Patent Publication Number: US-2005115057-A1

Title: Method of manufacturing a magnetic head, and magnetic head manufacturing apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a magnetic head, and to a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a magnetic head, and a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus, suitable for post mounting of a slider onto a suspension attached to an actuator block.  
      2. Related Background Art  
      Hard disk drives (hereinafter called HDDs) are increasing in capacity and being made thinner. Together with these advances, magnetic heads (20%, 30% sliders) are also being made smaller.  
      When bonding a slider, on which a giant magneto-resistive (GMR) element is formed, to a suspension with conventional processes of manufacturing magnetic heads, positioning of the slider is performed first using the external shape of the slider as a reference. An adhesive agent is applied to a rear surface side of the slider (side opposite to a side where an air bearing surface (ABS) is formed) after positioning the slider, and the slider side is made to contact a distal end of the suspension, which has been positioned by using a tooling hole. The slider and the distal end of the suspension are bonded together through the adhesive. It should be noted that a suction nozzle slightly smaller than the surface area of the slider is generally used in moving the slider to the distal end of the suspension.  
      After bonding the slider and the suspension, thus forming a head gimble assembly (HGA), the HGA is assembled together with an actuator block, forming a head stack assembly (HSA) (refer to JP 4-17174 A, for example).  
      However, problems like those described below exist with the conventional magnetic head manufacturing methods described above.  
      Namely, the processing time is long because the slider undergoes the process for assembling the HSA after undergoing the process for assembling the HGA. A danger thus exists that elements within the slider will be damaged due to electrostatic discharge (ESD) or the like. When a non-defective slider at the HGA assembly state becomes defective during processing, the defects in the slider are discovered after HSA assembly. Finished product yield consequently decreases, and there are cost increases.  
      Methods in which the suspension and the actuator block are assembled in advance, and then the slider is attached to the slider through post mounting have been considered in order to resolve problems like those described above. However, a pair of suspensions that sandwich a magnetic disk face each other in the HSA. With a method in which the slider is attached to one suspension from a vertical direction by using an absorption nozzle, there is a problem in that the suction nozzle interferes with the other suspension facing the one suspension, making it impossible to attach the slider.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems described above. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a magnetic head, and a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus, capable of post mounting a slider even when a suspension and an actuator block are previously assembled together.  
      The present invention has been made based on the finding that a slider can be attached to a distal end of a suspension by accurately maintaining the height of the distal end of the suspension, which is to be attached to an actuator block, and inserting the slider between suspensions that face each other by using a gripping mechanism.  
      That is, a method of manufacturing a magnetic head according to one aspect of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a magnetic head in which a slider is attached to suspensions, including: setting distal ends of the suspensions, to which the slider is to be attached, at prescribed heights; gripping both side surfaces of the slider by pressing surfaces formed on a gripping mechanism; regulating a horizontal attitude of the slider by bringing an ABS of the slider into contact with a horizontal regulating surface formed on the gripping mechanism; moving the slider, which is held by the gripping mechanism, to the distal ends of the suspensions; and attaching a rear surface of the slider to the distal ends of the suspensions through connecting means.  
      Further, a method of manufacturing a magnetic head according to another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a magnetic head in which a slider is attached to suspensions attached to an actuator block, the method including: pushing open a plurality of the suspensions that face each other, forming a gap having a prescribed height between distal ends of the suspensions to which the slider is to be attached; gripping both side surfaces of the slider by pressing surfaces formed on a gripping mechanism; regulating a horizontal attitude of the slider by bringing an ABS of the slider into contact with a horizontal regulating surface formed on the gripping mechanism; inserting the slider, which is held by the gripping mechanism, into the gap; and attaching a rear surface of the slider to the distal ends of the suspensions by using connecting means.  
      Further, it is desirable that insertion of the gripping mechanism between the suspensions be performed from a longitudinal direction of the suspensions, thus preventing interference with a surface of the slider on which a terminal electrode is formed. Further, the holding of the slider by the gripping mechanism preferably includes gripping both the side surfaces of the slider by the pressing surfaces, making the gripping mechanism approach the slider, and bringing the horizontal regulating surface into contact with the ABS of the slider.  
      Further, a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus in which a slider is attached to suspensions, including: a positioning member for retaining distal ends of the suspensions at prescribed heights; a gripping mechanism made from two block structure members that are capable of sliding with respect to each other, the gripping mechanism being adapted to grip the slider by pressing with pressing surfaces formed on the block members and to horizontally regulate the slider by a horizontal regulating surface that is formed on one of the block members and contacts an ABS of the slider; and driving means for operating the gripping mechanism to move the slider toward distal ends of the suspensions and to press the slider onto the distal ends of the suspensions, based on position information on the distal ends of the suspensions and position information on the slider that is held by the gripping mechanism.  
