Cutting apparatus

A cutting apparatus comprising:

• a chuck table for holding a workpiece;
• a cutting unit having a spindle, a blade mount fixed to the spindle at a first end thereof, and a cutting blade detachably mounted on the blade mount for cutting the workpiece held on the chuck table, the cutting blade being composed of an annular support base having a central insertion hole and an annular cutting edge provided on the outer circumference of the support base;
• indexing means rotatably supporting the spindle so that the spindle is movable back and forth in its axial direction;
• a blade changing unit that replaces the cutting blade with a new cutting blade by demounting the cutting blade, which is an old blade, from the blade mount and then mounting the new cutting blade to the blade mount;
• and
• a control unit controlling the cutting unit, the indexing means, and the blade changing unit, wherein
• the blade mount includes:
• a boss portion adapted to be inserted through the insertion hole of the support base of the cutting blade and extending in the axial direction of the spindle, and
• a flange portion formed at one end of the boss portion so as to project radially outward from the outer circumference of the boss portion, the flange portion having an end surface adapted to abut against the support base of the cutting blade,
• the blade changing unit includes:
• a holding portion for detachably holding the support base of the cutting blade, and
• a moving portion for moving the holding portion in the axial direction of the boss portion toward and away from the blade mount in a condition where the insertion hole of the support base is opposed to the boss portion, thereby mounting the new cutting blade to the boss portion or demounting the cutting blade from the boss portion, and
• the control unit includes:
• a measurer that measures a signal indicating a force applied to the indexing means in mounting the new cutting blade to the blade mount or demounting the cutting blade from the blade mount, and
• a determiner that determines the condition of the blade changing unit and the blade mount according to the signal measured by the measurer.