JP7733486B2 - Nozzle adjustment jig - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a nozzle adjustment jig for adjusting the height position of a nozzle that supplies cutting water to a cutting blade in a cutting device that cuts a workpiece.

Conventionally, in cutting devices such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1, cutting water is supplied from a cutting water nozzle to the cutting blade while the workpiece is being cut. This supply of cutting water is extremely important in terms of cooling the heat generated during cutting and washing away chips generated during cutting from the top surface of the workpiece.

If the cutting water nozzle is adjusted to an incorrect position and water is not supplied to the appropriate position on the cutting blade, the heat generated during processing will not be sufficiently cooled, resulting in abnormal wear and burning of the cutting blade. This will not only significantly deteriorate the processing quality, but may also cause damage to the cutting blade and the workpiece.

Furthermore, if the cutting water nozzle is not positioned appropriately, the cutting chips will not be removed from the top surface of the workpiece and will remain attached to the top surface of the workpiece. After machining, it is difficult to remove the dried cutting chips by washing, and additional cleaning, such as removing them using a separate cleaning method, will be required.

As described above, setting the position of the cutting water nozzle is important, and Patent Document 1 discloses a blade cover device that allows the position of the cutting water nozzle to be adjusted.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-187849

When setting the position of the cutting water nozzle, it is desirable to adjust the distance between the lowest point of the outer periphery of the flange that secures the cutting blade and the lowest point of the cutting water nozzle to approximately 0.5 to 3 mm. Therefore, when using cutting blades with different outer diameters or thicknesses, it is necessary to adjust the cutting water nozzle according to the outer diameter of the flange that secures the cutting blade.

In order to achieve precise adjustments when adjusting the position of the cutting water nozzle, it is desirable to adjust it from the front of the cutting blade using a scale or similar. However, in order to ensure the safety of the device, cutting means such as the cutting blade are generally covered by a housing or door, making it difficult to work with.

In particular, with cutting devices known as dual dicers (opposing dual dicers), which have been widely used in recent years and have two cutting means arranged opposite each other, precise adjustments are extremely difficult because the operator must reach into the narrow space between each cutting blade to make adjustments.

In this regard, the configuration of Patent Document 1 requires adjustment of the cutting blade position while checking its position, which makes it unsuitable for opposed dual dicers.

In consideration of the above problems, the present invention proposes a new nozzle adjustment jig that allows for the position adjustment of cutting water nozzles without the need for measuring devices such as scales.

The above is the problem that this invention aims to solve, and next we will explain the means for solving this problem.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a nozzle adjustment jig is provided for use in a cutting device equipped with a holding table for holding a workpiece, a spindle to which a cutting blade for cutting the workpiece held by the holding table is removably fixed while being clamped by a mount flange, and a pair of cutting water nozzles disposed on the front and back sides of the cutting blade fixed to the spindle and supplying cutting water to the cutting blade. The nozzle adjustment jig adjusts the height position of the cutting water nozzle. The jig has a fixed portion removably fixed to the tip of the spindle and a positioning portion that positions the height position of the cutting water nozzle at a predetermined position. The height position of the cutting water nozzle is adjusted to a height where the lower end of the cutting water nozzle abuts the positioning portion, thereby adjusting the cutting water nozzle to be positioned at a specific distance from the axis of the spindle.

Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the positioning portion has a base portion and a plate of a predetermined thickness that is removably placed on the base portion, and the thickness of the plate is set so that the cutting water nozzle is positioned at a specific distance from the axis of the spindle.

The effects of the present invention are as follows:

In other words, according to one aspect of the present invention, a nozzle adjustment jig can be constructed that allows for easy position adjustment of the cutting water nozzle without the need for measuring devices such as scales. When adjusting the position, the cutting water nozzle can be positioned by abutting it against the positioning portion, making it easy to work even in tight spaces and improving work efficiency.

Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, by providing a detachable plate of a predetermined thickness in the positioning section, the height position of the cutting water nozzle can be set according to the thickness of the plate.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one side of an embodiment of a cutting device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the other side of the embodiment of the cutting device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cutting unit equipped with a hub blade. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cutting unit equipped with a washer blade. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cutting unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of cutting water nozzles, etc. FIG. FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating fixing a nozzle adjustment jig to a spindle, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating adjusting the position of a cutting water nozzle using the nozzle adjustment jig.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the exterior of a cutting device 2 to which the present invention is applied.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mechanical components of the cutting device 2 are housed within an exterior cover 4 formed by combining multiple panels.

The cutting device 2 has a holding table 6 that holds the workpiece. The holding table 6 is rotatable in the θ direction around the Z axis by a rotary drive mechanism (not shown) provided below the holding table 6. The holding table 6 is also configured to be movable in the X axis direction, which is the processing feed direction, by a processing feed mechanism (not shown) provided below the holding table 6. A clamping mechanism 7 that clamps the annular frame F of the wafer unit U is provided around the holding table 6.

