Magnetic bearings for data storage devices

Abstract

The present application discloses a magnetic bearing for a data storage device. A hard disk drive includes a base coupled to a cover, a motor assembly coupled to the base, and a magnetic recording medium coupled to the motor assembly. The motor assembly includes a magnetic bearing having a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component.

Description

Summary of the invention

[0001] In certain embodiments, a hard disk drive includes a base coupled to a cover, a motor assembly coupled to the base, and a magnetic recording medium coupled to the motor assembly. The motor assembly includes a magnetic bearing having a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component.

[0002] In certain embodiments, the motor assembly includes a fixed component coupled to or including a first magnetic pole having a first magnetic polarity. The motor assembly includes a rotatable component coupled to or including a second magnetic pole having a second magnetic polarity that repels the first magnetic polarity. The first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are arranged relative to each other to form a first pair of repelling magnetic poles, thereby forming a horizontal magnetic bearing component. The motor assembly includes a second pair of repelling magnetic poles to form a vertical magnetic bearing component.

[0003] In some embodiments, the base of the hard disk drive includes a bottom plate portion and a side wall portion. The motor assembly is coupled to the bottom plate portion and includes a fixed component and a rotatable component. The motor assembly includes a magnetic bearing having a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component. The magnetic bearing is arranged so that the rotatable component is suspended and does not contact the fixed component.

[0004] While multiple embodiments are disclosed, other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the present invention.Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a hard disk drive according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0006] Figure 2 Showing some embodiments according to the present disclosure Figure 1 view of a hard disk drive.

[0007] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of an electric machine according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0008] Figure 4 Showing some embodiments according to the present disclosure Figure 3 Schematic top view of the motor section.

[0009] Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of an electric machine according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0010] Although the present disclosure may have various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. However, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the specific embodiments described, but is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternative forms falling within the scope of the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Data storage devices such as hard disk drives use rotatable motors to rotate magnetic media. These motors typically include hydrodynamic bearings or ball bearings. However, both types of bearings use oil-containing lubricants, which may leak from the motor, causing the data storage device to perform poorly. Therefore, certain embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to motors that do not necessarily require oil-containing lubricants. More specifically, certain embodiments feature motors with magnetic bearings.

[0012] Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a hard disk drive 100 is shown having a base 102 and a top cover 104 forming an enclosure that houses the various components of the hard disk drive 100 . Figure 2 A top view of hard disk drive 100 is shown. Figure 1 All parts shown in Figure 2 and vice versa.

[0013] The hard disk drive 100 includes a magnetic recording medium 106 (referred to individually as magnetic recording medium) coupled to a motor assembly 108 via a disk clamp 110. The hard disk drive 100 also includes an actuator assembly 112 that positions a read / write head 114 over a data track 116 of the magnetic recording medium 106. During operation, the motor assembly 108 rotates the magnetic recording medium 106 while the actuator assembly 112 is driven by the voice coil motor assembly 118 to pivot about a pivot bearing 120.

[0014] The read / write head 114 writes data to the magnetic recording medium 106 by generating and emitting a magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium 106, wherein the magnetic field induces a magnetic polarization transition on the desired data track 116. The magnetic polarization transition is a representation of the data. The read / write head 114 senses (or "reads") the magnetic polarization transition through a magnetic transducer. When the magnetic recording medium 106 rotates near the read / write head 114, the magnetic polarization transition induces a changing magnetic field into the magnetic transducer of the read / write head 114. The magnetic transducer then converts the changing magnetic field into a read signal, which is transmitted to a preamplifier and then to a read channel for processing. The read channel converts the read signal into a digital signal, which is then processed and provided to a host system (e.g., a server, a laptop computer, a desktop computer).

[0015] Figure 3A side cutaway view of hard disk drive 100 and motor assembly 108 is shown. Figure 4 A top view of a portion of the motor assembly 108 is shown. The motor assembly 108 includes a fixed component and a rotatable component. As will be described in detail below, the rotatable component can rotate relative to the fixed component of the motor assembly 108 and work together to form a bearing that allows the motor assembly 108 to rotate smoothly. Figure 3 The bearings shown are magnetic bearings, not hydrodynamic or ball bearings.

