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US 9,754,631 B2Granted
Disc drive apparatus with hermetically sealed cavity
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsSamuel Edward Severson, David G. Fitzgerald, David Ray Lapp, Jerome Thomas Coffey, Robert M. Gibbs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Certain exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards a disc drive apparatus. A base deck and a cover are joined to one another by a friction-stir weld along a lip of the cover that extends along a periphery of the cover and over a surface of the base deck. The base deck and cover enclose a cavity, which is hermetically sealed by the weld.
Claims20
A disc drive apparatus comprising:
- a base deck including a cavity defined by sidewalls having inner surfaces;
- a cover that encloses the cavity, the cover including a planar inner surface that adjoins the inner surfaces of the sidewalls to enclose the cavity, and including a lip that extends along a periphery of the cover and over a top of the sidewalls, and that bends downward from the top over an outer surface of the sidewalls of the base deck;
- and
- a friction-stir weld that joins a lower portion of the lip to the base deck along a vertical portion of the outer surface of the sidewalls, the friction-stir weld including a portion of first material from the lip blended with a portion of second material from the base deck, the friction-stir weld being configured and arranged with the cover and base deck to hermetically seal the cavity.
1 more element
A method for forming a disc drive apparatus, the method including the steps of:
- providing a base deck including a cavity defined by sidewalls having inner surfaces and an outer surface, the outer surface defining a lateral perimeter of the sidewalls;
- providing a cover that encloses the cavity, the cover including a planar inner surface that adjoins an upper portion of the inner surfaces of the sidewalls to enclose the cavity, and including a lip that extends along a periphery of the cover and that bends over the outer surface of the sidewalls of the base deck and extends down from the upper portion along the outer surface;
- and
- hermetically sealing the cavity within the base deck by-friction-stir welding a lower portion of the lip to the base deck along the outer surface of the sidewalls, with a portion of first material from the lip blended with a portion of second material from the base deck, therein forming a friction-stir weld.
1 more element
A method for forming a disc drive apparatus, the method including the steps of:
- applying a first seal to a base deck having a cavity defined by sidewalls having inner surfaces and containing a disc drive assembly therein, and using the first seal to retain a low density atmosphere in the cavity;
- verifying operation of the disc drive assembly by testing the assembly while using the first seal to enclose a low density atmosphere;
- in response to the verification being indicative of a failure of the disc drive,
- removing the first seal,
- reworking the disc drive assembly,
- applying a second seal to the base deck and using the second seal to retain a low density atmosphere in the cavity, and
- verifying operation of the disc drive assembly by testing the assembly while using the first seal to enclose a low density atmosphere;
- and
- in response to verifying proper operation of the disc drive, hermetically sealing the cavity by joining a cover to the base deck via a friction-stir weld, the cover enclosing the cavity and including a planar inner surface that adjoins the inner surfaces of the sidewalls to enclose an upper end of the cavity, and having a lip that extends along a periphery thereof and bends over an outer surface of the sidewalls of the base deck and extends down along the outer surface away from the upper end of the cavity, the friction-stir weld including a portion of material from the lip blended with a portion of material from the base deck that is different than the material from the lip.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.