Abstract: A suspension includes a load beam and a base plate. The load beam includes a beam body fixedly fitted with a flexure for supporting a head portion, a proximal portion fixedly fitted with the base plate, and a hinge portion connecting the beam body and the proximal portion. The hinge portion is formed on a part of a platelike spring member. The base plate includes a ring-shaped flange portion and a boss portion in the form of a short cylinder. The proximal portion of the load beam is bored with a circular hole having an inside diameter corresponding to the outside diameter of the base plate. The flange portion of the round base plate can be fitted in the hole.

Abstract: An actuator assembly is provided that includes a body portion, a first actuator arm assembly, a second actuator arm assembly, a first flexure assembly, and a second flexure assembly. Each of the first and second actuator arm assemblies projects from the body portion and has a distal end with different respective first and second mechanical configurations. Each of the flexure assemblies is respectively mounted to the distal ends of the first and second actuator arm assemblies. The first and second mechanical configurations are selected to provide the first and second flexure assemblies with different mechanical resonance characteristics. In a preferred embodiment, the second actuator arm assembly includes an actuator arm and a spacer disposed between the actuator arm and the second flexure assembly. The spacer has a stiffness different from the stiffness of the actuator arm.

Abstract: An actuator assembly includes a rotatable actuator arm mounted on the base of a disc drive. The actuator arm includes a metallic member seated on a non-metallic body. A proximal end of a load beam is mounted on the actuator arm and a distal end of the load beam supports a head. The actuator assembly also includes a connection between the metallic member and the load beam that secures the load beam to the actuator arm.

Abstract: A base plate of a suspension for a disk drive includes a shear surface formed on one end of the base plate and a notch formed along the shear surface so as to contain the shear surface. The notch is formed on each of the obverse and reverse sides of the base plate. The notches are designed so that (&agr;+&bgr;)/t ranges from 0.3 to 0.5 it the respective depths of the two notches and the thickness of the base plate are &agr;, &bgr; and t, respectively.

Abstract: A suspension comprises a base plate, a load beam, and a hinge member. An extending portion is provided on the side of the hinge member. A step forming portion is formed between the base plate mounting portion and the extending portion. The step forming portion has a difference in level such that the extending portion is situated inside the base plate mounting portion with respect to its thickness direction. An end portion of the flexure fixed on the extending portion is situated inside the surface of the base plate mounting portion with respect to the thickness direction.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus of the present invention comprises a head slider with a magnetic head mounted thereon, a disk on which information is recorded/regenerated by the magnetic head, a spindle motor, integrally structured with the disk, for rotating the disk, a suspension for elastically supporting the magnetic head slider, a carriage arm for supporting the suspension and positioning the magnetic head, and a base plate for attaching the spindle motor and the carriage arm. An out-of-plane primary natural frequency of a base plate part to which the spindle is to be attached is set to be substantially the same as that of a base plate part to which the carriage arm is to be attached. An out-of-plane primary natural frequency of the carriage arm is detached from that of the base plate part to which the carriage arm is to be attached to such an extent that no resonance occurs.

Abstract: A disk drive with load beam damping is disclosed. Multiple disks are provided on a spindle for storage of information thereon. A rigid actuator arm block is disposed radially beyond a perimeter of these disks. Flexible load beams with read/write heads thereon extend from the actuator arm block into the space between adjacently disposed disks to read/write information from/to these disks. At least one damper is disposed between each of the load beam pairs to reduce load beam vibrations for the disk drive. Preferably these dampers also serve to further structurally interconnect the noted load beam pairs. Load beam damping may also be provided for those load beams which provide access to the extreme read/write surfaces of the disk stack, as well as for disk drives which utilize a single disk.

Abstract: A height reduced rotary voice coil actuator assembly includes an E-block defining one or more vertically aligned short tines. Fastened to each short tine are one or two elongated tine extenders. The tine extender-short tine connection occurs outside the region above and below the data storage disks. A peg-leg load beam having tabs adapted to receive wires having no protective plastic tubing is connected to each tine extender. The wires are bonded directly to the tabs and provide electrical communication between data transducer heads located on the load beam and drive electronics. A swage boss formed in the tine extender faces outwardly in the same direction as a data transducer head assembly supported by the peg-leg load beam. Each short tine is substantially coplanar with an associated data storage disk and lies beyond the outer periphery thereof. The resulting in-line rotary actuator achieves substantial vertical or Z height compaction.

