Cutting device

Abstract

[Project] To provide a cutting device with good workability. [Solution] A cutting device 2 includes: a worktable 4 for holding a plate-shaped workpiece W; a cutting assembly 6 for performing cutting on the workpiece W held in the worktable 4; an X-axis feed assembly 32 for feeding the worktable 4 and the cutting assembly 6 relative to each other in the X-axis direction; a Y-axis feed assembly 34 for indexing the worktable 4 and the cutting assembly 6 relative to each other in the Y-axis direction; a Z-axis feed assembly 36 for cutting the worktable 4 and the cutting assembly 6 relative to each other in the Z-axis direction; a placement worktable 38 for placing the workpiece W; and a transfer assembly 40 for holding and transferring the workpiece W placed on the placement worktable 38 to the worktable 4. The placement worktable 38 includes a first worktable 54 and a second worktable 56. The first worktable 54 is used to place the workpiece W before cutting, and the second worktable 56 is arranged adjacent to the first worktable 54 in the X-axis direction and is used to place the workpiece W after cutting. The cutting device 2 further includes a lifting assembly 72 that raises and lowers the first and second worktables 54 and 56 in the Z-axis direction, and a positioning assembly 74 that moves the first and second worktables 54 and 56 in the X-axis direction and positions them on the conveying path of the conveying assembly 40.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device, the cutting device comprising a worktable for holding a plate-shaped workpiece and a cutting assembly for performing cutting operations on the workpiece held in the worktable. Prior Technology

[0002] Multiple devices such as ICs and LSIs are divided and formed on the front side of a wafer by dicing predetermined lines. They can be diced into individual device chips by a cutting device, and the diced device chips can be used in electrical machines such as mobile phones and personal computers.

[0003] Furthermore, ceramic substrates, ferrite substrates, etc., are also divided into wafers by a cutting device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] The cutting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is generally composed of a work chuck, a cutting assembly, a mounting area, a transfer unit, and a conveying assembly. The work chuck holds a plate-shaped workpiece, the cutting assembly performs cutting on the workpiece held in the work chuck, the mounting area holds the workpiece, the transfer unit removes the workpiece after cutting, and the conveying assembly has a conveying pad that conveys the workpiece before cutting from the mounting area to the work chuck and the workpiece after cutting from the work chuck to the transfer unit.

[0005] In this cutting device, because the transport pad is moved by a moving component that moves the cutting component, there is no dedicated moving component solely for moving the transport pad. Therefore, despite its simple configuration, the cutting device can automatically transport the workpiece in addition to cutting. Previous technical documents Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-111628 Summary of the Invention

[0007] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0008] However, in the cutting device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the area where the workpiece is placed before cutting is located on the front of the cutting device, and the area where the workpiece is removed after cutting is located on the side of the cutting device, there is a problem of poor workability.

[0009] Furthermore, the operators must place the workpieces one by one into the placement area, which is also extremely tedious.

[0010] The objective of this invention is to provide a cutting device with good workability. The means to solve the problem

[0011] According to the present invention, a cutting apparatus is provided that solves the above-mentioned problems. Specifically, a cutting apparatus is provided comprising: a work chuck for holding a plate-shaped workpiece; and a cutting assembly for performing cutting operations on the workpiece held in the work chuck, the aforementioned cutting apparatus comprising: an X-axis feed assembly for feeding the work chuck and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the X-axis direction; a Y-axis feed assembly for indexing and feeding the work chuck and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction; a Z-axis feed assembly for cutting and feeding the work chuck and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis and Y-axis directions; a worktable for holding the workpiece; and a conveying assembly for holding the workpiece placed on the worktable and conveying it to the work chuck by moving it in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions. The worktable includes: a first worktable for holding the workpiece before cutting; and a second worktable arranged adjacent to the first worktable in the X-axis direction for holding the workpiece after cutting. The aforementioned cutting device includes: a lifting assembly for raising and lowering the first worktable and the second worktable in the Z-axis direction; and a positioning assembly for moving the first worktable and the second worktable in the X-axis direction to position them on the conveying path of the conveying assembly.

[0012] Preferably, the first worktable and the second worktable are provided with support parts, which support the outer periphery of the workpiece in a manner that allows the workpiece to be stacked.

