Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Maxtor Corporation

Read Rite Corporation

Jafar Hadian

Jamshid Bozorgi

Shuyu Zhang

Tadashi Yogi

Head gimbal assemblies are provided that comprise a slider, a load beam, a flexure, and a lifter tab. The flexure holds the slider against a pivot point of the load beam. The lifter tab extends from the load beam to engage a load/unload ramp. The load beam includes a base portion having the pivot point, a first side rail, and a first limiter stop. The first side rail is disposed adjacent to a transverse side of the slider while the first limiter stop is adjacent to a leading side of the slider. The first limiter stop extends from the first side rail and is essentially perpendicular thereto. The flexure includes a first leading edge tab that extends between the first limiter stop and the base portion of the load beam to limit the movement of the flexure especially during loading and unloading.

Low profile head gimbal assembly with shock limiting and load/unload capability

A disk drive includes a drive housing, a storage disk coupled to the drive housing and a head arm assembly coupled to the drive housing. The head arm assembly includes an adjuster and a slider coupled to the adjuster. As provided herein, the adjuster changes the gram load that is applied to the slider as the temperature near the adjuster changes. In one of the embodiments, the adjuster increases the gram load that is applied to the slider as the temperature near the adjuster decreases.

Composite head arm assembly with thermal control of gram load

Methods of manufacturing a load beam including a flexure/slider assembly are provided. A pre-form of a load beam has a base, a side beam extending from the base and a tab extending from the side beam, all substantially in a common plane. The flexure/slider assembly is attached to the base, then the load beam is bent in two locations, between the tab and the side beam, and between the side beam and the base. After bending, the tab and the side beam are substantially orthogonal to one another and both the tab and the side beam are substantially orthogonal to the base so that the base, side beam, and tab form a partial enclosure around the slider.

Method of manufacturing a head gimbal assembly with substantially orthogonal tab, side beam and base

In one embodiment the apparatus is a head gimbal assembly for use in a disk drive having a load/unload ramp, and includes a load beam having a pivot point, a flexure/slider assembly having a flexure and a slider, at least one limiter mounted between the flexure/slider assembly and the load beam, and a lifter tab extending from the load beam so as to be engagable with the load/unload ramp. The flexure is connected to the load beam and to the slider. The slider is positioned by the flexure to be capable of moving about the pivot point. The at least one limiter is positioned to limit movement of the flexure/slider assembly relative to the load beam. The head gimbal assembly can have a low profile by having the lifter tab extend from the load beam substantially at or below the upper surface of the load beam. The method of manufacture includes: obtaining a load beam having a base, at least one side beam extending from the base and at least one tab extending from the at last one side beam, wherein the base, at least one side beam and the at least one tab are substantially in a common plane; attaching a flexure/slider assembly to the load beam; bending the load beam between the at least one tab and the at least one side beam, such that the at least one tab is positioned out of the common plane; and bending the load beam between the at least one side beam and the base, such that the at least one side beam is positioned out of the common plane.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Jafar Hadian