Abstract: A mounting system attaches head suspensions to actuator head mounting arms of a disc drive actuator. The mounting system includes head suspension mounting plates and features on both the head suspension mounting plates and on the actuator head mounting arms that facilitate snap-fitting or press-fitting of the mating components, as well as features that ensure both accurate alignment and maintenance of the position of the mounted head suspensions in and about the major orthogonal axes.

Abstract: A low mass baseplate for attaching a suspension load beam to an actuator arm has a planar portion weld-attachable to a load beam base and a cylindrical boss portion attachable to an actuator arm, the planar portion is locally relieved to reduce mass while maintaining the baseplate effectiveness at the load beam spring portion. The baseplate relief is specially sized and configured to be free of entanglements during tumble deburring operations.

Abstract: A head suspension for a rigid disk drive comprising one or more tapered processing holes in the load beam. The tapered processing holes can be located in the rigid region, the flexure or the mounting region. The tapered processing holes have a first diameter at a first surface of the load beam and a second diameter at a second surface of the load beam, wherein the first diameter is less than the second diameter. A method of processing a head suspension for a rigid disk drive is also disclosed. A processing tool is operatively engaging with the tapered processing hole to perform one of mechanically or optically locating, measuring. mounting, and/or aligning a suspension arm or components thereof.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension is mounted to an actuator arm by axial and not radial forces, the forces being imparted by upper and lower flanges of a cylindrical connector extending through the actuator arm and the mount plate to which the load beam is attached.

Abstract: A system for mounting head suspensions to actuator head mounting arms in a disc drive. The mounting system includes transverse features in the distal ends of the actuator head mounting arms that cooperate with appropriately formed mounting features welded to or cooperative with the head suspensions. To minimize the effects of dimensional tolerance extremes, the head suspension mounting system includes horizontal slots in the actuator head mounting arms, extending from the transverse features at the distal ends of the actuator head mounting arms back toward the actuator pivot, which serve to vertically divide each actuator head mounting arm into a pair of cooperative cantilever beams, or spring elements. Various embodiments of the transverse features and cooperative mounting features on the head suspension, as well as variations for mounting single head suspensions at the top and bottom of an array of head suspensions, are disclosed.

Abstract: A single piece suspension and actuator arm includes a load beam having an integrated flexure and hinge each formed of the same web as the load beam, the flexure being foldable at the hinge to lie over the load beam engaged therewith to secure the flexure in its folded over condition. The load beam defines an additional attachment structure that attaches to cooperating attachment structure on the actuator arm, with one or more of the attachment structures comprising a tab and slot arrangement.

Abstract: A swaging device for connecting suspension assemblies to an actuator block of a disc drive. The swaging device includes an expandable member which is designed for insertion into channels of tubular stakes coupled to suspension assemblies to swage the tubular stakes relative to a hole of an actuator arm. The expandable member is expandable between an insertion dimension and a swaging dimension. In the insertion dimension, the expandable member is sized for insertion into the channels of the tubular stakes. The expandable member is inserted into stake channels and is expanded to the swaging dimension to impart a swaging force to connect tubular stakes to actuator arms.

Abstract: Disk drive suspension including an actuator, a modified base mounting plate fixed to the actuator to support a load beam, flexure and slider assembly cantilevered from the actuator in operative association with a disk. The modified base mounting plate further individually mounts each load beam on an actuator for separate demounting of one without demounting of the other.

Abstract: A head suspension for a disk drive has support plate means (3, 7) serving as a carriage arm and a load beam (5). The load beam consists of a rigid part (13) and a resilient part (15), to apply load to a slider (43) of a head. The support plate means (3, 7) consists of at least layered two plates (3, 7). At least one (7) of the plates (3, 7) has a thickness (t2) appropriate for forming precision holes therethrough by etching. A pivot hole (31) is formed through the plate (7). A loose hole (9) larger than and substantially concentric with the pivot hole is formed through the plate (3). The plates (3, 7) have improved flatness, and the pivot hole has improved accuracy.

Abstract: A swage mount including a base plate having a first side and a second side. A hub extends from the first side of the base plate with the hub having an aperture therethrough. The second side of the base plate is mounted on either the actuator arm or the load beam so that the aperture of the hub is in registration with a swage opening disposed in the actuator arm or the load beam. The hub is inserted in the swage opening of the other of the actuator arm or load beam forming an interference fit therebeteween. The swage mount is surface hardened by gas carburizing, bead blasting or tumbling increasing the torque retention value of the interference fit.

