Hutchinson Technology Corporation

Mound Laser & Photonics Center, Inc.

Patrick R LaLonde

Michael Wayne Davis

Peter Francis Ladwig

Kurt C Swanson

Paul Valentine Pesavento

John A Theget

Timothy A McDaniel

Joel B Michaletz

Philip W Anderson

Bryan John Scheele

Ryan Kariniemi

Brett L Haugen

Richard A Schnitzler

Ronald W Rome

Lance J Evans

Gregory S Nelson

Michael R Jensen

Ryan B Sefkow

A method for forming a cutting tool includes masking a metal base with one or more masks, the one or more masks including at least one variable permeability mask, and chemically etching the masked metal base to form a blade of the cutting tool.

Chemically sharpening blades

A chemically etched needle is provided herein. The chemically etched needle includes a metal base having a first side and a second side. The chemically etched needle also includes a chemically etched blade at one end of the metal base and formed at an intersection of a distal diverging surface and a proximal diverging surface, at least one of the diverging surfaces slopes inward towards the second side.

Needle with rounded edge

A method of detaching a head suspension component from a locating and transport structure where the head suspension component is integrally connected to the locating and transport structure by a tab having a reduced tensile strength with respect to each of the head suspension component and the locating and transport structure. The method includes applying a tensile load to the tab to cause the tab to fracture, so that the head suspension component is detached from the locating and transport structure.

Method and apparatus for detaching a head suspension component from a semi-finished suspension product

A multi-piece head suspension assembly is manufactured from a semi-finished suspension product. The semi-finished suspension product includes a load beam having two side edges, a distal end, and a proximal end opposite the distal end. The semi-finished suspension product also includes a beam carrier strip connected to the proximal end by one or more tabs. Each tab includes a detaching region that has a lower shear strength than other regions of the tab. Rails are formed on the side edges of the load beam, and the semi-finished suspension product is attached to a hinge assembly at the proximal end of the load beam. A shear load is applied to the one or more tabs to cause the one or more tabs to fracture at the detaching region.

Full-rail suspension with shearing fracture detab

Growing community of inventors

Waite Park, MN, United States of America

Patrick R LaLonde