Twisted Base Plate Head Suspension for Off-Track Error Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing head suspensions in hard disk drives are cumbersome and inefficient, especially when dealing with multi-arm assemblies, as they require careful twisting of arms to prevent off-track errors, which complicates the process and increases the number of steps.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a head suspension design where the front end of the base plate is twisted to incline toward either the inner or outer circumference of the recording medium, reducing off-track displacement by adjusting the bend or vibration direction, thereby improving slider positioning accuracy, and simplifying the manufacturing process for multi-arm assemblies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the arm is twisted to suppress off-track errors, then slider positioning accuracy is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the twisting function from the arm and applies it only to the base plate of the head suspension. This segmentation allows the twisting operation to be performed on a small, isolated component rather than on the entire arm assembly, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the ability to suppress off-track errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The base plate is twisted in advance during the head suspension manufacturing process, before the head suspension is assembled to the arm. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex in-situ twisting operations on the multi-arm assembly, simplifying the overall manufacturing process while achieving the required positioning accuracy.
2Reliability
If the arm is twisted to reduce vibration components, then off-track errors are suppressed, but the number of manufacturing processes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines the twisting operation with the head suspension manufacturing process itself, rather than treating it as a separate post-processing step. This merging of operations eliminates additional manufacturing processes and maintains high productivity while achieving reliable off-track error suppression.
Solution Approach 2:
The necessary twisting is performed in advance during head suspension fabrication. This preliminary action ensures that the vibration suppression effect is achieved without requiring additional manufacturing steps later in the production process, thereby maintaining high productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple arms are present in the assembly, then the head suspension can be used in multi-arm assemblies, but the twisting work becomes troublesome due to interference from other arms
Solution Approach 1:
By applying the twisting function to the base plate rather than the arm, the invention creates an independent twisting operation that is isolated from other arms in the assembly. This segmentation allows each head suspension to be twisted independently without interference from neighboring arms, maintaining ease of manufacture in multi-arm configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The twisting operation is extracted from the arm and applied to the base plate instead. This extraction removes the source of interference problems, as the base plate twisting does not involve the arms that would otherwise interfere with each other during the twisting process in multi-arm assemblies.
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 effectively suppresses off-track errors, enhances slider positioning accuracy, and simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing the twisting of the base plate without interference from other arms, even in multi-arm assemblies, resulting in improved data accessing characteristics for hard disk drives.
Implementation Method 1
the front end of the base plate is twisted so that the front end of the base plate inclines toward one of inner and outer circumferences of the disk-like recording medium... the head suspension inclines according to the twisted front end of the base plate, and therefore, bend or vibration between the carriage and the head suspension inclines
Data Source
AI summary
A head suspension 15 includes a base plate 27, a load bend 35, a load beam 37, a flexure 39, and a slider 25 that are assembled together through several processes including a pressing process. In such a head suspension 15 that is a finished product in a conventional sense, a front end 30 of the base plate 27 is twisted so that the front end 30 inclines toward one of inner and outer circumferences of a disk-like recording medium 33. The twisting process is carried out before attaching the head suspension 15 to an arm 13 of a carriage to be installed in a hard disk drive. The head suspension 15 with the twisted front end 30 prevents off-track errors even when it is used for a multi-arm assembly involving a plurality of head suspensions.