[0016] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, the fixed component is a shaft 122 (e.g., a cylindrical shaft), and the rotatable component is a rotor 124, which can have an annular structure that at least partially surrounds the shaft 122. The shaft 122 extends between the bottom plate of the base 102 and the top cover 104. For example, the shaft 122 can be coupled to the bottom plate by fixing (e.g., adhering, welding, press-fitting, fastening) the shaft 122 to the bottom plate. The shaft 122 can also be coupled to the top cover 104 in different ways, such as by fasteners 125.

[0017] The rotor 124 is coupled to or includes a hub 126. The magnetic recording medium 106 is coupled to the hub 126. Thus, when the hub 126 rotates, the magnetic recording medium 106 and the rotor 124 also rotate. The specific shapes and relative positions of the components of the motor assembly may be different from those shown in the figures. For example, the rotor 124 may have a single inner surface facing the shaft 122 so that the gap between the shaft 122 and the rotor 124 is uniform along most or all of the shaft 122.

[0018] The rotor 124 is caused to rotate by the electromagnetic motor portion of the motor assembly 108. In certain embodiments, the motor assembly 108 includes magnets 128 (e.g., permanent magnets) and stator windings 130. When the stator windings 130 are selectively excited (e.g., by applying current to the stator windings 130), the magnets 128 interact with the magnetic field generated by the excited stator windings 130, causing the hub 126 to rotate. The magnets 128 can be formed as an integral annular ring, or can be formed as a plurality of individual magnets spaced around the periphery of the hub 126. The magnets 128 are magnetized to form two or more poles. For more detailed information on the electromagnetic motor portion, see U.S. Patent No. US 9,196,294, which is incorporated herein by reference to provide additional details on the electromagnetic motor portion of the motor assembly described herein.

[0019] As described above, unlike a hydrodynamic bearing or a ball bearing, the components coupled to the shaft 122 and the rotor 124 (or portions thereof) form a magnetic bearing. Specifically, the magnetic bearing is composed of one or more pairs of repelling magnetic poles located at different positions along the shaft 122 and the rotor 124. These repelling magnetic poles suspend or float the rotor 124, thereby forming a gap (e.g., an air gap) between the shaft 122 and the rotor 124, and making the shaft 122 and the rotor 124 not physically contact each other. Since the shaft 122 and the rotor 124 do not contact each other, the motor assembly 108 does not necessarily need to use a lubricant between the shaft 122 and the rotor 124 components.

[0020] As described above, lubricant may leak from the motor onto the housing of the hard drive. The leaked oil may contaminate the components of the hard drive, causing errors or even failures. In addition, the properties of the lubricant (such as viscosity, wettability) may change with temperature, so the overall performance of the hard drive may change due to environmental changes. In addition, during an impact event, motor components with hydrodynamic bearings or ball bearings may contact each other (e.g., metal to metal contact), thereby generating metal chips, which may affect the performance of the motor and hard drive 100. For example, metal chips may get stuck in the interface between the magnetic recording medium 106 and the read / write head 114.

[0021] The use of magnetic bearings can help alleviate some of the problems with hydrodynamic bearings and ball bearings described above. In addition, the use of magnetic bearings can allow the use of motor components that are shorter in height and / or smaller in diameter than motors using hydrodynamic bearings or ball bearings.

[0022] exist Figure 3 In the illustrated example motor assembly 108, the magnetic bearing of the motor assembly 108 includes a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component. The horizontal magnetic bearing component is composed of one or more pairs of magnetic poles (e.g., a first magnetic pole 132 and a second magnetic pole 134) that are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction and have mutually repelling magnetic polarities. For example, the first magnetic pole 132 and the second magnetic pole 134 can both be positive or negative polarities, so that they repel each other (and therefore the shaft 122 and the rotor 124 components also repel each other).

[0023] The first magnetic pole 132 can be coupled to the shaft 122 or form a part of the shaft. For example, a magnet can be coupled to the shaft 122 to form the first magnetic pole 132. For another example, the shaft 122 itself can be magnetized to form the first magnetic pole 132. In some embodiments, a limited portion of the shaft 122 is magnetized, rather than the entire shaft 122 being magnetized.

[0024] The second magnetic pole 134 can be coupled to the rotor 124 or form a part of the rotor. For example, a magnet can be coupled to the rotor 124 to form the second magnetic pole 134. For another example, the rotor 124 itself can be magnetized to form the second magnetic pole 134. In some embodiments, a limited portion of the rotor 124 is magnetized, rather than the entire rotor 124 being magnetized.

