Slurry managing system and slurry managing method for wire saws

A method for managing slurry for a wire saw including a wire that has a plurality of wire lines extending in parallel to one another, wherein said wire is supplied with slurry containing abrasive grains in dispersing liquid to cut a workpiece so as to simultaneously produce a multiplicity of wafers, said method comprising steps of:

• mixing the slurry in mixer means before said slurry is supplied to the wire saw;
• discharging the slurry used to cut the workpiece from the wire saw, said discharged slurry including particle components smaller than the abrasive grains;
• separating the particle components from the slurry to collect a mixture of the dispersing liquid and the grains from the slurry discharged from the wire saw;
• transferring the collected mixture to the mixer means, wherein the mixer means mixes new slurry with the collected mixture;
• and
• adjusting the amount of the grains and the amount of the dispersing liquid, both supplied to the mixer means, to set the mixed weight ratio of the abrasive grains and the liquid including the oil within a range between 1:0.91 to 1:0.6 and mixed weight ratio of the abrasive grains and the liquid including the water within a range between 1:0.76 to 1:0.5 when the slurry is mixed in the mixer means.

A slurry managing system for a wire saw including a wire that has a plurality of wire lines extending parallel to one another, wherein said wire is supplied with slurry containing abrasive grains in dispersing liquid to cut a workpiece so as to simultaneously produce a multiplicity of wafers, said system comprising:

• mixer means for mixing the slurry prior to supplying of the slurry to the wire saw;
• first supplying means for supplying the grains to the mixer means;
• second supplying means for supplying the dispersing liquid to the mixer means;
• first adjusting means for adjusting the amount of the grains supplied to the mixer means from the first supplying means;
• second adjusting means for adjusting the amount of the liquid supplied to the mixer means from the second supplying means;
• said wire saw being arranged to discharge the slurry used to cut the workpiece, said discharged slurry including particle components smaller than the grains;
• first separating means for separating a mixture of the particle components and the dispersing liquid from the slurry to collect the grains contained in the slurry discharged from the wire saw;
• second separating means for separating the particle components from the mixture to collect the dispersing liquid contained in the mixture;
• a first transferring passage for transferring the grains collected by the first separating means to the mixer means;
• a second transferring passage for transferring the dispersing liquid collected by the second separating means to the mixer means, wherein the second transferring passage is connected to the first transferring passage to mix the dispersing liquid with the grains passing through the first transferring passage;
• and
• said mixer means being arranged to mix new slurry with the collected dispersing liquid and the collected grains.