Importance

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Abstract

A slider lifter for a disc drive is disclosed which utilizes an element of a shape memory alloy to lift multiple transducer heads away from the surfaces of a plurality of stacked discs. The slider lifter includes a support post and a pair of opposing combs carried by the post. The combs are adapted to move in opposite directions between first and second relative positions. In one of the relative positions, the combs engage the flexures to physically lift the transducers carried by the flexures from the surfaces of their associated discs. A biasing mechanism cooperates with shape memory alloy having martensitic and austenitic phase conditions to move the combs back and forth between the first and second positions. When the shape memory element is in a first phase condition, the biasing means forces the combs to their first relative position and when the shape memory alloy element is in the second phase condition, the combs are held in their second relative position. The shape memory alloy element is selectively heated to control its phase condition.

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First Claim