[0013] Ideally, the conveying assembly has a retaining pad for holding the workpiece and an arm connected at one end to the retaining pad and at the other end to the cutting assembly, and the retaining pad is moved in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction by the Y-axis feed assembly and the Z-axis feed assembly.

[0014] Ideally, one end of the arm is detachably connected to the retaining pad, and the aforementioned cutting device has a retaining pad worktable for placing the retaining pad. The workpiece can also be a rectangular plate. Invention Effects

[0015] The cutting apparatus of the present invention comprises a worktable for holding a plate-shaped workpiece and a cutting assembly for performing cutting operations on the workpiece held in the worktable. It further comprises: an X-axis feed assembly for feeding the worktable and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the X-axis direction; a Y-axis feed assembly for indexing the worktable and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction; a Z-axis feed assembly for cutting the worktable and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the Z-axis direction orthogonal to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions; a worktable for holding the workpiece; and a transfer assembly for holding the workpiece placed on the worktable and moving it along the Y-axis direction. The worktable is moved along the Z-axis to transport the workpiece to the worktable. The worktable includes: a first worktable for holding the workpiece before cutting; and a second worktable arranged adjacent to the first worktable in the X-axis direction for holding the workpiece after cutting. The cutting device includes: a lifting assembly for lifting the first worktable and the second worktable in the Z-axis direction; and a positioning assembly for moving the first worktable and the second worktable in the X-axis direction to position them on the transport path of the transport assembly. Therefore, the operator can retrieve the workpiece after cutting from the second worktable without moving it after placing the workpiece before cutting on the first worktable, thus improving workability. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0016] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cutting device constructed according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the work clamp and the worktable shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cutting assembly shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the conveying assembly shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing the first worktable, which carries the workpiece to be cut, and the work clamp positioned on the transport path of the holding pad. Figure 6 is a schematic plan view showing the state of the workpiece before cutting being transferred from the first worktable to the work jig. Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing the state of cutting the workpiece. Figure 8 is a schematic plan view showing the state of the worktable holding the workpiece after cutting and the second worktable positioned on the transport path of the holding pad. Figure 9 is a schematic plan view showing the state of the workpiece after cutting, which has been transferred from the work jig to the second worktable. Implementation

[0017] Forms used to implement inventions

[0018] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the cutting device constructed according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] (Cutting device 2) As shown in Figure 1, the cutting device 2 includes a worktable 4 for holding a plate-shaped workpiece W and a cutting assembly 6 for performing cutting operations on the workpiece W held in the worktable 4.

[0020] (Workbench 4) Referring to Figures 2 and 1 together, the cutting device 2 includes an X-axis movable plate 10 that is freely movable in the X-axis direction and supported on the upper surface of the base 8, and a support column 12 fixed to the upper surface of the X-axis movable plate 10. Furthermore, the aforementioned work chuck 4 is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the support column 12. Also, a cover plate 14 is disposed below the work chuck 4.

[0021] Furthermore, the X-axis direction is the direction indicated by arrow X in Figure 1. Also, the Y-axis direction, indicated by arrow Y in Figure 1, is orthogonal to the X-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, indicated by arrow Z in Figure 1, is an up-down direction orthogonal to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The XY plane defined by the X-axis and Y-axis directions is essentially horizontal.

[0022] A porous suction chuck 16, connected to a suction assembly (not shown), is disposed at the upper end of the work chuck 4. Within the work chuck 4, the suction assembly generates an attractive force on the upper surface of the suction chuck 16, thereby attracting and holding the workpiece W placed on the upper surface of the suction chuck 16. Furthermore, the work chuck 4 rotates about the Z-axis using a work chuck motor (not shown) built into the support column 12.

[0023] (Cutting assembly 6) As shown in Figure 3, a support wall 18 for supporting the cutting assembly 6 is provided on the upper surface of the base 8. The cutting assembly 6 includes a Y-axis movable member 20 that is movably supported on the support wall 18 in the Y-axis direction, a Z-axis movable member 22 that is movably supported on the Y-axis movable member 20 in the Z-axis direction, and a spindle housing 24 fixed to the Z-axis movable member 22.

