Head Suspension Base Plate Scrap Section Deburring
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing head suspensions face issues with entanglement and deformation of base plates during processing, leading to material and product losses, and the risk of burrs dropping off in completed hard disk drives due to inadequate deburring and heat treatment processes.
Innovation Solution
A head suspension design with a base plate that includes a half-finished actuator attaching area with scrap sections bridging the actuator attaching area, which are deburred and heat-treated to prevent entanglement and deformation, and the cutting surfaces are coated with adhesive to prevent burrs from dropping off.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the base plate chain is deburred by chemical polishing, electrolytic polishing, or barrel polishing, then the surface quality is improved, but the actuator attaching areas and side segments may entangle among multiple base plate chains during transportation, causing deformation and increasing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing deburring operations on the base plate chain before the actuator attaching areas and side segments can cause entanglement issues during subsequent transportation and assembly processes. By addressing the surface quality issue upfront in the manufacturing sequence, the patent prevents future handling complications while maintaining production efficiency
2Manufacturing precision
If the base plate chain is deburred by chemical polishing, electrolytic polishing, or barrel polishing, then the surface quality is improved, but material and product losses occur due to entanglement and deformation of actuator attaching areas and side segments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs deburring operations at an early stage in the manufacturing process, before transportation and assembly operations that could cause entanglement and deformation. This preliminary action prevents material loss by eliminating surface defects when the base plate chain is still in a controlled manufacturing environment, avoiding waste from subsequent rework or scrap
3Weight of moving object
If the base plate is made thinner to reduce weight, then the weight is reduced, but the actuator attaching areas and side segments become more prone to entanglement and deformation during processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs deburring and surface treatment operations on thinner base plates before they undergo transportation and assembly processes where entanglement risks are highest. This preliminary action compensates for the reduced structural stability of thinner materials by ensuring surface quality is established when the component is still supported by manufacturing fixtures rather than relying solely on its own structural rigidity
4Stability of the object's composition
If alignment is performed before deburring or heat treatment to prevent entanglement and deformation, then the deformation is reduced, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs deburring operations as a preliminary step before subsequent handling and assembly operations. By establishing surface quality and reducing burr-induced entanglement risks early in the process, the patent eliminates the need for intermediate alignment steps that would otherwise be required to prevent deformation, thereby maintaining productivity while ensuring shape stability
5Productivity
If cutting surfaces are left without deburring in actuator attaching areas, then productivity is improved by eliminating deburring steps, but burrs may drop off in completed hard disk drives reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs deburring operations on cutting surfaces in actuator attaching areas as a preliminary step before assembly, ensuring that burrs are removed while the component is still in a controlled manufacturing environment. This preliminary action prevents burrs from dropping off in completed hard disk drives, maintaining reliability without requiring additional deburring steps later in the process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses adhesive as an intermediary substance to cover and secure cutting surfaces that may have residual burrs. The adhesive acts as a mediator between the cutting surface and the actuator attaching area, preventing burrs from dropping off into the completed hard disk drive while allowing the assembly process to proceed without extensive deburring
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach minimizes the risk of burrs dropping off from the cutting surfaces and improves handling and productivity by preventing entanglement and deformation during processing, while maintaining the structural integrity of the base plate.
Implementation Method 1
an adhesive fixing the actuator to the actuator attaching position and covering the cutting surface
Implementation Method 2
the base plate being used to support, through a resilient part, a load beam that supports a read/write head. The method includes forming a half-finished base plate from a thin plate material, the half-finished base plate having a half-finished actuator attaching area and a scrap section that is formed in the half-finished actuator attaching area
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a base plate, after deburring and heat-treating a half-finished base plate, cuts off a scrap section at the ends of the scrap section from a half-finished actuator attaching area so that cutting surfaces left in a finished actuator attaching area are positioned onto the inner perimeter of the finished actuator attaching area and are oriented to at least partly face an actuator attaching position inside the finished actuator attaching area.