Abstract: A magnetic head supporting structure comprises a metal purified by vacuum arc remelting, vacuum induction melting, electroslag remelting, or electroslag remelting under vacuum, in at least one of the regions that undergo plastic deformation during disk drive manufacture, to reduce small hard inclusions that might be released into the disk drive interior environment.

Abstract: A swage mount that includes a flange, having a first side and a second side, and a cylindrically shaped hub. The hub is primarily comprised of a metal (such as stainless steel), and extends from the second side of the flange, and has an inner surface and an outer surface. The surface of the swage mount is plated with one or more layers of metal, or a combination of metals, which provide a) increased retention torque, and b) increased part cleanliness. This invention may be used in conjunction with surface hardened swage mounts that contain surface protrusions. In this case the metal plating prevents separation of the protrusions from the swage mount, thereby preventing contamination.

Abstract: A swage mount for a recording head suspension comprising a flange, and a hub made of a base metal extending from the flange, and at least an outer surface of the hub is plated with one or more layers of metal which provides increased retention torque, and/or increased cleanliness, and/or increased corrosion resistance. This invention may be used in conjunction with swage mounts that contain surface protrusions that are intentionally created (such as chromium nitride or chromium carbide protrusions) or not intentionally created (such as material inclusions or embedded media particles). In this case the metal plating helps prevent separation of the protrusions from the swage mount, thereby helping to prevent contamination.

Abstract: A disc-drive assembly including an actuator arm, a load beam and a swage mount. The actuator arm has a thickness (TA), an arm tip with a width (WA), and arm-hole with a diameter (DA) in the actuator arm. The load beam has a load beam hole. The swage mount has a flange with a width (WF). The swage mount has a hub with an outer hub diameter (DOD), extending from the one side of the flange. The outer hub diameter (DOD) of the hub is less than 2.54 mm. The flange width (WF) divided by the hub outer diameter is greater than 2.0. The ratio of the outer hub diameter (DOD) to the actuator arm thickness (TA) is less than 1.5, and the ratio of the diameter of the arm hole (DA) to the width of the arm tip (WA) is less than 0.5.

Abstract: A base plate comprising a hub, a flange having an outer flange region at an outer periphery of the flange and a clamping region that surrounds and is contiguous with the hub. A strain isolation region of the flange surrounds and is contiguous with the clamping region. The strain isolation region has a stress-reducing configuration that provides alternately patterned continuity areas and discontinuity areas between the modified region and adjacent areas of the outer flange region and the clamping region. The strain isolation region may be either a series of holes in the flange surrounding the clamping region, or a number of arcuate slots cut completely through the flange surrounding the clamping region.

Abstract: A base plate for press fitting into an actuator arm boss hole of a predetermined nominal diameter. The base plate has a flange and a hub extending from a region at which the hub meets the flange to an outer end of the hub. The hub has a number of vertical teeth protruding from the hub extending from the outer end of the hub to the region at which the hub meets the flange. The hub has an outer diameter which is greater than the predetermined nominal diameter of the actuator arm boss hole. A corner relief is provided that circumscribes the region at which the hub meets the flange.

Abstract: A base plate for press fitting into a boss hole of a predetermined nominal diameter. The base plate has a flange and a hub extending from a region at which the hub meets the flange to an outer end of the hub. The hub has a number of vertical slots cut through the hub extending from the outer end of the hub part way or all the way to the region at which the hub meets the flange a space between slots determining boundaries of a prong. The hub has an outer diameter which is greater than the predetermined nominal diameter or alternatively the hub has an outer diameter at the region at which the hub meets the flange which is not greater than the predetermined nominal diameter, in which case each the prong extends outward to a prong outer diameter which is greater than the predetermined nominal diameter. Also the base plate may have a corner relief that circumscribes the region at which the hub meets the flange.

Abstract: A base plate for swage fitting into a boss hole of a predetermined nominal diameter. The base plate has a flange and a hub extending from a region at which the hub meets the flange to an outer end of the hub. The hub has a number of arcuate indentations in the hub extending from the outer end of the hub part way or all the way to the region at which the hub meets the flange. During a swaging operation the indentations amplify the expansion forces from the swage tool to engage the boss hole and can achieve snap-through shape change for permanent locking. For a press-in fit the diameter of the hub is greater than the nominal diameter. During a press-in operation a tool is inserted between the actuator arms and in alignment with the base plates. The tool is then activated a reach sufficient to urge each base plate hub into a corresponding boss hole for a press fit.

Abstract: A high-damping, corrosion resistant and substantially non-magnetic material having high damping properties has been developed for use in dynamic applications, specifically, a disk drive suspension arm and load beam. A disk drive assembly includes a disk having a readable and writeable surface, a motor operable for rotating the disk, and an actuator assembly that includes a transducer mounted on a load beam. The actuator assembly is operable for positioning the transducer in transducing relationship with the surface of the disk. When the disk spins, shear forces create turbulence in the fluidic medium adjacent to the surface of the disk. The turbulence exerts unbalanced and variable forces on the load beam, inducing vibrational motion therein. If the vibrational energy stored in the load beam is not quickly damped, the surface of the disk, load beam or transducer can be damaged. The present invention discloses alloy compositions of the form (14-21)Mn, (10-13)Cr, (0-6)Si, (4-10)Ni, (0-6)Co, and (0-0.

