Patent ID: 8870481

Claim:
A tape cutting apparatus comprising: a half cutter configured to cut a body tape or a release tape with respect to a processed tape having the release tape adhered to the body tape, for a plurality of types of processed tape, each of the plurality of types of processed tape having different cutting loads, the half cutter performing cutting for the plurality of types of processed tape individually; a tape type detecting unit configured to detect the width, thickness, and type of at least the plurality of types of processed tape; a stepping motor configured to cause the half cutter to perform a cutting operation; and a motor control unit configured to control the stepping motor, wherein the motor control unit includes a modulating unit configured to adjust a cutting load by varying a cycle of drive pulses to be applied to the stepping motor on a basis of a result of the detection of the width, thickness, and type of the processed tape by the tape type detecting unit, and the motor control unit is configured to continue controlling the stepping motor to cause the half cutter to contact the processed tape and then increase a cutting torque of the stepping motor until the cutting torque is stabilized at a step-out torque for the stepping motor, the step-out torque being maintained during the cutting operation.