[0025] Because of the repelling magnetic poles and because the rotor 124 at least partially surrounds the shaft 122 (eg, Figure 4 124 ), the horizontal magnetic bearing components help maintain a horizontal spacing 136 between the shaft 122 and the rotor 124. In other words, the repelling magnetic poles help maintain an air gap between the shaft 122 and the rotor 124 so that the two components do not contact each other. During operation of the motor assembly 108 (e.g., by selectively energizing the stator windings 130), the rotor 124 can rotate about the shaft 122 without contacting the shaft 122 and can rotate smoothly without the need for lubricants. Although Figure 3 Only one set of repelling poles is shown with reference numerals, but the horizontal magnetic bearing components may include multiple pairs of repelling poles to help maintain horizontal spacing between components.

[0026] The vertical magnetic bearing component is at least partially formed by a pair of lower magnetic poles (e.g., the third magnetic pole 138 and the fourth magnetic pole 140) that are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction and have repelling magnetic polarities. For example, the third magnetic pole 138 and the fourth magnetic pole 140 can both be positive or negative polarities so that they repel each other.

[0027] The third magnetic pole 138 can be coupled to or form a part of the bottom plate of the base 102. For example, a magnet or a magnetized structure (e.g., a boss-like structure) can be coupled to the base 102 to form the third magnetic pole 138. For another example, the base 102 itself can be magnetized to form the third magnetic pole 138.

[0028] The fourth magnetic pole 140 may be coupled to the rotor 124 or form a part of the rotor. For example, a magnet may be coupled to the rotor 124 to form the fourth magnetic pole 140. For another example, the rotor 124 itself may be magnetized to form the fourth magnetic pole 140.

[0029] The vertical magnetic bearing assembly may further include an upper magnetic pole pair 142 that is spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction and has a repelling magnetic polarity. Figure 3 In the example shown, the upper magnetic pole pair 142 is coupled to or formed by the shaft 122 and the rotor 124, respectively. For example, the shaft 122 may include or be coupled to a cap-like structure 144 or a portion extending horizontally from the shaft 122. This cap-like structure 144 may be coupled to or form a magnetic pole.

[0030] Because the force generated by the repulsion of the upper magnetic pole pair 142 is opposite in direction to the force generated by the repulsion of the lower magnetic pole pair, the vertical magnetic bearing components help maintain the vertical spacing between the shaft 122 and the rotor 124 and between the rotor 124 and the base 102 and the top cover 104. In other words, the repelling magnetic poles help maintain an air gap between these components so that these components do not contact each other. For example, the two pairs of magnetic poles can cause the rotor 124 to float or suspend in a vertical direction. During operation of the motor assembly 108 (e.g., by energizing the stator windings 130), the rotor 124 can rotate about the shaft 122 without contacting the shaft 122, the bottom plate of the base 102, and the top cover 104, and can rotate smoothly without the need for lubricants.

[0031] Figure 5 A side cross-sectional view of a portion of a hard disk drive 200 is shown with another design of a motor assembly 202. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Similar to the motor assembly 108 shown in FIG. 1 , the motor assembly 202 includes a stationary component, a rotatable component, and a magnetic bearing having a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component.

[0032] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, the fixed component is a sleeve 204 (e.g., a cylindrical sleeve with a central opening), and the rotatable component is a rotor 206 including a shaft 208. The sleeve 204 extends outward from the bottom plate of the base. For example, the sleeve 204 can be coupled to the bottom plate by fixing (e.g., adhering, welding) the sleeve 204 to the bottom plate.

[0033] The rotor 206 is coupled to or includes a hub 210. The magnetic recording medium is coupled to the hub 210 so that when the hub 210 rotates, the magnetic recording medium and the rotor 206 also rotate. The specific shapes and relative positions of the components of the motor assembly may be different from those shown in the figures. For example, the sleeve 204 may have a single inner surface facing the shaft 208 so that the gap between the shaft 208 and the sleeve 204 is uniform along the shaft 208.

