Magnecomp Corporation

Shijin Mei

Amanullah Khan

Steve Misuta

Peter Hahn

Warren Coon

Sivadasan K Kulangara

Robert N Summers

Christopher Schreiber

Arshad A Alfoqaha

Johnathan Phu

Jason Padeski

Chris Schreiber

Keith Hong

Brian Antony Louis Gomes

Jorge Lepe

A baseplate that is configured to be included in a hard disk drive suspension assembly, and a related method for manufacturing the baseplate. The baseplate having a surface that has been coined to reduce any roughness that might have existed in a portion of the surface before the surface was coined.

Disk drive suspension having a coined baseplate

A high stroke sensitivity microactuated disk drive suspension includes a microactuator, a laminate of first and second outer layers and a plastic inner layer that define a base portion, a spring portion and a beam portion. The base portion has proximate and distal regions coupled by a segment of an outer layer and fixed to the microactuator for relative shifting of the beam portion to the base portion. The segment has a part that is locally arcuate and readily bendable during said shifting for low resistance to shifting giving the suspension high stroke sensitivity.

High stroke sensitivity suspension with laminate load beam for additive laminated and other interconnect support

A disk drive suspension and method with a low profile limiter structure located within the vertical extent of the slider, the tongue free and any gap provided by the limiter structure so as to not increase the overall vertical extent of the suspension. The limiter structure has a tab separated on three sides from the suspension beam portion and extending from the beam portion locus toward the suspension tongue portion free end. The tab has a projecting shoulder spaced at a gap from the beam portion. The tongue free end outer terminus has an opening that interfits with the tab in tab shoulder engaging relation to block free end movement away from the locus beyond that permitted by the gap.

Limiter structure with reduced vertical extent for low profile disk drive suspensions

A head suspension assembly couples a baseplate to a rotatable load through a planar triangular piezo microactuator for effecting hingeless rotation of the load. The microactuator expands, responsive to an excitation voltage, with greater magnitude in one direction than in another direction normal to the first direction, resulting in an angular movement of the hypotenuse thereby rotating the load. The upper surface of the microactuator is grounded to a bottom surface of the baseplate or load beam to position the microactuator lead connection surface closest to the load to facilitate trace routing. A load beam grounding surface may be raised to accommodate the microactuator and fix the lead connection surface on a common plane with the unraised surface to further minimize trace routing and provide access for bonding the trace to the load beam.

Suspension assembly having recessed actuator with simplified lead connection

A multi-step shock limiter in a disk drive suspension assembly has a load beam and a flexure, with a plurality of limiting pairs. A first limiting pair has a clearance less than that of any other limiting pair, and is flexible. During a shock condition, vertical movement of the flexure with respect to the load beam causes the first limiting pair to engage and absorb shock. Further movement engages at least one additional pair, redistributing the shock thereamong until all pairs engage, thereby substantially anchoring the flexure to the load beam and limiting further movement of the flexure. The limiters may comprise a double tee shape having two legs and a cross member, with the first limiter defined by the cross member between the legs, and two additional limiters defined by the ends of the cross member that extend beyond the legs. The limiters engage corresponding tabs or tongues.

Multi-step shock limiter for head gimbal assembly

Shock performance and stiffness of hard disk drive lifters are enhanced by extending one or more portions of a load beam in a dimension normal to the load beam plane. A load beam in a high shock suspension system comprises a planar body having transverse members extending between longitudinal rails. One embodiment comprises a lifter integral to the load beam, extending distally, and comprising a rib having a conic cross section and a lifting tab having upward curving edges. Another embodiment comprises rails having edges bending upward at 90 degrees, separated by a first width at a proximal end of the body, and tapering to a second width at a distal end of the body. A narrow lifter having upward curving edges is displaced between the rails, and extends distally from the body. Stiffeners extend from the rails and connect to an intermediate point on the lifter. Another embodiment comprises the body having a transition portion tapering in a distal direction to form a narrow lifter, and a 90-degree rail bordering the body, transition portion, and lifter. Other embodiments comprise: the body slanting upward at an slight angle and a lifter extending distally from the body; a lifter slanting upward then downward to a position parallel with a load beam plane; transverse members having curved edges; and protrusions located on a border between the body and an intermediate portion that tapers to a lifter.