The cutting device 2 has two cutting units 10, 20, which serve as processing units for machining the workpiece held on the holding table 6. The two cutting units 10, 20 are arranged opposite each other in the Y-axis direction to form an opposed cutting mechanism, and the cutting device 2 is configured as a dual dicer. The cutting units 10, 20 are movable in both the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. Note that the present invention can also be applied to a configuration having only one cutting unit as a processing unit.

Cutting units 10 and 20 are comprised of a spindle that is driven to rotate by a motor, a cutting blade fixed to the tip of the spindle, and a machining fluid nozzle for supplying machining fluid to the machining point using the cutting blade during machining, and perform cutting along the planned division line set on the workpiece.

The cutting device 2 has a cassette mounting table 14 on which a cassette 13 containing multiple wafers W is placed. The cassette mounting table 14 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

The wafer unit U, which is the workpiece stored in the cassette 13, is composed of a wafer W, a tape T to which the wafer W is attached, and an annular frame F that is attached to the tape T so as to surround the wafer W. The wafer W may be a semiconductor wafer, an optical device wafer, or the like, but is not limited to any particular type.

The cutting device 2 has a first transport mechanism 40 consisting of a clamping mechanism 42 and a holding mechanism 44 mounted on an L-shaped lower arm 45. The clamping mechanism 42 grasps the frame F of the wafer unit U and transports the wafer unit U between the cassette 13 and the guide rail 12. The holding mechanism 44 moves the unprocessed wafer unit U on the guide rail 12 onto the holding table 6, and also moves the cleaned wafer unit U in the cleaning mechanism 60 onto the guide rail 12.

The cutting device 2 has a second transport mechanism 50 consisting of a holding mechanism 54 attached to an L-shaped upper arm 55. The holding mechanism 54 is used to move the processed wafer unit U on the holding table 6 to the cleaning mechanism 60.

The cutting device 2 has a touch panel display monitor 8. The operator can input device operation commands through the display monitor 8, and the device's operating status is also displayed on the display monitor 8.

The cutting device 2 is equipped with a controller 80 for automatically controlling the various devices described above. Under the control of the controller 80, the wafer unit U stored in the cassette 13 is grasped by the clamping mechanism 42 of the first transport mechanism 40 and carried onto the guide rail 12, and then held by the holding mechanism 44 of the first transport mechanism 40 and carried onto the holding table 6. The wafer unit U held by the holding table 6 is cut by each cutting unit 10, 20 while machining fluid is supplied from a machining fluid nozzle (not shown).

After cutting, the wafer unit U is held by the holding mechanism 54 of the second transport mechanism 50 and moved to the cleaning mechanism 60 for cleaning. The wafer unit U is then held by the holding mechanism 44 of the first transport mechanism 40 and moved onto the guide rails 12, where it is gripped by the clamping mechanism 42 of the first transport mechanism 40 and transported to the cassette 13.

Figure 3 shows the configuration of the cutting unit 20. The other cutting unit 10 (Figure 1) has a similar configuration.

The cutting unit 20 comprises a spindle housing 22, a spindle 23 that protrudes from the spindle housing 22 and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown), a mount flange 24 attached to the tip of the spindle 23, and a blade cover 70 attached to the tip of the spindle housing 22.

The cutting unit 20 includes a mount fixing bolt 25 that fixes the mount flange 24 to the tip of the spindle 23, a cutting blade 21 that is attached to the mount flange 24, and a blade fixing nut 26, which is a fixing device that clamps and fixes the cutting blade 21 between the mount flange 24.

The mount flange 24 comprises a cylindrical boss portion 241 and a flange portion 242 provided at one end of the boss portion 241 on the spindle housing 22 side. The flange portion 242 is formed in an annular shape with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the boss portion 241, and is formed with an annular end surface 244 for abutting the rear surface of the hub base 212 of the cutting blade 21. A male thread 243 is formed on the outer periphery of the other end of the boss portion 241 of the mount flange 24.

The cutting blade 21 shown in Figure 3 is configured as a so-called hub blade, and includes an annular hub base 212 made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy, and an annular cutting blade 213 formed around the outer periphery of the hub base 212. A fitting hole 214 is provided in the center of the hub base 212 for attachment to the boss portion 241 of the mount flange 24. The boss portion 241 of the mount flange 24 is inserted into the fitting hole 214. The cutting blade 213 is made of abrasive grains such as diamond or CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) and a bonding material such as metal or resin, and is formed to a predetermined thickness.