Abstract: An improved disk drive suspension in which the load beam rail section is of reduced length, the base portion, defined by an extended mounting plate, increased in length, and the spring portion therebetween increased in length. The load beam rail section is laminated with a flexure substantially as wide as the rail section providing a very rigid structure. The centers of gravity of the load beam and flexure are closely approximate such that their reaction moment under shock is small, limiting the 2nd bending mode reaction of the load beam in favor of the 1st bending mode reaction, so that the slider carried by the load beam and flexure is kept flat to the disk against damaging the disk upon recontact.

Abstract: A height reduced rotary voice coil actuator assembly includes an E-block defining one or more vertically aligned short tines. Fastened to each short tine are one or two elongated tine extenders. The tine extender-short tine connection occurs outside the region above and below the data storage disks. A peg-leg load beam having tabs adapted to receive wires having no protective plastic tubing is connected to each tine extender. The wires are bonded directly to the tabs and provide electrical communication between data transducer heads located on the load beam and drive electronics. A swage boss formed in the tine extender faces outwardly in the same direction as a data transducer head assembly supported by the peg-leg load beam. Each short tine is substantially coplanar with an associated data storage disk and lies beyond the outer periphery thereof. The resulting in-line rotary actuator achieves substantial vertical or Z height compaction.

Abstract: A disc drive includes a spindle motor, a spindle, a disc, control circuitry, an actuator, and an armature. The spindle motor is coupled to the spindle to which the disc is also coupled. The control circuitry is coupled to the actuator and provides the actuator with control signals. The armature includes a load beam coupled to the actuator such that energization of the actuator displaces the load beam. The gimbal is coupled to the head and is also coupled to the load beam by a plurality of spaced apart. attachment points. An interconnect operably couples the head to the control circuitry.

Abstract: An actuator for a hard disk drive has a separable assembled arm. The assembled arm is assembled adjacent to the actuator to add an additional head or heads to a basic actuator for including of arms having two or four heads, thereby allowing a large drive to be realized having a large number of arms and disks.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension has improved fixing of the load beam to the actuator arm by positively interlocking the actuator arm and the mount plate carrying the load beam with cooperating locking structure on the plate and arm.

Abstract: A suspension system for disk drives is formed out of a multi-layer metal laminate. An etch-retardant layer is received between two outer metal layers at a pre-determined depth from the outer surfaces of the metal layers. Utilizing conventional photo-chemical etching process techniques, the etch retardant layer stops or retards the chemical etching at this pre-determined depth. In this manner, the inherent variably in etch rate is controlled, permitting the formation of finer geometries in the head suspension than would be otherwise possible.

Abstract: A load beam is mounted in a head stack assembly without staking operations by mounting a mounting plate having an annular boss and carrying the load beam to an actuator arm having a circular opening by having the plate annular boss larger than the circular opening and providing for interfittment by having a split ring structure including a slot of an original width on the annular boss or the circular opening that deflects during mounting and thereafter resiliently retains the plate and arm together by the tendency of the slot to return to its original width.

Abstract: A magnetic head assembly including a carriage arm and a spring arm having at least one magnetic head attached thereto. The spring aim is provided with a cylindrical member including a thin plate member having a trapezoidal cross-section provided at one end thereof. The structure of the spring arm enables the spring arm to be removably attached to a carriage arm of the magnetic head assembly.

Abstract: An arm assembly movable about a pivot includes means for holding a recording head slider on the arm assembly. The arm assembly includes an actuator arm supported at one end at the pivot, and a load beam connected to an end opposite to the one end of the actuator arm and extending to the slider. The load beam includes a load beam boss hole of a given diameter and the actuator arm Includes an actuator arm boss hole. The boss holes are superposed at a connection of the load beam and the actuator arm. The hub includes a fold of material into an outside surface of the hub. The hub extends through the boss holes to maintain the actuator arm and the load beam together. The hub is swaged (expanded) to fix the actuator arm to the load beam such that the fold in the outside surface of the boss grips the actuator arm boss hole.

Abstract: An actuator assembly for suspending and positioning at least one read/write head over at least one substantially flat surface of magnetic media is disclosed. The actuator assembly is comprised of at least one HSA and at least one actuator arm. Each actuator arm has an actuator arm distal end mating surface for coupling to at least one HSA and actuator arm upper and lower bearing mating surfaces for coupling to other actuator arms. Each HSA has an HSA proximal end mating surface for coupling to an actuator arm and an HSA distal end mating surface for coupling to a read/write head. At least one of the actuator arm distal end mating surfaces, HSA proximal end mating surfaces, actuator arm upper bearing mating surfaces, and actuator arm lower bearing mating surfaces is roughened to increase frictional coupling such that component alignment is not disturbed if the disk drive system is subjected to a mechanical shock. In addition, adhesive may be employed between the mating surfaces to increase coupling strength.