Seagate Technology Incorporated

Conner Peripherals, Inc.

William J Bryan

Karl E Hase

Michael J Lerdal

Frederick Mark Stefansky

Walter Wong

Albert Michael Lindrose

William Repphun

Richard Kendle Thompson

Thomas Hogan

A mounting system for attaching head suspension assemblies to actuator mounting arms of a disc drive actuator. The mounting system of the invention comprises mounting plates for the head suspension assemblies that include bosses inserted in cooperative holes in the actuator head mounting arms. Mounting discs of shape memory allow, in martensitic phase, having outer diameters selected for cooperation with the inner diameter of the bosses, are press-fitted into the bosses. The mounting discs are then heated to transform the material of the mounting discs to the austenitic phase. This transformation causes the outer diameter of the mounting discs to increase with sufficient force to deform the bosses of the mounting plates into interference fit with the holes in the actuator head mounting arms.

Head suspension assembly attachment using shape memory alloy

An actuator assembly includes a first actuator arm and a second actuator arm, each having a first end and a second end, a support member, and a bearing assembly coupled to the arms and the support member, and supporting the arms and support member for rotation about an axis. The bearing assembly has a first portion abutting the first actuator arm and second portion abutting the second actuator arm, with the first and second arms being secured against movement away from each other by the bearing cartridge. Also provided is a retainer for preventing rotation of the first actuator arm about said axis relative to the second arm. The retainer may comprise first and second fasteners provided at opposite sides of the axis. In an alternative embodiment, the retainer comprises a leaf spring having a notch provided therein on the first and second actuator arms, and a fastener member provided on the support member.

Stackable actuator assembly having spring retaining system

A member securing electrical conductors coupled to a read/write head in a storage device over termination pads of an electrical flex circuit. Generally, the storage device includes an actuator having at least one actuator arm securing the read/write head, and the apparatus is coupled to the actuator arm. The apparatus may comprise a member having a first end and a second end, the first end being coupled to the arm and the second end positioning the conductors over conductive pads of the flex circuit, with the second end including a window securing the conductors in fixed positions over the conductive pads of the flex circuit. In another arrangement, the second end comprises a solderless coupling assembly electrically connected to the conductors, wherein the conductive pads of the flex circuit are arranged to electrically couple to the solderless coupling assembly.

Wire carrier for disk drive

Apparatus for clamping a plurality of axially spaced, rotatable elements such as a stack of actuator arms or magnetic storage discs in a disc drive. The rotatable elements are coupled to respective housings for rotation at a respective radius about associated, stationary shafts by bearing assemblies. As used in an actuator assembly, an actuator shaft bearing housing is inserted into an opening in each of the actuator arms and a clamp fastener exerts a clamping force on the actuator arms so as to secure the actuator arms relative to the actuator shaft bearing housing. The clamp fastener comprises a clamp fastener cylinder with an exterior surface which is fixably attached to a corresponding interior surface of the actuator shaft bearing housing. The clamping force is exerted by a clamp disc protruding in a radial direction from the clamp fastener cylinder, beyond the radius of the actuator shaft bearing housing. The clamp fastener can be used in a similar fashion to clamp a stack of magnetic storage discs in place around a spindle motor housing.

Disc drive clamp fastener including a clamp disc indentation

The method for assembling the drive includes: providing an assembly member; stacking a first actuator arm and a second actuator arm in an orientation where the axes of the arms are non-parallel; inserting a comb assembly between the first and second arms; rotating the arms about the assembly member to a position where the radials are in parallel; and securing the arms against rotation relative to each other. In another aspect, wherein each arm includes a read/write head having wires coupled thereto, the method further including the step of attaching a wire carrier to the arm prior to the stacking step.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

William J Bryan