Abstract: The disk drive system has rotatably mounted spaced apart magnetic disks, a disk motor for rotating the disks, an actuator hub, a motor for rotating the actuator hub, and a control circuit for controlling the disk motor and the actuator hub motor to permit selective positioning of read/write heads over the disks. The actuator hub has an actuator arm extending radially therefrom. The actuator arm has an open slot located on the perimeter of the actuator arm. A head gimbal assembly for mounting the read/write heads to the actuator arm has a boss located on a proximal end of the head gimbal assembly. The boss registers with the open slot and is sized such that when the boss is swaged while within the open slot an outer surface of the boss expands into an inner surface of the open slot so that the spud and the open slot keep the head gimbal assembly fixedly attached to the actuator arm.

Abstract: The improved disk drive system has an improved actuator arm assembly where the arms are independently and individually insertable and removable from the actuator member. Furthermore, each arm is individually self-locked into the actuator member without the need for external retaining means such as screws, springs, and rings. Since the arms are individually insertable/removable, the arms can be made very thin thereby allowing easy attachment of the head suspension assembly to the arm without the need for swaging, bonding, welding or screw-in. Since the arms can be made very thin, that provides substantial reduction in disk to disk spacing and therefore, substantial reduction in the overall height of a disk drive system.