[0024] A spindle 26 is supported in the spindle housing 24. The spindle 26 is supported so that it can rotate freely about the Y-axis. An annular cutting insert 28 for cutting the workpiece W is fixed at the front end of the spindle 26. In addition, a motor (not shown) for rotating the spindle 26 and a camera assembly 30 for detecting the area to be cut are provided in the spindle housing 24.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, the cutting device 2 further includes: an X-axis feed assembly 32 for relative machining feed of the worktable 4 and the cutting assembly 6 in the X-axis direction; a Y-axis feed assembly 34 for relative indexing feed of the worktable 4 and the cutting assembly 6 in the Y-axis direction; a Z-axis feed assembly 36 for relative cutting feed of the worktable 4 and the cutting assembly 6 in the Z-axis direction; a loading table 38 for loading the workpiece W; and a conveying assembly 40 for holding the workpiece W loaded on the loading table 38 and moving it in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions to convey it to the worktable 4.

[0026] (X-axis feed component 32) As shown in Figure 2, the X-axis feed assembly 32 includes a ball screw 42 connected to the X-axis movable plate 10 and extending in the X-axis direction, and a motor 44 that rotates the ball screw 42. The X-axis feed assembly 32 converts the rotational motion of the motor 44 into linear motion via the ball screw 42 and transmits it to the X-axis movable plate 10, causing the X-axis movable plate 10 to move along the guide rail 8a on the base 8 in the X-axis direction. In this way, the worktable 4 is fed relative to the cutting assembly 6 in the X-axis direction.

[0027] (Y-axis feed component 34) Referring to FIG3, the Y-axis feed assembly 34 includes a ball screw 46 connected to the Y-axis movable member 20 and extending in the Y-axis direction, and a motor 48 that rotates the ball screw 46. The Y-axis feed assembly 34 converts the rotational motion of the motor 48 into linear motion and transmits it to the Y-axis movable member 20 via the ball screw 46, causing the Y-axis movable member 20 to move along the guide rail 18a of the support wall 18 in the Y-axis direction. In this way, the cutting assembly 6 is indexed and fed relative to the worktable 4 in the Y-axis direction.

[0028] (Z-axis feed assembly 36) The Z-axis feed assembly 36 includes a ball screw 50 connected to the Z-axis movable member 22 and extending in the Z-axis direction, and a motor 52 that rotates the ball screw 50. The Z-axis feed assembly 36 converts the rotational motion of the motor 52 into linear motion via the ball screw 50 and transmits it to the Z-axis movable member 22, causing the Z-axis movable member 22 to move along the guide rail 20a of the Y-axis movable member 20 in the Z-axis direction. This allows the cutting assembly 6 to be fed relative to the worktable 4 in the Z-axis direction.

[0029] (Workbench 38) As shown in Figure 2, the loading table 38 includes a first loading table 54 and a second loading table 56. The first loading table 54 is used to hold the workpiece W before cutting, and the second loading table 56 is arranged adjacent to the first loading table 54 in the X-axis direction and is used to hold the workpiece W after cutting. In the embodiment shown in the figure, the first and second loading tables 54 and 56 are formed as a single unit.

[0030] Support portions 58 are provided on the first worktable 54 and the second worktable 56. The support portions 58 support the outer periphery of the workpiece W in a manner that allows the workpiece W to be stacked. The support portions 58 extend upward from the four corners of the upper surface of the first and second worktables 54 and 56.

[0031] (Transfer component 40) Referring to FIG4, the conveying assembly 40 includes a holding pad 60 for holding the workpiece W and an arm 62 connected at one end to the holding pad 60 and at the other end to the cutting assembly 6.

[0032] A porous suction clamp (not shown) connected to the suction assembly is disposed at the lower end of the retaining pad 60. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, a connecting piece 64 extending upwards and then substantially horizontally is attached to the upper surface of the retaining pad 60. Although not shown, a frustum-shaped recess is formed downwards at the end of the connecting piece 64, and a suction hole (not shown) connected to the suction clamp is formed in the recess.

[0033] In the illustrated embodiment, one end of arm 62 is detachably connected to retaining pad 60. As shown enlarged in Figure 4, a frustum-shaped protrusion 66 corresponding to the recess of connecting piece 64 is formed upward at one end of arm 62. A suction hole 68 corresponding to the suction hole of connecting piece 64 is formed at the upper end of protrusion 66, and suction hole 68 is connected to suction assembly.

