Provided is a method for machining a workpiece including a substrate that has front and back surfaces and a ductile material layer that contains a ductile material and is disposed on the front or back surface. The method includes a tape bonding step of bonding a tape on a side of the substrate of the workpiece, a holding step of holding the workpiece by a holding table via the tape, and a cutting step of relatively moving the holding table and a cutting blade to cause the cutting blade to cut into the ductile material layer and the substrate. In the cutting step, the cutting blade is rotated such that a portion of the cutting blade, the portion being located on a forward side in a moving direction of the cutting blade relative to the holding table, cuts into the workpiece from the ductile material layer toward the substrate.

A cutting apparatus includes a blade changing apparatus. The blade changing apparatus includes a blade mounting and removal portion, which in turn includes: a holding portion that removably holds a circular base of a cutting blade; a moving support portion that supports the holding portion and moves the holding portion to a removal and mounting position at which an insertion hole in the blade faces a boss of a blade mount; and a coupling mechanism that couples the holding portion with the moving support portion such that the holding portion is freely tiltable with respect to the moving support portion. The coupling mechanism includes a plurality of elastic member pairs, each pair, while tensioning the holding portion in opposite directions, fixing the holding portion to the moving support portion. Forces acting from the elastic member pairs balance each other to thereby support the holding portion tiltably and aerially.

A processing apparatus includes a holding table for holding a workpiece, a cutting unit including a spindle and a mount, a blade changer unit for mounting a cutting blade on or dismounting a cutting blade from the mount, and a control unit. The blade changer unit includes a blade chuck for holding the cutting blade and a moving unit. The cutting unit includes a vibration detecting sensor. The control unit includes a calculator for calculating the central axis of the mount from a position where the vibration detecting sensor detects vibrations caused upon contact between the mount and the blade chuck, and a mounting/dismounting controller for aligning the central axis of the blade chuck with the central axis of the mount and mounting the cutting blade on and dismounting cutting blade from the mount.

An edge alignment method includes (a) calculating coordinates of points having a possibility of corresponding to an edge of the workpiece, (b) forming an approximate circle by using a least squares method on all the coordinates, (c) calculating deviations between the approximate circle and respective ones of all the points, and if plural ones of the points have deviations greater than or equal to a preset threshold, respectively, then determining the point, the deviation of which is greatest, to be a false detection position, and excluding from consideration candidates the point determined to be the false detection position, and (d) estimating a position of the edge of the workpiece from the coordinates of three or more of the points still remaining without exclusion, and based on the estimated position of the edge, deriving a machining area at the outer peripheral portion of the workpiece.

A processing apparatus includes a holding table for holding a workpiece, a cutting unit including a spindle and a mount, a blade changer unit for mounting a cutting blade on or dismounting a cutting blade from the mount, and a control unit. The blade changer unit includes a blade chuck for holding the cutting blade and a moving unit. The cutting unit includes a vibration detecting sensor. The control unit includes a calculator for calculating the central axis of the mount from a position where the vibration detecting sensor detects vibrations caused upon contact between the mount and the blade chuck, and a mounting/dismounting controller for aligning the central axis of the blade chuck with the central axis of the mount and mounting the cutting blade on and dismounting cutting blade from the mount.

Provided is a method for machining a workpiece including a substrate that has front and back surfaces and a ductile material layer that contains a ductile material and is disposed on the front or back surface. The method includes a tape bonding step of bonding a tape on a side of the substrate of the workpiece, a holding step of holding the workpiece by a holding table via the tape, and a cutting step of relatively moving the holding table and a cutting blade to cause the cutting blade to cut into the ductile material layer and the substrate. In the cutting step, the cutting blade is rotated such that a portion of the cutting blade, the portion being located on a forward side in a moving direction of the cutting blade relative to the holding table, cuts into the workpiece from the ductile material layer toward the substrate.

A cutting apparatus includes a management unit having a measuring unit for measuring an amount of light emitted from a light emitter and received by a light receiver while a cutting blade is positioned between the light emitter and the light receiver, a measured waveform forming section for forming a measured waveform representing the configuration of an outer circumferential region of the cutting blade, and an ideal waveform recognizing section for recognizing one of the comparative waveforms that has the greatest number of waveform regions similar to the measured waveform as an ideal waveform, a difference calculating section for calculating the area of a region where there is a difference between the measured waveform and the ideal waveform.

A cutting apparatus includes a cutting unit that cuts a workpiece included in a frame unit, an ultraviolet ray irradiation unit that irradiates the frame unit with ultraviolet rays, and a control unit. The control unit includes a processing mode registration section in which commands to be output to components. The processing mode registration section registers therein a command in a cutting apparatus mode that causes the cutting unit to cut the workpiece and a command in an ultraviolet ray irradiation apparatus mode that causes the ultraviolet ray irradiation unit to irradiate the frame unit with ultraviolet rays.

A chuck table having a holding portion for holding a workpiece and a frame for supporting the holding portion. The holding portion includes a substrate having a plurality of fine holes arranged like a matrix at given intervals and a plurality of acoustic emission sensors arranged like a matrix on the substrate and spaced from each other so that each fine hole of the substrate is located between any adjacent ones of the acoustic emission sensors. The plurality of fine holes are connected through the frame to a vacuum source, thereby holding the workpiece on the acoustic emission sensors under suction. An elastic wave generated from the workpiece in processing the workpiece is collected at a plurality of positions by the plurality of acoustic emission sensors.

A sample preparation saw has a base, a housing, a saw assembly mounted to the base, a dressing assembly, a sample clamping assembly mounted to the base, and a reservoir assembly. The saw assembly includes a blade assembly with a rotating blade. The blade assembly is movable along x-, y- and z-axes by at least two drives. The dressing assembly is operable to dress the rotating blade. The sample clamping assembly includes a rail, a sample mount removably positioned on the rail and a saddle operable to hold a sample. The reservoir assembly is operable to recirculate a rinse fluid sprayed on the rotating blade, and includes a basin having a pump and a series of weirs.