Seagate Technology Incorporated

Samuel E Severson

Jerome Thomas Coffey

David Lapp

Jeffrey Leonard Bruce

David G Fitzgerald

John Rigsby

Darrel Ray Culver

Patrick J Hains

Shawn Allen Ruden

Thomas M Durrum

Robert Mitchell Gibbs

Stephen G Horning

Sok Li Goh

Krithika Kalyanasundaram

Jason P Delaney

S Selvaruban

Chee Kwong Cheng

Roland Sesselmann

Wei Leng Tee

Christopher Byrne

Emily Ann Chesnut

S Selvaruben

Described are enclosures that include a friction stir weld, including electronic device enclosures, and precursors thereof that contain a metal base that includes a recess and a metal cover that in an assembled condition form a joint at which a friction stir weld can be produced, as well as methods for producing a friction stir weld at a joint of such an assembly; the base includes at least one bow wave reduction feature.

Enclosures having a friction stir weld, precursors thereof having a metal base having a recess and a metal cover, and related methods

A hard disk drive includes a base deck with a floor portion and a side wall portion. The floor portion extends between an upper surface and a bottom surface, and the side wall portion extends from the floor portion. A top cover is coupled to the base deck and includes a ceiling portion and a wall portion. The hard disk drive includes a weld that directly couples the wall portion of the top cover to the floor portion of the base deck.

Welded base and cover for hard disk drives

An apparatus includes a test chamber and a pressure-application structure. The pressure-application structure is configured to apply a force on a device under test within the test chamber in response to a vacuum being drawn in the test chamber. The force has a magnitude that is proportional to a difference between an external pressure outside the test chamber and an internal pressure within the test chamber.

Retaining internal pressure in a data storage device in a vacuum

Clamping devices and associated methods that are useful to develop both axial and circumferential clamping forces in response to a common axial clamping force. The clamp is able to use a simple mechanism to generate both kinds of clamping forces from a single, axial actuating force. The clamping devices of the present invention are particularly useful for clamping cover and base deck components of a hard disk drive enclosure together to allow the components to be joined and sealed together using welding techniques.

Clamping device that develops both axial and circumferential clamping forces in response to a common axial clamping force

The present invention relates to methods to join at least first and second metallic components in which a pre-treatment is applied to one or more region(s) of at least one of the components to be welded together before welding takes place. The pre-treatment involves contacting at least a region of the first metallic component with a rotating and translating tool such that the rotating and translating contact locally heats, softens, and mixes successive portions of at least the region of the first metallic component. The first and second metallic components are placed together such that a joint is provided between at least the pre-treated region of the first metallic component and the second metallic component. At least the pre-treated region of the first metallic component is welded to the second metallic component along at least a portion of the joint.

Disk drive apparatus including pre-treated, welded housing that provides sealed cavity for holding hard disk drive components

Described are methods for forming a friction stir weld between a steel piece and an aluminum piece, with specific examples of the steel piece and the aluminum piece being a cover and a base of an enclosure.

Methods of forming a friction stir weld between a steel piece and an aluminum piece, and related assemblies

Described are enclosures that include a friction stir weld, including electronic device enclosures, and precursors thereof, that contain a base and a cover that in an assembled condition form a joint at which a friction stir weld can be produced, as well as methods for producing a friction stir weld at a joint of such an assembly.

Enclosures, devices with a friction stir weld, precursors thereof, and related methods

Described are deburring tools useful for deburring a friction stir weld, methods of forming a friction stir weld combined with a deburring step, and assemblies such as electronic device enclosures that include a deburred friction stir weld.

Deburring tool for friction stir welding, and related methods

Described are devices and assemblies (e.g., precursors to a devices) that include a friction stir weld or a joint useful for forming a friction stir weld, the devices containing two metal components that form the joint at which the friction stir weld can be produced, as well as methods for producing a devices, assembly, joints, or friction stir weld as described.

Assemblies and devices with a metal base, a metal cover, and a friction stir weld, precursors thereof, and related friction stir welding methods

Described are tools useful to produce a friction stir weld, methods of forming a friction stir weld, and assemblies such as electronic devices that include a friction stir weld.

Friction stir welding tool, related methods, and assemblies formed to include friction stir weld

Certain exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards a manufacturing apparatus including a first chamber having a first cavity, and a first actuator. The first actuator aligns the opening of the first chamber to an opening in a second chamber having a second cavity, sealing the first cavity to the second cavity. The manufacturing apparatus further includes gas flow componentry that in conjunction with the first actuator and first chamber evacuate the second cavity by drawing a vacuum in the first cavity. After the second cavity is evacuated, the gas flow componentry fills the second cavity filled with a gas by introducing the gas to the first cavity. A second actuator seals the gas in the second cavity by applying a seal that covers the opening in the second chamber while the first and second cavity remains sealed to one another via the first actuator.

Cavity sealing apparatus

A hard drive includes a base deck and process cover that define a cavity for housing data storage components. The hard drive further includes a final cover that is placed over the process cover and is coupled to the base deck. The final cover and process cover are directly coupled to each other.

Methods and devices for sealing hard drives

Certain exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards a disc drive apparatus. A base deck and a cover are joined to one another by a friction-stir weld along a lip of the cover that extends along a periphery of the cover and over a surface of the base deck. The base deck and cover enclose a cavity, which is hermetically sealed by the weld.

Disc drive apparatus with hermetically sealed cavity

The application discloses an assembly tool for installing a disc clamp on a spindle hub. In the illustrated embodiments, the assembly tool includes a head including an inner portion, an intermediate portion and an outer portion configured to install a disc clamp on a spindle motor assembly. In the illustrated embodiments, the inner portion includes a raised portion and datum surface that interface with the spindle hub to align the spindle hub for installation of the disc clamp.

Growing community of inventors

Denver, CO, United States of America

Samuel E Severson