[0034] The rotor 206 is caused to rotate by the electromagnetic motor portion of the motor assembly 202. In certain embodiments, the motor assembly 202 includes magnets 212 (e.g., permanent magnets) and stator windings 214. When the stator windings 214 are selectively energized, the magnetic field of the magnets 212 interacts with the magnetic field generated by the energized stator windings 214, causing the hub 210 to rotate. The magnets 212 can be formed as a unitary annular ring, or can be formed as a plurality of individual magnets spaced around the periphery of the hub 210. The magnets 212 are magnetized to form two or more magnetic poles.

[0035] As described above, unlike a hydrodynamic bearing or a ball bearing, the components coupled to the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 (or portions thereof) form a magnetic bearing. Specifically, the magnetic bearing is composed of multiple pairs of repelling magnetic poles located at different portions along the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206. These repelling magnetic poles suspend or float the rotor 206, thereby forming a gap (e.g., an air gap) between the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206, and the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 do not physically contact each other. Since the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 do not contact each other, the motor assembly 202 does not necessarily need to include a lubricant between the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 components.

[0036] exist Figure 5 In the example motor assembly 202 shown, the magnetic bearing of the motor assembly 202 includes a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component. The horizontal magnetic bearing component is composed of one or more pairs 216 of magnetic poles, which have individual magnetic poles, are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction, and have repelling magnetic polarity. In some embodiments, the horizontal magnetic bearing component includes an upper magnetic pole pair and a lower magnetic pole pair. Each pair 216 of magnetic poles can have two positive magnetic poles or negative magnetic poles, so that they repel each other.

[0037] One of the magnetic poles may be coupled to or form part of the sleeve 204. For example, a magnet may be coupled to the sleeve 204 to form a first magnetic pole. For another example, the sleeve 204 itself may be magnetized to form a first magnetic pole.

[0038] Another magnetic pole can be coupled to the rotor 206 or form part of the rotor. For example, a magnet can be coupled to the rotor 206 to form a second magnetic pole having the same magnetic polarity as the first magnetic pole. As another example, the rotor 206 itself can be magnetized to form the second magnetic pole. In some embodiments, the shaft 208 of the rotor 206 includes a magnetic pole. Figure 5 As shown, the shaft 208 is positioned within the central opening of the sleeve 204 .

[0039] Because of the repelling magnetic poles and because the shaft 208 at least partially surrounds the sleeve 204, the horizontal magnetic bearing components help maintain a horizontal spacing between the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206. In other words, the repelling magnetic poles help maintain an air gap between the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 so that the two components do not contact each other. During operation of the motor assembly 202, the rotor 206 can rotate around the sleeve 204 without contacting the rotor 206 and can rotate smoothly without the need for lubricants.

[0040] The vertical magnetic bearing component is composed of one or more pairs of magnetic poles 218 that are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction and have repelling magnetic polarity. For example, the vertical magnetic bearing component may include a repelling magnetic pole pair and an upper repelling magnetic pole pair.

[0041] The magnetic poles 218 of the lower repelling magnetic pole pair can be coupled to the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206, or form a portion of the sleeve and a portion of the rotor extending below a portion of the sleeve 204. For example, magnets can be coupled to the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 to form the opposite magnetic poles 218. For another example, all or part of the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 can be magnetized to form the opposite magnetic poles 218.

[0042] The magnetic pole 218 of the upper repelling magnetic pole pair can be coupled to the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206, or form a portion of the sleeve and a portion of the rotor extending above the sleeve 204. For example, magnets can be coupled to the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 to form opposite magnetic poles. For another example, all or part of the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 can be magnetized to form opposite magnetic poles.

[0043] Because the force generated by the repulsion of the upper magnetic pole pair is in the opposite direction to the force generated by the repulsion of the lower magnetic pole pair, the vertical magnetic bearing components help maintain the vertical spacing between the sleeve 204 and the rotor 206 and between the rotor 206 and the base and top cover. In other words, the repelling magnetic poles help maintain an air gap between these components so that these components do not contact each other. For example, the two pairs of magnetic poles can cause the rotor 206 to float or levitate. During operation of the motor assembly 202, the rotor 206 can rotate within the sleeve 204 without contacting the sleeve 204, the bottom plate of the base, and the top cover, and can rotate smoothly without the need for lubricants.

