Hutchinson Technology Corporation

Richard G Fiedler

Jeffry S Bennin

John A Theget

Michael Ray Tiller

Allan D Tokuda

A disk drive head suspension having a leaf-type gram load spring. One embodiment of the suspension includes a base plate and a load beam. The load beam is formed from a single piece of stainless steel and includes a mounting region, a beam region, a spring region between the mounting region and beam region, and a leaf spring extending from the beam region. The mounting region of the load beam is attached to the base plate, with a proximal end portion of the leaf spring overlaying the base plate. The leaf spring can have a formed bend in the z-height direction and is forced into a loaded state before the proximal end is welded to the base plate.

Disk drive head suspension with leaf spring gram loading

Two HSAs are mounted to a single rigid actuator arm such that the HSAs interleave one another, with a transducer head of one HSA projecting through an aperture on the load beam of the other HSA. Thus, the HSA mounted to the top side of the rigid actuator arm will access the disk below the rigid actuator arm itself, while the HSA mounted on the bottom side of the rigid actuator arm will access the disk above the arm itself. Various types of HSAs can be used with the disclosed interleaving or interfitting. Decreased disk-to-disk spacing is achieved by the disclosed arrangement.

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Hutchinson, MN, United States of America

Richard G Fiedler