Head Suspension Conductive Base Plate Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head suspensions for magnetic disk drives face challenges in achieving thinness while ensuring conductivity between piezoelectric elements and actuator bases, leading to increased costs due to the difficulty in partial gold plating and burr removal processes when the actuator base is integral with the base plate.
Innovation Solution
A head suspension design featuring a conductive base plate with an integral actuator base and a discrete auxiliary plate, using a nonconductive adhesive layer to attach the piezoelectric element and a conductive material to connect the electrode plane to the side support, allowing for secure conductivity without the need for extensive gold plating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the actuator base is integral with the base plate to reduce installation space, then the head suspension becomes thinner, but the manufacturing complexity increases due to difficulty in gold plating and burr removal processes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the actuator base from the base plate by providing a through-hole in the integral structure. This allows the actuator base to be treated as a separate component for manufacturing purposes (masking and gold plating) while maintaining the integrated thin profile in the final assembly. The segmentation enables selective gold plating of the actuator base without requiring complex burr removal operations on the entire integral structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The through-hole acts as an intermediary element that reconciles the conflict between integral and separate structures. It allows the actuator base to be manufactured and plated separately (like a separate component) while being integrated into the base plate (like an integral structure). The hole provides access for masking and plating operations while maintaining the thin overall profile.
2Ease of manufacture
If the actuator base is separated from the base plate to simplify gold plating process, then the manufacturing becomes easier, but the head suspension thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely separating the actuator base from the base plate, the invention segments only the specific region around the through-hole. This partial segmentation allows the actuator base to be treated as separable for plating purposes while remaining integrated with the base plate, thereby maintaining the thin profile without sacrificing manufacturing ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by providing the through-hole only in the specific region where the actuator base requires gold plating. This localized modification enables selective plating of the actuator base without affecting the overall integral structure, maintaining thinness where needed while simplifying manufacturing where required.
3Length of moving object
If the actuator base is integral with the base plate, then the head suspension is thinner, but the cost increases due to inability to perform collective masking and plating
Solution Approach 1:
The through-hole creates a functional segmentation that allows chained actuator bases to be collectively masked and plated through the hole, even though the actuator base remains integral with the base plate. This segmentation enables cost-effective collective plating operations while maintaining the thin integrated profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention solves the plating accessibility problem by transitioning from a two-dimensional surface approach to a three-dimensional approach through the through-hole. This allows plating operations to access the actuator base from the opposite side, enabling collective masking and plating of chained components without increasing thickness.
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
The solution results in a thinner head suspension with improved conductivity and reduced manufacturing costs, maintaining the thinness and precision required for magnetic disk drives while simplifying the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
a piezoelectric element deforming in response to a voltage applied thereto and thereby moving the load beam relative to the base plate in a sway direction
Implementation Method 2
a conductive material configured to electrically connect an electrode plane of the piezoelectric element and the side support to each other
Data Source
AI summary
A head suspension has a conductive base plate, a piezoelectric element, and a load beam. The piezoelectric element deforms in response to a voltage applied thereto, thereby moving the load beam relative to the base plate in a sway direction. The head suspension includes an actuator base integral with the base plate, an auxiliary plate laid on and fixed to the actuator base and having a surface support and a side support, the surface support facing a periphery of a surface of the piezoelectric element, the side support facing in the sway direction a side face of the piezoelectric element, an attaching part formed of the actuator base and auxiliary plate, the attaching part being present between the base plate and the load beam and being configured to attach the piezoelectric element thereto, a nonconductive adhesive layer interposed between the attaching part and the piezoelectric element, to adhere the piezoelectric element to the attaching part, and a conductive material configured to electrically connect an electrode plane of the piezoelectric element and the side support to each other. The head suspension is thin and secures conductivity between the electrode plane of the piezoelectric element and the actuator base.