International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Ambrish A Misra

Walter Lloyd Prater

Hatem R Radwan

Miguel Dominguez

Eric Martin Albertson

Eduardo Gatmaitan Canlas

Miquel Dominguez

A method for making a dual actuator pivot, wherein the need for adhesive bonding is eliminated and assembly time is minimized. An upper sleeve assembly includes an upper and lower ball bearing press fitted therein and a lower sleeve assembly includes an upper ball bearing press fitted therein, the first and second sleeve assemblies being press fitted to a shaft having a ball bearing press fitted at the base of the shaft. A predetermined axial load that is tuned to select a desired resonance frequency for the first and second actuator bearing assemblies may be applied during the press fitting of the first and second sleeve assemblies. The shaft may be chilled to shrink the shaft. Alternatively, the components may be heated.

Method for forming a dual actuator pivot

An actuator assembly for a disk drive is provided wherein the pivot cartridge is supported within the bore of the actuator with corrugated end rings. The corrugated end rings provide a uniform distribution of forces on the pivot cartridge and effectively reduce vibrations between the pivot cartridge and the body of the actuator.

Disk drive actuator-pivot assembly with corrugated rings

A damping assembly for the actuator of high performance disk drive assembly is formed from multiple materials. The damping assembly is added to the actuator to dampen vibration that occurs during operation of the drive. The damping assembly is connected to an exterior portion of a coil region of the actuator. The damping assembly helps dampen vibration modes for coil torsion and coil bending, thereby improving dynamics settling performance to improve overall file input/output throughput performance. This also allows for a higher voice coil motor torque constant by increasing the magnet radius, thereby also improving move time, which further improves file input/output throughput performance. The overall file performance is improved by reducing settling times associated with coil torsion and coil bending modes, and allowing a higher torque constant to also improve move time. Both of these effects contribute to improving file performance.

System and method of damping vibration on coil supports in high performance disk drives with rotary actuators

A dual actuator pivot bearing system and method for making the same is disclosed, wherein the need for adhesive bonding is eliminated and assembly time is minimized. The dual actuator pivot includes a first and a second actuator bearing assembly that include an upper sleeve having an upper and lower ball bearing press fitted into the upper sleeve to form the first actuator bearing assembly and a lower sleeve having an upper ball bearing press fitted into the sleeve to form the second actuator bearing assembly, the first and second actuator bearing assemblies being press fitted to a shaft assembly comprising a shaft having a ball bearing press fitted at a shaft base. The first and second actuator bearing assemblies are press fitted using a predetermined axial load that is tuned to select a desired resonance frequency for the first and second actuator bearing assemblies. The shaft may also include steps selected to have diameters matching bearing bore diameters graded from large to small going from a first end of the shaft to a second end of the shaft. Further, the shaft may be chilled to shrink the shaft. Alternatively, the components may be heated.

Dual actuator pivot bearing system and method for making the same

A hard disk drive actuator pivot cartridge has a sleeve, a coaxial pivot shaft, and a pair of bearings therebetween. The bearings are located near the axial ends of the shaft. The sleeve has a wall thickness that is substantially greater than those of prior art sleeves. The sleeve also has a pair of annular pads that are located axially inward of the bearings. The cartridge mounts inside an actuator comb such that only the pads contact the bore of the comb. The axial location of the pads and the greater wall thickness of the sleeve significantly decrease the bending experienced by the cartridge when it is installed in the comb, and thereby increase the servo stability and performance of the disk drive.

Hard disk drive actuator pivot with inboard pads and enhanced pivot sleeve thickness for improved servo stability

A ring shaped-disk clamp for clamping a disk stack to a spindle motor. The ring-shaped disk clamp is referred to as a shrink-fit disk clamp and must be expanded by heating prior to being inserted onto the hub of a spindle motor. Once inserted onto the hub of the spindle motor, an external axial load is applied to the disk clamp. As the disk clamp cools while applying the external load, the clamp contracts and provides a gripping force on the hub of the spindle motor. Subsequently, the external load is removed. The ring-shaped disk clamp includes a top surface, a bottom surface for contacting the disk stack, and an inner peripheral surface for contacting the hub. The inner peripheral surface contacts the hub at a hub contact area that is optimized to provide a localized gripping force on the hub. By optimizing the location of the hub contact area, the disk clamp can provide a relatively high gripping force with a low coefficient of friction between the disk clamp and the hub.

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Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Ambrish A Misra