Higher Density, Higher Performance

It is a very common practice to measure the mechanical response of component assemblies, combine them with modeling software and predict the behavior of the full assembly. Sometimes it is impractical to measure the final assembly, sometimes the modeling is insufficient and, sometimes simply joining the assemblies can modify their behavior in unexpected ways.

In the hard disk drive segment of the data storage industry, the challenges to understand the mechanical interactions are extreme as the fight for micro-inch control has progressed to nano-meters, Angstroms and now to understanding tenths of Angstroms. The next generation of disk drive will have heads flying at approximately three nanometers (30 Angstroms). The operative word is "flying". The head must not touch the surface or it can cause premature failure of the head or media. The head must not fly too high or there will be an excessive data error rate.