[0034] Furthermore, the retaining pad 60 and the arm 62 can be connected by engaging the recess of the connecting piece 64 with the protrusion 66 of the arm 62. Moreover, the position of the connecting piece 64 is adjusted so that the retaining pad 60 is substantially horizontal when the retaining pad 60 and the arm 62 are connected and the retaining pad 60 is raised. Also, if the suction assembly is actuated while the retaining pad 60 and the arm 62 are connected, a suction force can be generated on the lower surface of the retaining pad 60 through the suction hole 68 of the arm 62 and the suction hole of the connecting piece 64, thus more firmly connecting the retaining pad 60 and the arm 62.

[0035] In the illustrated embodiment, a retaining pad worktable 70 is provided on the upper surface of the base 8, and is configured such that when the retaining pad 60 is not connected to the arm 62, the retaining pad 60 is placed on the retaining pad worktable 70.

[0036] The other end of arm 62 is connected to the Z-axis movable member 22 of the cutting assembly 6. Therefore, the retaining pad 60, which is connected to arm 62, moves together with the cutting assembly 6 in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions via the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36. That is, in the cutting device 2, since a dedicated moving assembly is not required solely for moving the retaining pad 60, the increase in size or cost of the device can be suppressed without complicating the configuration.

[0037] In the conveying assembly 40, the workpiece W is held by the lower surface of the holding pad 60 by the attraction component generating an attraction force on the suction chuck of the holding pad 60. Furthermore, the conveying assembly 40 conveys the held workpiece W in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions by the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36. In Figure 4, the conveying path of the conveying assembly 40 in the Y-axis direction is indicated by the symbol R.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cutting device 2 further includes a lifting assembly 72 (see Figure 2) and a positioning assembly 74. The lifting assembly 72 causes the first worktable 54 and the second worktable 56 to move up and down in the Z-axis direction, and the positioning assembly 74 causes the first worktable 54 and the second worktable 56 to move in the X-axis direction and be positioned on the conveying path R of the conveying assembly 40.

[0039] (Lifting component 72) The lifting assembly 72 has a lifting member 76 connected to the lower part of the first and second worktables 54 and 56, and a lifting mechanism (not shown) for raising and lowering the lifting member 76. This lifting mechanism is preferably configured as follows: having a ball screw connected to the lifting member 76 and extending in the Z-axis direction, and a motor for rotating the ball screw.

[0040] (Positioning component 74) The positioning assembly 74 includes an X-axis movable member 78 connected to the first and second worktables 54 and 56 via a lifting member 76, and an X-axis moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the X-axis movable member 78 in the X-axis direction. This X-axis moving mechanism may also be configured as having a ball screw connected to the X-axis movable member 78 and extending in the X-axis direction, and a motor that rotates the ball screw, or it may be configured as a cylinder.

[0041] The positioning component 74 is configured to move the X-axis movable member 78 along the guide groove 8b of the base 8 by actuating the X-axis moving mechanism, thereby moving the first and second worktables 54 and 56 in the X-axis direction and positioning them in the conveying path R of the conveying component 40.

[0042] (Workpiece W) The workpiece W shown in the illustration is a rectangular plate and can be formed from materials such as ceramic. The front side of the workpiece W is divided into multiple rectangular areas by grid-like dividing lines (not shown). Cutting tape T is attached to the back side of the workpiece W.

[0043] (Cutting method) Next, the method of using the cutting device 2 to cut the workpiece W will be explained.

[0044] (Loading steps) First, the workpiece W is placed on the first worktable 54 of the placement worktable 38. As described above, in the cutting device 2 of the illustrated embodiment, since the first and second worktables 54 and 56 are equipped with support parts 58 that support the outer periphery of the workpiece W, the operator can stack multiple workpieces W on the first worktable 54. Furthermore, when placing the workpiece W on the first worktable 54, the back side with the cutting tape T attached is facing downwards.

[0045] (First moving step) After the loading step, the first transfer step is carried out to transfer the workpiece W from the first worktable 54 to the work clamp 4.

