May 21 2004
Custom 3M flexible circuits have been certified for high-volume production by Optimal Technologies Limited of Hong Kong for use in their small form factor flex suspension assembly (FSA). Optimal Technologies produces the flex suspension assemblies for a variety of hard disk drive (HDD) OEMs, including a major Asia-based HDD OEM which uses the small form factor assembly to build their 1-inch drives. The 3M circuit connects the read/write head to the drive electronics. They are available from the 3M Electronic Solutions Division.
Optimal Technology produces a number of high performance assemblies for the hard disk drive industry. Optimal Technology Limited is 51 percent owned by Magnecomp International Ltd. and 49 percent owned by SAE (HK) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TDK, Japan.
Small form factor HDDs provide high-performance storage capacity for demanding hand-held devices such as MP3 music players, digital cameras, PDAs, laptops and digital video players. When compared to competing flash-based storage technology, the small form factor drives offer inexpensive mass storage.
For more information on hard disk drives, click here.