Seagate Technology Incorporated

Robin Francis Dorulla

Mark Gregory Steele

Gregory I Rudd

Donald James Macleod

Arnold George Slezak

Karl H Scheppers

Gregg P Stevens

Paul Weidler

Thomas Patrick McDonnell

Thaveesin Vasavakul

Dirk Anthony Krieger

Larry Liu

A fluid dynamic bearing including a shaft rotating within a sleeve and a thrust plate or the like supported at an end of the shaft rotating in a recess defined with the sleeve. The thrust plate faces a counterplate supported from the sleeve over the recess, and the sleeve and shaft are supported for rotation by fluid in the gap or gaps between the shaft and sleeve, thrust plate and sleeve, and thrust plate and counterplate. To prevent fluid from leaking out of the fluid dynamic bearing into the surrounding atmosphere by seeping between the counterplate and sleeve face it rests on, a seal recess is defined in the sleeve, a crush ring seal is placed in the recess. The counterplate is then pressed into the recess, crushing the crush seal ring and blocking any passage of the fluid from the gap region surrounding the thrust plate through the gap between counterplate and sleeve. The crush seal may preferably be either in an o form, a block form or an x form, and may be solid or hollow, preferably of a material which expands at approximately the same rate as the surrounding sleeve and counterplate. Preferred materials from which the crush seal may be selected include aluminum, brass, copper, and steel.

Crush ring to seal the counter plate on hydrodynamic bearing

An apparatus and method are provided for sealing and electrically coupling an outer surface of a shaft to an inner surface of a hub disposed about the shaft. The invention is particularly useful for spindle motors used in disc drives . In one embodiment, a seal having a pair of annular pole pieces , coupled to opposite poles of a magnet is positioned between the shaft and the hub . A nonmagnetic, electrically conductive ring electrically couples the pole pieces to one another and to the hub . In one version, the electrically conductive ring includes an annular disk with tabs projecting from the exterior radius. The disk abuts one pole piece and the tabs are folded over to electrically couple to the other . An electrically conductive ferrofluid is magnetically held between the pole pieces , and the shaft to form a pair of axially separated seals , and to establish parallel electrical pathways.

Apparatus and method for providing a ferrofluidic seal

A system for cleaning disc drive components includes a rotary support member for receiving an assembled disc drive component. A rotary drive motor is coupled to the rotary support member for rotating the rotary support member and disc drive motor supported thereon together at a rotation speed to impart a centrifugal force on any excess lubricant contained by the disc drive motor of sufficient magnitude to draw the excess lubricant from the disc drive motor. The system may also or alternatively include an enclosure defining an interior having an oxygen-containing environment. A support platform is disposed within the oxygen-containing environment of the interior of the enclosure, for supporting a disc drive component within the oxygen-containing environment of the enclosure, for example, after the component is removed from the rotary support member. An ozone source is disposed within the enclosure, for providing sufficient ozone in the vicinity of the disc drive component to oxidize organic material on the disc drive component and convert the organic material to water vapor and carbon dioxide. The enclosure includes a vent for venting the carbon dioxide and any remaining ozone from the enclosure.

Cleaning process for disc drive components

Growing community of inventors

Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America

Robin Francis Dorulla