Optimization of wide-bandwidth hard disk drive actuator design using statistical methods

As track density of hard disk drives is intensified, actuator dynamics has emerged as one of the most important design factors not only for high-performance models but also desktop applications. In spite of many different complex physical considerations required for successful wide-bandwidth actuator designs, most current design processes that rely purely upon designer´s experience-based historical approaches do not effectively account all factors to determine optimum design. A development of design optimization procedure for a high-performance actuator is presented in this paper. A position error signal (PES) estimator employing both numerical model and experimental data is developed for effective and accurate optimization process. Statistically formulated optimization method presented here delivers not only wide-bandwidth actuator design for PES reduction but higher shockproof HDA design. Furthermore the presented method incorporates volume production parameters so that designers are able to predict design tolerance and cost relations.