The cutting blade 21 is fixed to the mount flange 24 by fitting the fitting hole 214 of the hub base 212 into the boss outer surface 246 of the cylindrical boss portion 241 of the mount flange 24 and tightening the blade fixing nut 26 onto the male thread 243 of the boss portion 241. In this state, the cutting blade 21 is clamped between the blade fixing nut 26 and the mount flange 24, and the rear surface of the hub base 212 is supported by abutting against the annular end surface 244 formed on the mount flange 24.

A fixing hole 23a is formed at the tip of the spindle 23, coaxially with the spindle 23. With the mount flange 24 attached to the spindle 23, the mount fixing bolt 25 is tightened into the fixing hole 23a to fix the mount flange 24 to the spindle 23.

Figure 4 shows an example configuration of a cutting unit 20A equipped with a cutting blade 21A configured as a washer blade made of a ring-shaped grinding stone. The cutting blade 21A is clamped between a mounting flange 24 and a fixture consisting of a blade fixing nut 26 and a front flange 27. The rest of the configuration is the same as the configuration in Figure 3.

As shown in Figure 4, when the cutting blade 21A is configured as a washer blade, the rear surface of the cutting blade 21A abuts against the annular end surface 244 of the mounting flange 24, and the fitting hole 274 of the front flange 27 fits into the boss outer peripheral surface 246.

As shown in Figure 3, the blade cover 70 attached to the tip of the spindle housing 22 comprises a cover body 71, a cutting water nozzle assembly 72, and a nozzle block 73. The cutting water nozzle assembly 72 is fixed to a mounting plate 74a that is fixed to the tip of the air cylinder rod 74, and when replacing the cutting blade, it moves to a replacement position away from the cover body 71.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the cutting water nozzle assembly 72 is fixed to the mounting plate 74a (Figure 3) with a height adjustment screw 72n. A vertically long slot 72z is formed in the cutting water nozzle assembly 72, and the vertical position of the cutting water nozzle assembly 72 is adjusted by loosening the height adjustment screw 72n. A connector 72c, to which a hose 82 is connected, is attached to the top of the cutting water nozzle assembly 72. A pair of cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b are connected to the bottom of the cutting water nozzle assembly 72. A flow path (not shown) is formed inside the cutting water nozzle assembly 72, connecting the connector 72c to the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b. A splash cover 72e is provided to surround the outside of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b.

Cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b are composed of approximately L-shaped tubular members and are positioned so that the lower end of the cutting blade is located between the horizontal portions of the two. In the horizontal portions of cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b, cooling water injection ports 72d are provided at multiple locations spaced horizontally apart in positions facing the cutting blade.

As shown in Figure 5, the nozzle block 73 is provided with a connector 73c to which a hose 84 is connected, and a shower nozzle 73a that supplies cooling water toward the outer edge of the cutting blade.

Next, a nozzle adjustment jig for adjusting the height position of the cutting water nozzle will be described.
As shown in Figures 7 to 9(A)(B), the nozzle adjustment jig 90 has a fixed part 92 that is removably fixed to the tip of the spindle 23 when the cutting blade is removed, and a positioning part 94 that positions the height positions of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b at predetermined positions.

As shown in Figure 7, the nozzle adjustment jig 90 of this embodiment has an arm portion 91, a positioning portion 94 extending parallel to the arm portion 91, and a connecting portion 96 connecting the ends of the arm portion 91 and the positioning portion 94, and has an overall appearance that is roughly U-shaped.

As shown in FIG. 7 , a fixed portion 92 protrudes from the tip of the arm portion 91 along the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 91. The fixed portion 92 is composed of a rod-shaped member that is inserted into the fixing hole 23a at the tip of the spindle 23. Note that instead of being composed of a rod-shaped member, the fixed portion 92 may also be composed of, for example, a cylindrical member into which the spindle 23 is inserted, thereby being fixed to the spindle 23.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the positioning unit 94 is composed of a base unit 95 and a plate 97 of a predetermined thickness that is detachably placed on the base unit 95. A number of plates 97 with different thicknesses are prepared and can be selectively used.

The upper surface of the plate 97 abuts against the lower end (lowest point 72u of the horizontal portion) of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b (Figure 9(A)), thereby forming an abutment surface 97a for positioning the height position of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b (Figure 9(A)). As a result, when a thick plate 97 is used, the position of the abutment surface 97a is higher, and the positions of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b (Figure 9(A)) are set higher. Conversely, when a thin plate 97 is used, the position of the abutment surface 97a is lower, and the positions of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b (Figure 9(A)) are set lower.