Hard disk drive suspension lifter with reinforcing features for high shock resistance

Method and apparatus in which a disk drive suspension flexure tongue supports a slider. A flexure frame attached to a suspension supports the tongue in dimple engagement with the suspension. Spaced, separate biasing structures on the frame act oppositely on the tongue for a net increase in tongue dimple contact force.

Oppositely deflected suspension flexure providing increased dimple contact force

Single PZT actuator for effecting rotation of head suspension loads

A wireless disk drive suspension and method of manufacture in which curvilinear deflections of the plastic film and conductive traces relative to the flexure metal layer provide for containment of the strains accompanying pitch and roll adjustment of the flexure and allow adjustment free of adjusting difficulties and spring back compromise of the adjustment. The curvilinear deflection of the laminate toward the flexure central longitudinal axis and an accompanying bringing in of the flexure frame struts provides a less wide flexure that can more closely approach a disk drive hub for greater capacity in a disk drive.

Wireless flexure with curved trace geometry against pitch and roll adjustment springback

A microactuated disk drive suspension for supporting a slider at a disk includes a load beam extending in a plane and having on a common axis a base section adapted for mounting to an actuator, a spring section and a beam section carrying a flexure and the slider thereon. The suspension has relatively movable proximate and distal portions on the common axis that are joined by a bending system cantilevered from the proximate portion and including a cantilevered bending motor opposed to the common axis and having a laterally bendable unsupported region. A cantilevered laterally bendable load assist structure defined by the suspension edges is provided arranged to block undue loading of the bending motor unsupported region.

Loading-protected bending microactuator in additive suspensions

A disk drive suspension component for carrying a slider at a disk is formed of a laminate of at least three metal layers of like mechanical and chemical formability, including a first outer layer, a second outer layer, and an intermediate layer, at least one of the layers having a void-containing interior and a surface area having an undivided series of local regions distributed across substantially the width and length thereof with each local region equaling less than 10% of the surface area. Each of the local regions have an overall pattern of discontinuities and lands between the discontinuities substantially the same as the overall pattern of discontinuities and lands in laterally and longitudinally adjacent local regions for local attachment of the layers at some and not all of the lands to adjacent layers to form a laminate having common formability properties, high rigidity and light weight.

Low density, high rigidity disk drive suspension for high resonance frequency applications

A baseplate in a disk drive suspension system is configured with an integral anvil having a spring-forming edge that coincides with an optimal bend location on a linear flex spring. The spring attaches to upper surfaces of baseplate and load beam to allow for alignment of a rolling tool above the optimal bend location. During assembly, rolling tool pressure permanently bends the spring around the spring-forming edge to create a desired pre-load characteristic for the suspension system. The integral anvil may include a relief portion for reducing friction on the spring during the bending operation. A method for pre-loading a suspension assembly comprises forming an integral anvil on a baseplate, forming a spring-forming edge on the integral anvil, positioning an optimal bend location on the spring to coincide with the spring-forming edge, and forming a permanent bend in the spring by applying pressure on the spring around the spring-forming edge.

Integral anvil for pre-loading a disk drive suspension assembly

A disk drive suspension and method has a limiter structure that limits movement of the tongue relative to a surrounding frame by extending the plastic film layer and optionally the metal layer components of a flexure-defining flexible circuit laminate beyond the flexure tongue distal end and attaching the terminal regions of the extended components to the surrounding frame laterally of the tongue. The flexure-defining laminate is attached to the suspension rigid portion proximally and optionally distally as well as laterally with the limiter structure. A lift tip can be used to enable lifting of the suspension and to stiffen the suspension in lieu of the distal attachment of the flexible circuit.

Disk drive suspension with limiter feature

A disk drive suspension and method uses two proximally cantilevered members to limit tongue movement in a suspension of a load beam having a beam portion and a flexure having a tongue. The suspension has a limiter structure comprising the two proximally cantilevered members arranged on the beam portion and the tongue respectively and intersecting for increasing engagement responsive to undue tongue travel against dislodgment.

Suspension limiter with proximally cantilevered limiter members

A disk drive suspension comprising a metal member having a base portion, a distal portion and a spring portion therebetween is provided with a second spring of usually greater thickness that is parallel with and spaced from the first spring, and supported in place by base and distal plates of a stiffener attached to the metal member base and distal portions. The second spring connector is much reduced in width relative to the adjoining plates.

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Temecula, CA, United States of America

Shijin Mei