member 311 approaches the bearing portion 63, the rear end portion 69c of the block body 69 with the reverse tapered portion 69a comes into contact with the bearing portion 63, as shown in Figure 6(b). By continuing to operate the motor 61, the spring S is compressed, and the block body 69 moves toward the chuck body 68, engaging the reverse tapered portion 69a formed on the block body 69 with the tapered portion 68a of the chuck body 68. Furthermore, by continuing to operate the motor 61 until a predetermined torque is reached, an external force is applied from the reverse tapered portion 69a of the block body 69 to the tapered portion 68a of the chuck body 68, and the aforementioned split portion 68d is formed, causing the tip side of the chuck body 68 to bend in the direction of arrow R3 shown in Figure 6(b). Then, the through hole 68c of the chuck body 68 shrinks in diameter, creating a fastened state that secures the ball screw 62, and the ball screw fixing step is completed.

[0046] As described above, the ball screw fixing step ensures that the ball screw 62 remains fixed even when the motor 61 is stopped, preventing the first movable body 31 from moving even if the dicing device 1 shakes or vibrates during transport. Furthermore, by providing the same configuration as shown in Figure 6 to the second movable body 53 and the third movable body 55, similar to the first movable body 31, the second movable body 53 and the third movable body 55 are prevented from moving even if the dicing device 1 shakes or vibrates during transport.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Although the embodiments described above show an example of applying the apparatus of the present invention to a dicing apparatus 1, it is applicable to any other processing apparatus (e.g., laser processing apparatus, grinding apparatus, inspection apparatus, workpiece transport apparatus, etc.) that includes a rail body supported on a base, a movable body movably disposed on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1: Dicing device 2: Base 2a, 2a: First rail body 2b, 2b: Second rail body 3: Holding means 31: First movable body 311: Nut component 311a:Top surface 311b: Plane 311c: Reverse taper section 32: Cylindrical member 33: Cover component 34: Chuck Table 35: Clamp 4: Imaging means 5:Cutting means 51: Spindle Unit 52: Blade cover 53: Second movable body 53a:Horizontal wall part 53b: Vertical wall 54, 54: Third rail body 55: Third movable body 56: Motor 6: First feeding means 61: Motor 62: Ball screw 63: Bearing section (bracket) 64, 64': Chuck body 64a, 64a': Tapered section 64b, 64b': Shaft part 64c, 64c': Through hole 64d, 64d': Cutting part 65: Block letters 65a: Reverse taper section 66: Chuck body 66a: Tapered section 66b: Shaft 66c: Guide section 66d: Male screw 66e: Through hole 66f: Cutting part 66g: Rear end 66h: Ring nut 67: Chuck body holding member 67a: Side wall 67b: Containment space 67c: Guide section 67d: Guide hole 67e: Open end 68: Chuck body 68a: Tapered section 68b: Shaft 68c: Through hole 68d: Cutting part 69: Block letters 69a: Reverse taper section 69b: Shaft 69c: Rear end 7: Second feeding method 71: Motor 72: Ball screw 73: Bearing section (bracket) 80: Block body holding member 82: Guide hole S: Spring

Claims

1. A device comprising a rail body supported on a base, a movable body movably disposed on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body, A device comprising: a chuck body having a tapered portion formed at its tip that displaces from an open state that allows rotation of the ball screw to a fastened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw by an external force; a bracket that supports the chuck body in a rotatable state relative to the ball screw; and a reverse tapered portion formed on the movable body that engages with the tapered portion of the chuck body to bring it into the fastened state.

2. A device comprising a rail body supported on a base, a movable body movably disposed on the rail body, and a ball screw for moving the movable body, A device comprising: a chuck body having a tapered portion at its tip that is formed on the movable body and displaces from an open state that allows the rotation of the ball screw to a fastened state that restricts the rotation of the ball screw by an external force; and a reverse tapered portion that is supported in a state that is rotatable with respect to the ball screw and engages with the tapered portion of the chuck body to fasten the chuck body.

3. A method for handling the apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, A ball screw fixing step involves rotating the ball screw in the forward direction to engage the reverse tapered portion with the tapered portion, thereby fastening the chuck body and fixing the ball screw; A device movement step to move the device to the installation location, The installation location includes a release step in which the ball screw is rotated in reverse to open the chuck body and release the fixing of the ball screw, A method for handling a device that includes and comprises these components.

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