The thickness of the plate 97 is set, for example, according to the outer diameter of the mount flange 24 (Figure 3). In this embodiment, four types of plates 97 with different thicknesses are prepared to accommodate four types of mount flanges with different outer diameters. The plates 97 are provided with a size indicator 97b (Figure 7) that indicates the outer diameter of the corresponding mount flange. By selecting the plate 97 that corresponds to the outer diameter of the mount flange, it is possible to adjust the distance between the lowest point of the outer periphery of the mount flange and the lowest points of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b to a specified distance.

As shown in Figure 8, the base portion 95 is made of a plate-like member, and on its upper surface is formed a horizontal fixing portion 95a that is one step lower than the other portions. One end of the plate 97 in the longitudinal direction abuts against a step 95b formed in the horizontal fixing portion 95a, thereby positioning the plate 97.

In addition, magnets are provided on either or both of the plate 97 and the horizontal fixing portion 95a, allowing them to be fixed together by magnetic force, and the plate 97 can be removed from the horizontal fixing portion 95a and replaced.

Next, the height adjustment of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b using the nozzle adjustment jig 90 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the cutting blade and the mount flange are removed from the tip of the spindle 23, and the fixing hole 23a at the tip of the spindle 23 is exposed.

Next, as shown in Figure 9(A), the height adjustment screw 72n is loosened to allow the cutting water nozzle assembly 72 to move up and down, thereby making it possible to adjust the vertical positions of the cutting water nozzles 72a and 72b.

Also, as shown in Figure 9(A), a plate 97 having a thickness sufficient to position the cutting water nozzles 72a and 72b at a predetermined vertical position is selected for the nozzle adjustment jig 90, and the plate 97 is fixed to the horizontal fixing portion 95a.

Next, as shown in Figure 9(B), the fixed portion 92 of the nozzle adjustment jig 90 is inserted into the fixing hole 23a at the tip of the spindle 23, and the lower ends (lowest points 72u of the horizontal portions) of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b are abutted against the abutment surface 97a of the plate 97. This allows the distance from the axis C of the spindle 23 to the cooling water outlets 72d of the cutting water nozzles 72a, 72b to be set to a specific distance H.

Next, the cutting water nozzle assembly 72 is fixed by tightening the height adjustment screw 72n, and then the nozzle adjustment jig 90 is removed from the spindle 23.

In this way, as shown in Figures 9(A) and (B), the lower ends (lowest points 72u of the horizontal portions) of the cutting water nozzles 72a and 72b are adjusted to a height that abuts the positioning portion 94, thereby positioning the cooling water ejection ports 72d of the cutting water nozzles 72a and 72b at a specific distance H from the axis of the spindle 23.

The above-described embodiment makes it possible to construct a nozzle adjustment jig that allows for easy position adjustment of the cutting water nozzle without the need for measuring devices such as scales. When adjusting the position, the cutting water nozzle can be positioned by abutting it against the positioning portion, making it easy to work in tight spaces and improving work efficiency.

Furthermore, by providing a detachable plate of a specified thickness in the positioning section, the height position of the cutting water nozzle can be set according to the thickness of the plate.

2 Cutting device 6 Holding table 10 Cutting unit 20 Cutting unit 21 Cutting blade 22 Spindle housing 23 Spindle 23a Fixing hole 24 Mount flange 25 Mount fixing bolt 26 Blade fixing nut 27 Front flange 70 Blade cover 71 Cover body 72 Cutting water nozzle assembly 72a Cutting water nozzle 72b Cutting water nozzle 72c Connector 72d Cooling water jet port 72u Lowest point 72n Adjustment screw 72z Slotted hole 72
73 Nozzle block 73a Shower nozzle 90 Nozzle adjustment jig 91 Arm portion 92 Fixed portion 94 Positioning portion 95 Base portion 95a Horizontal fixed portion 95b Step 96 Connecting portion 97 Plate 97a Contact surface 97b Size indication

Claims (2)

a holding table for holding the workpiece;
a spindle to which a cutting blade for cutting a workpiece held by the holding table is detachably fixed while being clamped by a mount flange;
a pair of cutting water nozzles disposed on the front and back sides of the cutting blade fixed to the spindle to supply cutting water to the cutting blade;
A nozzle adjustment jig for adjusting the height position of the cutting water nozzle in a cutting device equipped with the
a fixed portion that is detachably fixed to the tip of the spindle;
a positioning unit that positions the height position of the cutting water nozzle at a predetermined position,
The height position of the cutting water nozzle is adjusted to a height at which the lower end of the cutting water nozzle abuts on the positioning portion, and the cutting water nozzle is adjusted to be positioned at a specific distance from the axis of the spindle ,
The fixed portion is directly fixed to the tip of the spindle.
Nozzle adjustment jig. The positioning portion is
A base portion;
a plate having a predetermined thickness that is detachably disposed on the base portion,
2. The nozzle adjusting jig according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the plate is set so that the cutting water nozzle is positioned at a specific distance from the axis of the spindle.