      Further, a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus in which a slider is attached to suspensions attached to an actuator block, the magnetic head manufacturing apparatus including: an insertion member that is inserted between a plurality of the suspensions that face each other, for holding distal ends of the suspensions, to which the slider is to be attached, at a prescribed height and for forming a gap between the suspensions that face each other; a gripping mechanism made from two block structure members that are capable of sliding with respect to each other, the gripping mechanism being adapted to grip the slider by pressing with pressing surfaces formed on the block members and to horizontally regulate the slider by a horizontal regulating surface that is formed on one of the block members and contacts an ABS of the slider; and driving means for operating the gripping mechanism to insert the slider into the gap between the suspensions, and to press the slider onto the distal ends of the suspensions, based on position information on the distal ends of the suspensions and position information on the slider that is held by the gripping mechanism.  
      Further, it is desirable that the gripping mechanism be disposed by the side in a longitudinal direction of the suspensions, thus preventing interference with a surface of the slider on which a terminal electrode is formed.  
      Further, it is desirable that urging forces applied by the pressing surfaces to the slider be made uneven between the block members, and a position of the slider with respect to the gripping mechanism be set by pressing with the block member for which a larger urging force is set. Further, it is preferable that rotation driving means be attached to the gripping mechanism, for making a rotation axis of the gripping mechanism pass through a vicinity of a center of mass of the slider set by pressing of the block members, and that operation of the rotation driving means enable rotation of the slider together with rotation of the gripping mechanism.  
      Further, it is desirable that the pressing surfaces each have a beveled portion formed at their edge portions that are exposed on a rear surface side of the slider, thus reducing reflectivity relative to the block member and the slider that are arranged on both sides of the beveled portion.  
      According to the configuration described above, after first fixing in position the actuator block to which the plurality of suspensions are attached, the insertion member is then placed between the plurality of suspensions, forming a gap between the suspensions. The distal ends of the suspensions to which the slider is to be attached are set in advance to predetermined heights with respect to a reference surface in the actuator block (such as a bottom surface that serves as a working reference or a reference surface for attachment onto an HDD), by thus placing the insertion member between the suspensions.  
      On the other hand, the attitude of an ABS of the slider that is to be attached to the suspensions is adjusted such that the ABS of the slider faces upward. The gripping mechanism is then moved to a position above the slider by using the driving means. After the gripping mechanism has moved to the position above the slider, the gripping mechanism is lowered to a position immediately above a position where the horizontal regulating surface of the gripping mechanism contacts the ABS of the slider. A space between a pair of pressing surfaces formed on the two block members is then made smaller, and the slider is gripped from both sides. After gripping both side portions of the slider, the gripping mechanism is moved further downward, making the ABS of the slider contact the horizontal regulating surface, thus making the attitude of the slider align with the gripping mechanism side. By making the ABS contact the horizontal regulating surface after the slider is thus gripped by the pressing surfaces, the ABS does not slide along the horizontal regulating surface, whereby damage to the ABS can be prevented.  
      It should be noted that rotation about the center of mass of the slider becomes possible by setting a positional relationship such that the center of mass (centroid) of the slider substantially coincides with the rotation axis of the driving means when the slider is thus sandwiched by the gripping mechanism.  
      Further, the reflectivity of light in the periphery of the slider decreases with respect to a rear surface of the slider by beveling an edge portion of the pressing surface. The outline of the slider thus becomes clear, and the external shape of the slider can be accurately found by image recognition.  
      In addition, when an urging force of the pressing surface of one block, which is set in advance, is made larger than an urging force of the other block when gripping the slider with the pressing surfaces, the slider will be pressed by the block that applies the larger urging force when the slider is gripped, and will move within a sliding range of the block that applies the smaller urging force. It thus becomes easy to specify a gripping position for the slider when gripping the slider, and it becomes possible to easily perform slider position detection and the like thereafter.  
      The driving means is once again operated after the gripping mechanism grips the slider, thus inserting the gripping mechanism into the gap formed by the insertion member between the plurality of suspensions. It should be noted that, when distal end positions of the suspensions and the position of the slider that is to be attached are found in advance by image recognition or the like when inserting the gripping mechanism into the gap, the slider may be aligned with the position of the distal ends of the suspensions by using the driving means based on the position information.  
