Abstract: A semi-finished suspension (55) is used for manufacturing a head suspension (11) for a disk drive. The semi-finished suspension includes a base plate (37), a rigid part (27) solidly joined with the base plate through a bridge (57), and a protrusion being the bridge protruding from one of a base plate and rigid part and having a positioning hole (63) formed through the protrusion of the bridge. This positioning hole is aligned with a positioning hole (51) formed through part of a flexure (41).

Abstract: A method manufactures a head suspension for a disk drive. The method includes a first step of forming a semi-finished suspension (55) having a base plate (37), a rigid part (27) solidly joined with the base plate through a bridge (57), and a positioning hole (63) formed through the bridge. This positioning hole is aligned with a positioning hole (51) formed through part of a flexure (41). A second step of the method fixes a resilient material (31) to the base plate and rigid part of the semi-finished suspension so that the base plate may resiliently support the rigid part through the resilient material. A third step of the method aligns the positioning hole of the flexure with the positioning hole of the bridge and fixes the flexure to the rigid part. A fourth step of the method cuts off the positioning-hole-formed part of the flexure and the bridge including the positioning hole. This suspension is compact and the load beam and flexure thereof are correctly positioned to secure balance.