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 optimized low profile swage mount or press-in fitted base plate for attachment of a suspension assembly to an actuator arm in a hard disk drive. The base plate has a base plate thickness, TBP, overall height, HH, hub inner diameter, DID, hub outer diameter, DOD, hub inner surface depth, HIS, hub radial width, WH, which is one half the hub outer diameter minus the hub inner diameter (DOD-DID)/2, and a counter bore depth Hcb.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for assembling a disk drive. The method comprises steps of clamping a number of head suspension assemblies in an actuator body such that base plate hubs in the suspensions are in alignment with corresponding boss holes in actuator arms extending from the actuator body, inserting closed jaws between the actuator arms and in alignment with the base plates, and opening the jaws a reach sufficient to urge each base plate hub into a corresponding boss hole. The jaws are opened by any suitable mechanism, for example by driving a wedge in between the closed jaws. A novel apparatus is employed for joining base plate hubs to actuator arms extending from an actuator body. The apparatus includes an actuator body clamp adapted to hold a number of suspensions in the actuator body, with hubs of the suspensions in alignment with boss holes in the actuator arms.

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: A base plate with a hub and a flange having a clamping region in a horizontal plane and an extended flange portion. The clamping region surrounds and is contiguous with the hub. The extended flange portion has a tip region at a distal end thereof. The extended flange portion is contiguous with the clamping region and has a concentrated strain region between the clamping region and the tip region. The concentrated strain region is capable of being distorted for gram-load adjustment. The tip region may be inclined at an angle of not more than 10 degrees from the horizontal plane. For assembly in a head suspension, the tip region is welded to a load beam. The gram-load on the load beam is measured with reference to a standard and the concentrated strain region is distorted for gram-load adjustment to the standard.

Abstract: A base plate having a hub, a flange having an outer flange region at an outer periphery of the flange and a clamping region at an inner periphery of the flange that is contiguous with the hub. The flange has a modified region that at least partially surrounds and is contiguous with the clamping region, the modified region having a stress reducing configuration such that the clamping region is thicker than the outer flange region. The modified region may be a circular or linear step, and can be on either side of the flange. The step fits the contour of a load beam and the flange is welded to the load beam. The load beam thickness is the same as or less than the thickness of the step.

Abstract: A base plate wherein the inner barrel of the base plate hub is comprised of two distinct zones. The first zone is an inner diameter sized for use with standard tooling pins in an assembly process as a metric for size control. The second zone is a taper for distributing tension swage force and plastic strain toward the rear part of the hub by making the hub stiffer as the swage ball proceeds downward through the barrel, and for distributing compression swage force and plastic strain toward the rear of the hub by relieving stiffness as the swage ball proceeds upward. A back side slope is provided to prevent washed metal from creating added swage force and plastic strain during swaging in the compression direction. The base plate has a minimal counter bore, a lead-in chamfer which is shallower than typical, a second lead-in chamfer which is very steep and upon which the ball begins to swage, a small inner diameter region to allow for tooling during assembly, and a tapered backside to reduce unneeded material.

Abstract: A base plate for a suspension assembly in a hard disk drive wherein the base plate has a hardened flange and soft hub. The base plate is stamped in a progressive die in a sequence of forging and coining operations. The base plate is subsequently fully annealed to allow the material to yield at a low stress level so that the hub will create a press fit against the inner wall of an actuator arm boss hole. The base plate is passed through a secondary coining operation following the annealing step to work-harden the flange portion only. The result is a base plate with a flange portion that is hardened and a hub portion that is softer than the flange portion. The advantage is that the hardened flange is more resistant to deformation of a load beam welded thereto and the hub is more disposed to plastically deform and harden during swaging which is desirable for maintaining a press fit.

Abstract: A low profile swage mount for connecting a disc drive actuator arm to the load beam of a head suspension assembly and including a base plate formed on one side with an opening and having a hollow hub disposed on the opposite side. The hub is formed with an inner swaging surface having a diameter approximating the diameter of the base plate opening to give the swage mount torqe retention characteristics comparable to conventional swage mounts much larger in size.

Abstract: A method for thermally conditioning a disc drive swage mount to enhance torque retention capability and plate stiffness wherein the swage mount is baked in an oxygen depleted environment to an elevated temperature within a predetermined range of temperatures which activates inherent frictional properties therein and controllably cooled non-linearly through a series of thermal cycles then instantaneously quenched to alter the material grain structure forming the swage mount. After the component is quenched, it is returned to ambient conditions for assembly into such disc drives.