[0044] The above-mentioned magnetic bearing allows the rotating part of the motor assembly to rotate relative to the fixed part without contacting each other and without lubricated bearings. Using magnetic bearings, the rotating part can float or suspend. As mentioned above, the magnetic poles can be produced by coupling to individual magnets on the various components of the motor assembly or by magnetizing the components themselves. The magnitude of the magnetic field force required to suspend the rotating part can depend on the mass of the rotating part, the desired spacing between the components (usually in the order of millimeters) and other factors. In certain embodiments, various magnetic poles can be produced by permanent magnets or electromagnets.

[0045] In some embodiments, the motor assembly is fully assembled before being mounted to the base plate. In other embodiments, only a portion of the motor assembly is assembled before the motor assembly is secured to the base. After the motor assembly is secured to the base plate, the remaining components can be assembled. Once assembled, the remaining components of the hard disk drive can be coupled to the base and / or the motor assembly.

[0046] In certain embodiments, the motor assembly can be used to perform various methods. For example, the motor assembly can be used to rotate a magnetic recording medium when the rotating portion of the motor assembly is suspended or floated relative to the fixed portion of the motor assembly. Therefore, the rotating portion can be rotated and suspended at the same time.

[0047] Although the above-described embodiments include magnetic bearings in the motor assembly that rotates the magnetic recording medium, magnetic bearings can still be introduced into other components or assemblies such as pivot bearings. As described above, the motor assembly 108 rotates the magnetic recording medium 106, and the actuator assembly 112 is driven by the voice coil motor assembly 118 to pivot around the pivot bearing 120. Traditionally, the pivot bearing uses a ball bearing, which is placed in a cage and at least partially in a lubricant. As with liquid dynamic bearings, the lubricant in the pivot bearing may leak from the pivot bearing and contaminate the hard drive. Therefore, in some embodiments, the pivot bearing 120 may include a magnetic bearing instead of a ball bearing. Similar to the above-described motor assembly, the magnetic bearing in the pivot bearing 120 may include one or more pairs of magnetic poles. The magnetic poles can repel each other to form an air gap between the fixed component and the rotating component of the pivot bearing 120.

[0048] Various modifications and additions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, while the above embodiments relate to specific features, the scope of the present disclosure also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to include all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

[0049] Further examples:

[0050] 1. A hard disk drive comprising: a base coupled to a cover; a motor assembly coupled to the base; and a magnetic recording medium coupled to the motor assembly, the motor assembly comprising a magnetic bearing having a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component.

[0051] 2. The hard disk drive of Example 1, wherein the horizontal magnetic bearing component includes a first pair of repelling magnetic poles and the vertical magnetic bearing component includes a second pair of repelling magnetic poles.

[0052] 3. The hard disk drive of example 1, wherein the motor assembly includes a fixed component and a rotatable component.

[0053] 4. The hard disk drive of example 3, wherein the fixed component is a shaft and the rotatable component is a rotor.

[0054] 5. The hard disk drive of example 4, wherein the rotor is coupled to a hub, wherein the magnetic recording medium is coupled to the hub.

[0055] 6. A hard disk drive according to Example 4, wherein the shaft includes a first magnetic pole having a first magnetic polarity, wherein the rotor includes a second magnetic pole having a second magnetic polarity that is the same as the first magnetic polarity, and wherein the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole form the horizontal magnetic bearing component.

[0056] 7. The hard disk drive of Example 6, wherein the shaft includes a third magnetic pole, wherein the first magnetic pole and the third magnetic pole form the perpendicular magnetic bearing component.

[0057] 8. The hard disk drive of example 3, wherein the fixed component is a sleeve and the rotatable component is a shaft.

[0058] 9. The hard disk drive of example 4, wherein the shaft is coupled to a hub and the magnetic recording medium is coupled to the hub.

[0059] 10. The hard disk drive of example 9, wherein the shaft includes a first magnetic pole having a first magnetic polarity, and the rotor includes a second magnetic pole having a second magnetic polarity that repels the first magnetic polarity.

[0060] 11. The hard disk drive of example 3, wherein the fixed component and the rotatable component are spaced apart from each other.

[0061] 12. The hard disk drive of example 1, wherein the motor assembly does not contain a lubricant.

[0062] 13. A motor assembly comprising: a fixed component coupled to or including a first magnetic pole having a first magnetic polarity; and a rotatable component coupled to or including a second magnetic pole having a second magnetic polarity that repels the first magnetic polarity, the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole being arranged relative to each other to form a first pair of repelling magnetic poles, thereby constituting a horizontal magnetic bearing component; and a second pair of repelling magnetic poles for constituting a vertical magnetic bearing component.

