Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Asahi Glass Company, Limited

Robert M Tierney

John Hsieh

Prakash Poobalan

Rosulan Bin Ismail

Safri Husin

An apparatus for arranging disks in a processing cassette includes a first conveyor configured to transfer a shipping cassette containing a plurality of disks to a first position and a comb assembly configured to displace one or more of the plurality of disks from the shipping cassette in the first position. A mandrel assembly is configured to remove the one or more displaced disks from the comb assembly and a turntable assembly is configured to rotate the comb assembly and the shipping cassette from the first position to a second position. The mandrel assembly is further configured to return the one or more displaced disks to the comb assembly and the comb assembly is further configured to replace the one or more displaced disks in the shipping cassette in the second position. A second conveyor is configured to transfer a processing cassette to a load position and the mandrel assembly is further configured to remove the plurality of disks from the shipping cassette in the second position and to load the plurality of disks into the processing cassette in the load position.

Media flip and cassette exchange apparatus and method

A method for forming a magnetic disk comprises the following steps. First, an inner and outer cut is provided in a work piece. The waste piece thus comprises an outer waste piece, an inner waste piece, and a region between the inner and outer waste pieces that is to be used as a substrate for manufacturing a magnetic disk. The outer waste piece is separated from the substrate by applying a hot plate against the outer waste piece, thereby causing it to thermally expand and separate from the substrate. The substrate is then placed over (but not in contact with) a hot plate, while a cooling element is placed on the inner waste piece. This causes the substrate to thermally expand while the inner waste piece thermally contracts. Thus, a gap forms between the substrate and inner waste piece, thereby permitting the separation of the inner waste piece from the substrate.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Robert M Tierney