Mechanical support of flexible conductors in disk drive suspensions
AssigneeMagnecomp Corporation
InventorsAmanullah Khan, Warren Coon
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Abstract
A disk drive suspension is provided comprising a load beam, a flexure partially overlying the load beam, the flexure having frame and tongue for supporting a slider, and a flexible conductor comprising a laminate of conductive leads and insulating plastic film, the flexure load beam-overlying portion and the load beam are fixed together and closely spaced to clamp the flexible conductor in place mechanically and freely of bonding to the load beam or flexure.
Claims15
A disk drive suspension comprising a load beam having a portion defining a first clamp member, a flexure having a distal end and a proximal end, said flexure distal end being fixed to said load beam, said flexure proximal end being free of attachment to and spaced from said load beam a given distance, said flexure having a load beam-overlying portion including said proximal end and defining a second clamp member adapted to cooperate with said first clamp member in clamping relation, and a flexible conductor having a thickness no greater than said given distance, said flexible conductor comprising a laminate of conductive leads and insulating plastic film, said flexible conductor being disposed on said load beam portion between said flexure and said load beam and clamped there by said cooperating first and second clamp members and free of bonding attachment to said flexure and said load beam at said load beam-overlying flexure portion.
A disk drive suspension comprising a spring metal load beam, a spring metal flexure having a distal end and a proximal end, said flexure having a tongue, a frame about said tongue and at its proximal end a frame extension extending rearwardly from said flexure distal end, said flexure frame distal end being fixed to said load beam, said flexure frame extension having a proximal, cantilevered, load beam-overlying portion, and a flexible conductor having a given thickness and comprising a laminate of conductive leads and insulating plastic film, said flexible conductor being disposed on said load beam, said flexure frame extension load beam-overlying portion and said load beam being spaced a given distance not less than said given thickness for the length of said flexure frame extension portion, said flexure portion and said load beam cooperating to retain said flexible conductor as disposed on said load beam, said flexible conductor being free of bonding attachment to said flexure and said load beam at said flexure frame extension portion.
A disk drive suspension comprising an axially elongated spring metal load beam having a base portion, a spring portion and a beam portion, and an axially elongated spring metal flexure generally parallel to and at least partially overlying said beam portion, said flexure having a proximal end and a distal end, said flexure having a tongue, a frame about said tongue and a frame extension extending rearwardly from said frame generally in parallel with said load beam and spaced therefrom a given distance to define a frame extension portion of said flexure overlying said load beam, and a flexible conductor of a given thickness and comprising a laminate of conductive leads and insulating plastic film, said flexible conductor lying against and generally axially of said beam portion and extending to salad flexure frame, said frame extension portion and said load beam given distance spacing being sized to receive said thickness of said flexible conductor and trap said flexible conductor between said load beam and flexure frame extension portion without reducing said flexible conductor given thickness, whereby said flexible conductor is retained against said load beam freely of bonding to said load beam or said flexure frame extension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.