[0063] 14. The motor assembly of Example 13, wherein the horizontal magnetic bearing component is arranged to at least partially maintain a horizontal spacing between the fixed component and the rotatable component.

[0064] 15. The motor assembly of Example 14, wherein the vertical magnetic bearing component is arranged to at least partially maintain a vertical spacing between the stationary component and the rotatable component.

[0065] 16. The motor assembly of Example 13, wherein the motor assembly does not contain a lubricant.

[0066] 17. A base for a hard disk drive, the base comprising: a bottom plate portion and a side wall portion; and a motor assembly coupled to the bottom plate portion and comprising a fixed component and a rotatable component, the motor assembly comprising a magnetic bearing having a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component, the magnetic bearing being arranged so that the rotatable component is suspended and does not contact the fixed component.

[0067] 18. The base of example 17, wherein the motor assembly does not contain a lubricant.

[0068] 19. The base of Example 17, wherein the vertical magnetic bearing component comprises a pair of upper repelling magnetic poles and a pair of lower repelling magnetic poles.

[0069] 20. The base of example 19, wherein the stationary component is a shaft and the rotatable component is a rotor positioned to at least partially surround the shaft.

Claims

1. A hard disk drive, comprising: a base coupled to the cover; a motor assembly coupled to the base and including a stationary member having a sleeve and a rotatable member having a shaft; as well as A magnetic recording medium is coupled to the motor assembly, the motor assembly including a magnetic bearing having a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component, wherein the vertical magnetic bearing component includes a pair of upper repelling poles and a pair of lower repelling poles.

2. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the horizontal magnetic bearing component comprises a first pair of repelling magnetic poles.

3. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the shaft includes a first magnetic pole having a first magnetic polarity, wherein the sleeve includes a second magnetic pole having a second magnetic polarity that is the same as the first magnetic polarity, wherein the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole form the horizontal magnetic bearing component.

4. The hard disk drive of claim 3, wherein the shaft includes a third magnetic pole, wherein the first magnetic pole and the third magnetic pole form the perpendicular magnetic bearing component.

5. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the shaft is coupled to a hub, and the magnetic recording medium is coupled to the hub. 6 . The hard disk drive of claim 1 , wherein the shaft includes a first magnetic pole having a first magnetic polarity, and the sleeve includes a second magnetic pole having a second magnetic polarity that repels the first magnetic polarity.

7. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the fixed member and the rotatable member are spaced apart from each other.

8. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the motor assembly contains no lubricant.

9. A motor assembly, comprising: a stationary member having a sleeve coupled to or including a first magnetic pole having a first magnetic polarity; a rotatable member having an axis, coupled to or including a second magnetic pole having a second magnetic polarity that repels the first magnetic polarity, the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole being arranged relative to each other to form a first pair of repelling magnetic poles, thereby constituting a horizontal magnetic bearing member; A second pair of repelling magnetic poles is used to form an upper vertical magnetic bearing component; as well as The third pair of repelling magnetic poles is used to form the lower vertical magnetic bearing component.

10. The electric machine assembly of claim 9, wherein the horizontal magnetic bearing component is arranged to at least partially maintain a horizontal spacing between the stationary component and the rotatable component.

11. The electric machine assembly of claim 10, wherein the vertical magnetic bearing component is arranged to at least partially maintain a vertical spacing between the stationary component and the rotatable component.

12. The motor assembly of claim 9, wherein the motor assembly does not contain a lubricant.

13. A base for a hard disk drive, the base comprising: A bottom plate portion and a side wall portion; as well as A motor assembly coupled to the base portion and including a fixed component having a sleeve and a rotatable component having a shaft, the motor assembly including a magnetic bearing having a horizontal magnetic bearing component and a vertical magnetic bearing component, the magnetic bearing being arranged so that the rotatable component is suspended and not in contact with the fixed component, wherein the vertical magnetic bearing component includes a pair of upper repelling poles and a pair of lower repelling poles.

14. The mount of claim 13, wherein the motor assembly contains no lubricant.

15. The mount of claim 13, wherein the sleeve is positioned to at least partially surround the shaft.

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