[0046] In the first conveying step, the arm 62 of the conveying assembly 40 is moved by the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36, so that the protrusion 66 of the arm 62 is inserted into the recess of the retaining pad 60 which has been placed on the retaining pad worktable 70, thereby connecting the retaining pad 60 to one end of the arm 62.

[0047] Next, the X-axis feed assembly 32 moves the worktable 4 in the X-axis direction, and as shown in FIG. 5, the worktable 4 is positioned on the transport path R of the transport assembly 40. Furthermore, the positioning assembly 74 moves the loading worktable 38 in the X-axis direction, and the first worktable 54 is also positioned on the transport path R.

[0048] After positioning the worktable 4 and the first worktable 54 onto the transport path R, the retaining pad 60 can be moved by the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36, positioning the retaining pad 60 above the workpiece W already placed on the first worktable 54. Next, while avoiding interference with the support 58, the retaining pad 60 is lowered so that its lower surface contacts the upper surface of the workpiece W. Then, an attractive force is generated on the lower surface of the retaining pad 60, attracting and holding the workpiece W.

[0049] Next, the workpiece W is removed from the support 58 by raising the holding pad 60 using the Z-axis feed assembly 36. Then, as shown in FIG6, the workpiece W held by the holding pad 60 is transported to the work chuck 4 by the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36, and an attraction force is generated on the upper surface of the work chuck 4, and the attraction force of the holding pad 60 is released, so that the workpiece W is transferred from the holding pad 60 to the work chuck 4.

[0050] Next, the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36 are activated to place the retaining pad 60 on the upper surface of the retaining pad stage 70, and the connection between the retaining pad 60 and the arm 62 is released. This prevents the retaining pad 60 from interfering with other components of the cutting device 2 when the cutting assembly 6 contacts the workpiece W.

[0051] (Cutting steps) After the first conveying step, a cutting step is performed. The aforementioned cutting step involves cutting the workpiece W into individual wafers by cutting the predetermined dividing lines of the workpiece W with the cutting blade 28 of the cutting assembly 6.

[0052] In the cutting step, the worktable 4 is first moved, and the workpiece W is positioned below the imaging assembly 30. Next, the imaging assembly 30 captures an image of the workpiece W, and based on the image of the workpiece W captured by the imaging assembly 30, the predetermined dividing line is aligned with the X-axis direction. Then, the cutting insert 28 is positioned above the predetermined dividing line aligned with the X-axis direction.

[0053] Next, the cutting tip of the high-speed rotating cutting insert 28 cuts into the workpiece W from the front to the back, and cutting water is supplied to the part where the cutting tip of the cutting insert 28 cuts in while the worktable 4 is fed in the X-axis direction. In this way, a dividing groove 80 of a depth that completely divides the workpiece W can be formed along the predetermined dividing line (see Figure 7).

[0054] Then, as shown in Figure 7, while feeding the cutting insert 28 relative to the worktable 4 in the Y-axis direction by an interval in the Y-axis direction of the predetermined dividing line, the formation of the dividing groove 80 is repeated. This is done to form the dividing groove 80 along the entire predetermined dividing line already aligned with the X-axis direction.

[0055] Furthermore, after rotating the worktable 4 by 90 degrees, the formation of the dividing groove 80 is repeated while indexing and feeding, and the dividing groove 80 is formed along all the dividing predetermined lines that are orthogonal to the previously formed dividing predetermined lines (see Figure 8). In this way, the workpiece W can be divided into individual wafers.

[0056] Furthermore, when forming the dividing groove 80, the cutting tape T is not completely severed. Therefore, even after being divided into wafers, the shape of the workpiece W before cutting can be maintained by the cutting tape T.

[0057] (Second transfer step) After the cutting step has been performed, the second transfer step is performed to transfer the workpiece W from the work jig 4 to the second worktable 56.

[0058] In the second conveying step, the arm 62 of the conveying assembly 40 is first moved by the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36, so that the protrusion 66 of the arm 62 is inserted into the recess of the retaining pad 60 which has been placed on the retaining pad worktable 70, so that the retaining pad 60 is connected to one end of the arm 62.

[0059] Next, as shown in Figure 8, the worktable 4 is positioned on the transport path R of the transport assembly 40. Also, the second worktable 56 is positioned on the transport path R using the positioning assembly 74.

