Abstract: A disc drive, includes a base, a disc stack rotatably attached to the base, and an actuator assembly movably attached to the base. The actuator assembly includes arms on one end for holding the one or more transducers and a portion of a voice coil motor on the other end of the actuator assembly. A bearing cartridge is attached to an opening in the actuator assembly. A tolerance ring is used to attach the bearing cartridge to the opening in the actuator assembly. The tolerance ring includes a dampening material therein. The tolerance ring includes a layer of viscoelastic material which can be a viscoelastic damping adhesive material. The viscoelastic material is sandwiched between the first layer of metallic material and the second layer of metallic material. The tolerance ring includes a plurality of ridges formed about the periphery of the tolerance ring.

Abstract: A disk drive head assembly enables adjustment of a center of gravity of the head assembly of a depopulation version, while suppressing an occurrence of a resonance frequency affecting the performance of the disk drive apparatus. The head assembly for the data storage media includes: magnetic heads for reading/writing data from/to the data storage media, arms to which the magnetic heads are attached, a pivot shaft holder for supporting the arms, a coil for a voice coil motor extended from the pivot shaft holder, and a counter weight provided at a predetermined position opposite to a coil for the voice coil motor with respect to the pivot shaft holder.

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: The invention disclosed herein provides reduced cost for manufacturing a swing arm for magnetic disc. The swing arm for magnetic disc comprises a plurality of arm members, the arm members comprising a top arm member, at least one or more intermediate arm members, and a lower arm member. Each of the arm members includes a cylindrical portion having large diameter upper and small diameter lower cylindrical portions. The cylindrical portions of the intermediate, and lower arm members include a fitting hole, in which a bearing device is fitted for supporting a spindle, the fitting holes comprising a large diameter bore, and a small bore into which the bearing is fit, respectively. The small diameter cylindrical portions of the top, and intermediate arm members are fitted into the large diameter hole of the intermediate arm members, and the lower arm members, respectively. Thereby, the arm members are connected with each other so that a swing arm for magnetic disc is formed in integrally forming relation of them.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a flexural pivot that can be fitted within a cavity of an actuator. The pivot includes a first member that can be coupled to the wall defining the cavity and a second member that can be mounted to the disc drive housing component of the disc drive. At least two leaves join external surfaces of the first member to the second member.

Abstract: A magnetic head positioner assembly comprises a plurality of magnetic head support members individually provided with magnetic heads, an arm, and a movable coil which is held by the movable coil support portion provided for the arm and which is provided to drive the arm. The arm has a plurality of holder arms for individually supporting each of the magnetic head support members and a rotatable bearing portion or the center of driving each of the holder arms. Moreover, the rotatable bearing portion and two holder arms are integrated with each other into an arm unit. The aforementioned arm is formed by combining and bonding at least two arm units with each other being spaced by a predetermined spacing.

Abstract: A tolerance ring which provides a low consistent installation force profile as a rotatable member, such as a disc drive actuator, is installed onto a stationary member, such as a shaft extending along an axis. The tolerance ring has a substantially cylindrical base portion from which a plurality of spaced apart raised portions radially extend. Each raised portion has a contact surface with a substantially elliptical cross-sectional shape in a direction parallel to the axis and a pair of transition portions between the contact surface and the base portion. Each transition portion further has a continually radiused cross-sectional shape in a direction parallel to the axis so that, for each raised portion, a selected one of the elliptical cross-sectional shapes and the pair of radiused cross-sectional shapes is convex with respect to the axis and the remaining one of the elliptical cross-sectional shapes and the pair of radiused cross-sectional shapes is concave with respect to the axis.

Abstract: A disc drive having a pivot cartridge and an actuator assembly. The actuator assembly consists of an actuator body which has a bore therein to receive the pivot cartridge. The actuator body further consists of an opening which serves as a ledge to engage a biased retaining ring. The biased retaining ring couples onto the pivot cartridge and forces the pivot cartridge to contact against one side of the bore of the actuator body.

