In an outer blade cutting wheel comprising an annular thin disc base of cemented carbide having an outer diameter of 80-200 mm, an inner diameter of 30-80 mm, and a thickness of 0.1-1.0 mm, and a blade section disposed on an outer periphery of the base, the blade section comprises diamond grains and/or CBN grains bound with a metal bond having a Young's modulus of 0.7-4.0×10.sup.11 Pa and has a thickness which is greater than the thickness of the base by at least 0.01 mm. The outer blade cutting wheel is capable of cutting a workpiece at a high accuracy and a reduced allowance, improves machining yields, and reduces machining costs.

An edge trimming method for cutting an outer peripheral portion of a workpiece having a chamfered part on the outer peripheral portion. The method includes a cut in step of relatively moving a rotating cutting blade and a chuck table to cause the blade to cut into the outer peripheral portion, a cutting step of, after the cut in step, rotating the chuck table and causing the outer peripheral portion to be cut, to form an annular step, and a moving step of, after the cutting step, moving the blade in a direction of its axis of rotation to form another annular step adjacent to the first-mentioned annular step. The cut in, cutting, and moving steps are repeated in this order, and a stepped oblique region is formed on the outer peripheral portion, with a thickness increasing from an outermost peripheral edge toward an inner side of the workpiece.

Recessed spaces are formed along a circumferential direction on the front side and the rear side of an axial direction of a cutting blade. At the time of cutting a workpiece, a cutting liquid supplied from a cutting liquid supply nozzle to an outer circumferential part of the cutting blade enters the recessed spaces and is splashed back by an outer circumferential surface, to be supplied to a cutting region of an upper surface of the workpiece. As a result, the cutting liquid can efficiently be made to flow toward and collide against burrs of electrodes, the burrs being generated by cutting, so that the burrs can be separated and removed from the upper surface of the workpiece.

A transfer jig for use in transferring a new cutting blade as a replacement component to the processing unit, in a cutting apparatus including a chuck table holding a workpiece, a processing unit having a spindle and a cutting blade detachably mounted on the spindle, a cutting blade changing unit changing the cutting blade, and a transfer mechanism supplying the workpiece to the processing unit. The transfer jig has a plurality of receiving portions each adapted to receive the new cutting blade and the cutting blade changed by the cutting blade changing unit. The transfer jig is adapted to be transferred by the transfer mechanism transferring the workpiece.

A cutting apparatus includes a mount flange having a mount land that has a surface for holding a cutting blade as a consumable part, a changing apparatus for changing cutting blades, and a moving unit for moving the changing apparatus between a changing position for changing cutting blades and a retracted position. The changing apparatus includes a rotational shaft, a first holder for holding a used cutting blade, the first holder having a first holding surface facing in an outward direction from the rotational shaft perpendicularly to the rotational shaft, and a second holder for holding a replacement cutting blade, the second holder being disposed in a position angularly spaced a predetermined angle from the first holder around the rotational shaft, the second holder having a second holding surface facing in an outward direction from the rotational shaft perpendicularly to the rotational shaft.

The invention relates to a method of producing a substrate. The method comprises providing a workpiece having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and providing a carrier having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The method further comprises attaching the carrier to the workpiece, wherein at least a peripheral portion of the first surface of the carrier is attached to the first surface of the workpiece, and forming a modified layer inside the workpiece. Moreover, the method comprises dividing the workpiece along the modified layer, thereby obtaining the substrate, wherein the substrate has the carrier attached thereto, and removing carrier material from the side of the second surface of the carrier in a central portion of the carrier so as to form a recess in the carrier. The invention further relates to a substrate producing system for performing this method.

There is provided a blade replacing apparatus for replacing a cutting blade. The blade replacing apparatus includes a blade storage unit including a movable storage section configured to store the cutting blade, a transporting unit including a holding unit configured to hold the cutting blade and a moving mechanism configured to move the holding unit, a camera configured to photograph the holding unit, and a control unit including an operation control section configured to control operation of the blade storage unit and the transporting unit and a position registration section in which positions of the storage section and the holding unit. The storage section includes a first mark portion photographable by the camera, and the holding unit includes a second mark portion photographable by the camera.

An ultrasonic resonator support structure including a holder supports an ultrasonic resonator at both sides such that the ultrasonic resonator is rotatable to the holder. The ultrasonic resonator includes an ultrasonic horn with a machining tool attached, and a first booster and a second booster coaxially fixed one by one to both ends in the axial directions of the ultrasonic horn. The holder has a rolling bearing mechanism that rotatably supports the first booster side of the ultrasonic resonator and a gas bearing mechanism that rotatably supports the second booster side of the ultrasonic resonator.

A processing method for a workpiece includes a cutting step of cutting the workpiece along streets by a cutting blade having a V-shaped tip end, to form V grooves of which shallower parts are wider than deeper parts, and a cleaning step of cleaning a back surface of the workpiece with cleaning water, after the cutting step is carried out.

A blade holding jig for holding a washer-type cutting blade via an annular retainer flange includes an annular flange holding portion configured to hold a first annular surface of the retainer flange under suction, and an annular non-contact suction portion arranged on an outer peripheral portion of the flange holding portion and configured to produce a negative pressure by ejection of a fluid toward the outer peripheral portion of the retainer flange held by the flange holding portion and to draw up the cutting blade toward the retainer flange. The cutting blade drawn up toward the retainer flange by the non-contact suction portion is held on the retainer flange by a suction force acting from the flange holding portion via a plurality of through holes disposed extending from a second annular surface to the first annular surface of the retainer flange.