Disk clamping collet system

A disk clamping collet system for mounting, holding, and rotating a disk, said collet system comprising:

• an expanding collet, said collet comprising a plurality of fingers, said collet further comprising a disk contact ring on said fingers for radially contacting an inner surface of the disk, said collet further comprising a base, wherein the disk is mounted onto said disk clamping collet system from a direction opposite said base with respect to said disk contact ring;
• and
• an expander for forcibly urging at a radial expansion contact locus said fingers to expand such that said disk contact ring radially contacts the inner surface of the disk, said expander comprising a mounting cone which tapers away from said base in said opposite direction, whereby the disk is capable of being mounted onto said collet system more easily from said opposite direction due to corrective responses enabled by said mounting cone;
• wherein said disk contact ring is offset from said radial expansion contact locus a distance sufficient to ensure substantially uniform and repeatable outward forces on the inner surface of the disk regardless of minor surface variations along said radial expansion contact locus.

A disk clamping collet system for mounting, holding, and rotating a disk, said system comprising:

• an expanding collet, said collet comprising a plurality of fingers, said collet further comprising a disk contact ring on said fingers for radially contacting an inner surface of the disk, said collet having a base;
• an expander for forcibly urging at a radial expansion contact locus said fingers to radially expand such that said disk contact ring expands to radially contact the inner surface of the disk, wherein said expander achieves the radial urging of said fingers by an inward axial movement of said expander toward said base;
• means for axially urging said expander inward toward said base;
• and
• means for abuttably stopping the inward motion of said expander toward said base at an axial biasing position;
• wherein said disk contact ring is offset from the radial expansion contact locus a distance sufficient to cause said fingers to exert a cantilever-type spring force against the inner surface of the disk when said disk is mounted around said disk contact ring and when said expander is at said axial biasing position to ensure substantially uniform and repeatable outward forces on the inner surface of the disk regardless of minor surface variations along said radial expansion contact locus.

In a computer disk surface texturizing system, an improved disk clamping collet system for mounting, holding, and rotating a disk around an axis of rotation, said disk having an inner surface at an inner diameter for radial contact, said system comprising:

• (a) an expanding collet comprising a collet base, a finger base, an expansion portion, and an extension portion, wherein said finger base, said expansion portion, and said extension portions are formed from radially curved cantilever fingers extending longitudinally from said collet base, wherein each of said fingers comprise base, expansion, and extension portions which collectively form said finger base, expansion, and extension portions, respectively, of said collet, and wherein each finger has a fixed end at said collet base and a free end opposite said collet base;
• (b) an expander capable of axial motion with respect to said collet along the axis of rotation, said expander comprising an expansion surface for radially contacting an inner surface of said expansion portion of said collet at a locus of expander contact points, whereby said expansion portions of said collet fingers radially expand and separate responsive to an inward urging of said expander in a compressive axial direction toward said collet base;
• (c) means for axially positioning said expander along said axis of rotation;
• (d) a plurality of disk contact ring segments, one formed on each collet finger near said free end, said disk contact ring segments collectively forming a disk contact ring, said disk contact ring being for radially contacting the inner surface of the disk upon the radial expansion of said collet fingers, said disk contact ring being farther from said collet base than said locus of expander contact points by an offset distance;
• and
• (d) means, axially affixed with respect to said collet base, for abuttably stopping said expander at a predetermined nominal axial biasing position relative to said collet, whereby
• an outward radial pressure is exerted on a mounted disk's inner surface by said contact ring upon placement of the disk around said contact ring and upon a positioning of said expander at said nominal axial biasing position, said outward radial pressure being primarily a function of a cantilever spring force developed by each finger as said finger contacts (1) said base at said fixed end, (2) said expander expansion surface at said expanding portion, and (3) said disk inner surface by means of said disk contact ring segment near said free end;
• said offset distance being sufficient to enable said cantilever spring force to ensure substantially uniform and repeatable outward forces on the inner surface of the disk regardless of minor surface variations along said locus of expander contact points.

