Apparatus for press-in attachment of suspension assembly in hard disk drive

In an apparatus in which an actuator body is clamped in a fixture that prevents outward bending of actuator arms of said actuator body, in which a number of head suspension assemblies are located in said actuator body such that base plate hubs in said suspensions are in alignment with corresponding boss holes in said actuator arms and such that said head suspensions are radially aligned, said boss holes being smaller than outside diameters of said base plate hubs;

• an improvement comprising:
• a tool located between said actuator arms and opposing head suspension base plate pairs and in alignment with said base plates;
• and,
• a tool activator;
• said tool having, upon activation by said tool activator, a reach sufficient to urge each base plate hub into a corresponding boss hole.

An apparatus comprising:

• clamping means for clamping an actuator body in a fixture that prevents outward bending of actuator arms of said actuator body;
• locating means for locating a number of head suspension assemblies in said actuator body such that base plate hubs in said suspensions are in alignment with corresponding boss holes in said actuator arms and such that said head suspensions are radially aligned;
• inserting means for inserting a tool between said actuator arms and opposing head suspension base plate pairs in alignment with said base plates;
• and,
• activating means for activating said tool a reach sufficient to urge each base plate hub into a corresponding boss hole that is smaller than the base plate hub outside diameter to create a press fit connection between a corresponding head suspension and actuator arm.

An apparatus comprising:

• a clamping fixture that prevents outward bending of actuator arms of an actuator body in which a number of head suspension assemblies in said actuator body are located such that base plate hubs in said suspensions are in alignment with corresponding boss holes in said actuator arms and such that said head suspensions are radially aligned;
• a tool;
• said tool being located between said actuator arms and opposing head suspension base plate pairs and in alignment with said base plates;
• and,
• a tool activator,
• said tool having, upon activation by said tool activator, a reach sufficient to urge each base plate hub into a corresponding boss hole, said boss hole being smaller than an outside diameter of said base plate hub.

An apparatus for joining base plate hubs to a number of actuator arms extending from an actuator body comprising:

• an actuator body fixture;
• said actuator body fixture being adapted to hold a plurality of suspensions in said actuator body, with hubs of said suspensions in alignment with boss holes in said actuator arms and such that said head suspensions are radially aligned;
• a tool;
• said tool being fitted to dimensions of spaces between said actuator arms;
• and,
• a tool activator;
• said tool activator having appropriate dimensions so as cause said tool to attain a reach sufficient to urge a base plate hub into an actuator arm boss hole, said boss hole being smaller than an outside diameter of said base plate hub.