Abstract: A disk drive having a novel actuator assembly. The actuator assembly comprises a voice coil motor assembly, a pivotable actuator arm, and a head gimbal assembly including a read/write head. The voice coil motor assembly is attached at a back end of the actuator arm, and the head gimbal assembly is mounted on the actuator arm on a front end opposite of the back end. The voice coil motor assembly includes a voice coil interposed between two magnets and a top plate and a bottom plate. The voice coil motor assembly is secured to the base of the disk drive by posts. The actuator arm includes the back end, a pivot point and impeding apertures. The impeding apertures include two holes located near the back end of the actuator arm between the pivot point and the voice coil motor assembly and extend entirely through the actuator arm. The actuator arm may also include plugging members. The plugging members are inserted into the impeding apertures and extend entirely through the impeding apertures.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a disc drive actuator is provided. The method includes manufacturing a disc drive actuator and machining a peripheral surface of the actuator. The peripheral surface is machined to obtain a desired profile dimension and thereby reduce variations in resonance characteristics from one actuator to the next.

Abstract: A fixed support for voice coil motor comprises a coil, hollow plate, opening, structural reinforcement beam, and a plurality of pins. The pins extruding from the hollow plate allows the coil to wind around them. The opening, which locates on the center of the hollow plate, distributes stress concentration around the center. The structural reinforcement beam, which extrudes from an edge of the hollow plate, improves stiffness of the fixed support, thereby allowing the hollow plate to be made thinner.

Abstract: A device for detaching a suspension assembly, adapted to support a head, staked to an actuator arm of an actuator block of a disc drive. The device includes an expandable device operable between an insertion dimension and a deswaging dimension having a flanged end defining a deswaging surface for forcing the stake from a hole of the actuator arm. In the insertion dimension, the device being sized for insertion through channels of tubular stakes for placement relative to an extended end of the stake. The device being expanded to the deswaging dimension, so that the deswaging surface of the flanged end aligns with an end surface of the stake for removing the stake from the actuator block.

Abstract: An apparatus for isolating vibration in pivot bearing assemblies that is incorporated in a standard pivot bearing assembly without requiring modification of the pivot bearing assembly. Washers are used between the pivot bearing assembly and the base plate of a disc drive upon which the assembly is mounted. In addition, a second washer is positioned on the shaft of the assembly and is held in place by a shoulder screw which fastens the assembly to the base plate.

Abstract: A body and an arm are produced as separate components, a fitting recess and a flange are formed on the body, and a magnetic head mounting portion, a fitting portion capable of being fitted to and removed from the fitting recess of the body, and an engagement portion engaging with the flange of the body and prevented from falling off in an axial direction are formed on the arm. At least two fitting recesses are formed in an interval in the axial direction of the body. The arm is fitted to the body, and the fitting portion is molded by a resin to the body. A moving coil of a motor is molded to the body. The fitting portion of the arm is shaped into a ring shape. The fitting portion is shaped into the ring shape having a transverse opening. A rotary bearing having, or not having, a sleeve is fitted into a shaft hole of the body.

Abstract: A read sensor with self-aligned low resistance leads and a method of making are provided. In the method a masking step has been eliminated by employing first, second and third protective capping layers in the construction of the read sensor and first and second lead layers. The first capping layer serves as a protective layer for the read sensor sites, the second capping layer protects low resistance lead layer portions during removal of the first capping layer from high resistance lead layer sites and then serves as a sacrificial layer during removal of spin valve material from the low resistance lead layer sites. The third capping layer protects the first and second lead layers during milling of low resistance lead layer material in field regions about the read sensor and first and second lead layers. The method aligns front edges of the low resistance lead layer portions with a rear edge of the read sensor so as to lower the overall resistance of the lead layers.

Abstract: An actuator arm assembly comprises stacked suspensions, spacers, a pivot, washer and nut. The pivot and washer have hold portions for engagement during assembly to prevent misalignment of the suspensions. The suspensions, spacers, and washer each have alignment apertures for receiving an alignment bolt for maintaining proper alignment of the suspensions.

Abstract: A carriage for a hard disc drive polished as final finish has high surface precision of micron order. The finish surface is smooth, a cutting trace does not exist, and the surface layer is hardened uniformly by a magnetic material being hit by magnetic power. A cutting bur the edge of which is very tiny does not fall after installing the hard disc drive. The carriage for the magnetic head of the hard disc are not influenced by a temperature change and a seasonal change. The present invention forms a magnetic polishing brush by keeping magnetic abrasive material between magnetic poles in the carriage as a head arm member formed by extrusion molding or drawing for the magnetic head of the hard disc drive. The carriage of non-magnetic material as an aluminum part of HDD inserted in the above described magnetic polishing brush, is given reciprocation motion and vibration, thus the surface of the above described part is polished. The final finish is made by magnetic beam processing to polish or remove burs.