An improved disk clamping collet system for mounting, holding, and rotating a disk, said collet system comprising:

• an expanding collet, said collet comprising a plurality of fingers, said collet further comprising a disk contact ring on said fingers for radially contacting an inner surface of the disk;
• an expander for forcibly urging at a radial expansion contact locus said fingers to radially expand such that said disk contact ring expands to radially contact the inner surface of the disk;
• wherein said expander has a convexly curved surface for forcibly urging said collet fingers outward;
• and
• wherein said disk contact ring and said radial expansion contact locus are separated by a distance sufficient to ensure substantially uniform and repeatable outward forces on the inner surface of the disk regardless of minor surface variations along said radial expansion contact locus.

An improved disk clamping collet system for mounting, holding, and rotating a disk around an axis of rotation, said collet system comprising:

• an expanding collet, said collet comprising a base and a plurality of fingers, said collet further comprising a disk contact ring on said fingers for radially contacting an inner surface of the disk;
• an expander for forcibly urging at a radial expansion contact locus said fingers to radially expand such that said disk contact ring expands to radially contact the inner surface of the disk;
• wherein said disk contact ring comprises an outer surface which is bevelled with respect to the axis of rotation and sloping inward toward said base, and
• wherein said disk contact ring is offset from the radial expansion contact locus.

In a computer disk surface texturizing system, an improved disk clamping collet system for mounting, holding, and rotating a disk around an axis of rotation, said disk having an inner surface at an inner diameter for radial contact, said system comprising:

• (a) an expanding collet comprising a collet base, a finger base, an expansion portion, and an extension portion, wherein said finger base, said expansion portion, and said extension portions are formed from radially curved cantilever fingers extending longitudinally from said collet base, wherein each of said fingers comprises base, expansion, and extension portions which collectively form said finger base, expansion, and extension portions, respectively, of said collet, and wherein each finger has a fixed end at said collet base and a free end opposite said collet base;
• (b) an expander capable of axial motion with respect to said collet along the axis of rotation, said expander comprising an expansion surface for radially contacting an inner surface of said expansion portion of said collet at a locus of expander contact points, whereby said expansion portions of said collet fingers radially expand and separate responsive to an inward urging of said expander in a compressive axial direction toward said collet base;
• (c) means for axially positioning said expander along said axis of rotation;
• (d) a plurality of disk contact ring segments, one formed on each collet finger near said free end, said disk contact ring segments collectively forming a disk contact ring, said disk contact ring being for radially contacting the inner surface of the disk upon the radial expansion of said collet fingers, said disk contact ring being in a plane which is farther from said collet base than the plane of said locus of expander contact points;
• and
• (d) means, axially affixed with respect to said collet base, for abuttably stopping said expander at a predetermined nominal axial biasing position relative to said collet, whereby
• an outward radial pressure is exerted on a mounted disk's inner surface by said contact ring upon placement of the disk around said contact ring and upon a positioning of said expander at said nominal axial biasing position, said outward radial pressure being primarily a function of a cantilever spring force developed by each finger as said finger contacts (1) said base at said fixed end, (2) said expander expansion surface at said expanding portion, and (3) said disk inner surface by means of said disk contact ring segment near said free end,
• wherein
• said disk contact ring comprises an outer surface bevelled and sloping downward toward said collet base, whereby when the disk is mounted and when said expander is in said predetermined nominal axial biasing position, said outer surface is substantially flush with the inner surface of the disk.

A disk clamping collet system for mounting, holding, and rotating a disk, said collet system comprising:

• an expanding collet, including a base portion and a plurality of fingers extending a predetermined length from the base portion arranged for unrestrained cantilevered expansion, said fingers having a disk contact portion opposite the base portion for radially contacting an inner surface of the disk;
• and
• an expander disposed within said collet and acting on the fingers at a radial expansion contact locus to forcibly urge said fingers to radially expand such that said disk contact portion expands to radially contact the inner surface of the disk and exert an outward force thereon;
• wherein the predetermined length of the fingers is sufficient to offset said disk contact portion from the radial expansion contact locus by an offset distance sufficient to ensure substantially uniform and repeatable outward forces around said disk contact portion regardless of minor surface variations along said radial expansion contact locus.