[0060] After positioning the worktable 4 and the second worktable 56 onto the transport path R, the retaining pad 60 can be moved by the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36, so that the lower surface of the retaining pad 60 contacts the upper surface of the workpiece W, which has been attracted and held in the worktable 4 after cutting. Then, a force is generated on the lower surface of the retaining pad 60, which attracts and holds the workpiece W. Finally, the force of the worktable 4 is released.

[0061] Next, the holding pad 60 is moved by the Y-axis feed assembly 34 and the Z-axis feed assembly 36, and as shown in FIG9, the workpiece W held by the holding pad 60 is transferred to the second worktable 56. Then, the attraction of the holding pad 60 is released, and the workpiece W after cutting is transferred from the holding pad 60 to the second worktable 56.

[0062] Furthermore, since the workpiece W after cutting is supported by the cutting tape T, it is still soft and cannot be stably supported. Therefore, it is better to first place the pallet for moving the workpiece W onto the second worktable 56.

[0063] As described above, in the cutting device 2, the first worktable 54, which holds the workpiece W before cutting, and the second worktable 56, which holds the workpiece W after cutting, are arranged adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction. Therefore, since the operator can place the workpiece W on the first worktable 54 before cutting and retrieve the workpiece W after cutting from the second worktable 56 without moving it, the workability is excellent.

[0064] Furthermore, since the first and second worktables 54 and 56 in the illustrated embodiment are equipped with support parts 58 that support the outer periphery of the workpiece W, the operator can stack multiple workpieces W on the first worktable 54. Therefore, the problem of having to place the workpieces one by one into the placement area before cutting in the cutting device 2 has been solved.

[0065] 2: Cutting device 4: Work clamp 6: Cutting components 8:Abutment 8a, 18a, 20a: Guide rails 8b: Guide channel 10: X-axis movable plate 12: Pillar 14: Cover plate 16: Adsorption chuck 18: Supporting wall 20: Y-axis movable component 22: Z-axis movable component 24: Spindle housing 26: Spindle 28: Cutting inserts 30: Shooting Components 32: X-axis feed assembly 34: Y-axis feed assembly 36: Z-axis feed assembly 38: Loading worktable 40: Transfer Components 42, 46, 50: Ball screw 44, 48, 52: Motor 54: First Workbench 56: Second workbench 58: Support section 60: Retaining pad 62: Arm 64: Connecting Piece 66:convex part 68: Suction hole 70: Keeping pad workbench 72: Lifting Component 74: Positioning Components 76: Lifting Components 78: X-axis movable component 80: Dividing trench R: Transport path T: Cutting tape W: Workpiece X, Y, Z: Arrows (direction)

Claims

1. A cutting apparatus comprising: a worktable for holding a plate-shaped workpiece; and a cutting assembly for performing cutting operations on the workpiece held in the worktable, the cutting apparatus comprising: an X-axis feed assembly for feeding the worktable and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the X-axis direction; a Y-axis feed assembly for indexing and feeding the worktable and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction; a Z-axis feed assembly for cutting and feeding the worktable and the cutting assembly relative to each other in the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis and Y-axis directions; a loading table for holding the workpiece; and a conveying assembly for holding the workpiece loaded on the loading table and conveying it to the worktable by moving it in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions, the loading table comprising: a first table for holding the workpiece before cutting operations; and a second table disposed adjacent to the first table in the X-axis direction for holding the workpiece after cutting operations. The aforementioned cutting device includes: a lifting assembly for lifting the first worktable and the second worktable in the Z-axis direction; and a positioning assembly for moving the first worktable and the second worktable in the X-axis direction to position them on the conveying path of the conveying assembly.

2. The cutting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first worktable and the second worktable are provided with support portions, the support portions supporting the outer periphery of the workpiece in such a way that the workpiece can be stacked.

3. The cutting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveying assembly includes a retaining pad for holding the workpiece and an arm connected at one end to the retaining pad and at the other end to the cutting assembly, and the retaining pad is moved in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction by the Y-axis feed assembly and the Z-axis feed assembly.

4. The cutting device of claim 3, wherein one end of the arm is detachably connected to the retaining pad, and the cutting device includes a retaining pad worktable for placing the retaining pad.

5. The cutting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the workpiece is a rectangular plate.

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