      The distal ends of the suspensions are managed in the height direction thereof by the insertion member so as to have an accurate dimension. Consequently, it becomes possible to attach the slider to the distal ends of the suspensions, without applying an excessive load to the slider or the suspensions, by using connecting means such as an adhesive applied to a rear surface of the slider in advance, tacking with solder, or a combination of these methods, by moving the gripping means in the height direction and bringing the slider into contact with the distal ends of the suspensions.  
      It should be noted that, although a procedure for attaching the slider to the suspension after attaching the suspension to the actuator block is explained above, other procedures may also be used. For example, the slider may also be post mounted to the slider alone, or the slider may also be post mounted after assembling the suspension and an arm.  
      The suspension is thus not positioned on the opposing side in such cases. Accordingly, the suspensions to which the slider is to be attached are pressed, moving the distal ends of the suspensions to a height set in advance. After the distal ends of the suspensions are thus moved to a prescribed height, the gripping mechanism grips the slider, similar to the suspensions that are attached to the actuator block. The slider may then be attached to the distal ends of the suspensions after being positioned with respect to the distal ends of the suspensions. Further, setting the distal ends of the suspensions to the prescribed height need not be performed by pressing on the suspensions. The height of the distal ends of the suspensions may also be set by mounting the suspensions onto a stage (not shown), for example. It should be noted that the gripping mechanism grips side walls of the slider, and then brings the ABS into intimate contact with the horizontal regulating surface, thus adjusting the horizontal attitude of the slider. Consequently, the ABS is not damaged. It thus becomes possible to obtain a stable flying attitude and a stable flying amount for the slider, and good electrical characteristics for the slider can be obtained.  
      As explained above, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a magnetic head in which a slider is attached to suspensions attached to an actuator block, the method including: pushing open the plurality of opposing suspensions; forming the gap having a prescribed height between distal ends of the suspensions to which the slider is to be attached, gripping both the side surfaces of the slider by the pressing surfaces formed on the gripping mechanism; regulating the horizontal attitude of the slider by bringing the ABS of the slider into contact with the horizontal regulating surface formed on the gripping mechanism; inserting the slider, which is held by the gripping mechanism, into the gap; and attaching a rear surface of the slider to the distal ends of the suspensions by using the connecting means. Further, the present invention provides a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus in which a slider is attached to suspensions attached to an actuator block, the magnetic head manufacturing apparatus including at least: the insertion member that is inserted between the plurality of opposing suspensions, for holding distal ends of the suspensions to which the slider is to be attached at a prescribed height and forming the gap between the opposing suspensions; the gripping mechanism made from two block structure members that are capable of sliding with respect to each other, the gripping mechanism being adapted to grip the slider by pressing with the pressing surfaces formed on the block members, and to horizontally regulate the slider by the horizontal regulating surface that is formed on one of the block members and contacts the ABS of the slider; and driving means for operating the gripping mechanism to insert the slider into the gap between the suspensions, and to press the slider onto the distal ends of the suspensions, based on position information on the distal ends of the suspensions and position information on the slider that is held by the gripping mechanism. Therefore, it becomes possible to post mount the slider, even when the suspensions and the actuator block are previously assembled together, whereby breakage of the slider due to ESD and the like can be prevented. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are apparatus explanatory diagrams that show the structure of a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the gripping mechanism according to the embodiment;  
       FIG. 3  is an explanatory diagram that shows an opening and closing structure of the gripping mechanism;  
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged diagram of main portions of  FIG. 3 ;  
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  are explanatory diagrams that show differences in image recognition due to the presence/absence of beveled portions, of which  FIG. 5A  shows an image for a case where the beveled portions do not exist, and  FIG. 5B  shows an image for a case where the beveled portions exist; and  
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  are explanatory diagrams that show how a slider is held by a first pressing surface and a second pressing surface. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Preferred embodiments of a method of manufacturing a magnetic head and a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention are explained in detail below.  
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are apparatus explanatory diagrams that show the structure of a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1A , a magnetic head manufacturing apparatus  10  according to this embodiment includes an insertion member  18  that is inserted in between a suspension  14 , to which a slider  12  is to be attached, and a suspension  16  that opposes the suspension  14 , and a gripping mechanism  22  that inserts the slider  12  into a gap  20  formed by inserting the insertion member  18  in between the suspensions  14  and  16 , and attaches the slider  12  to a distal end of the suspension  14 .  
      The insertion member  18 , which pushes open the suspension  14  and the suspension  16 , is positioned with good precision with respect to an HDD attachment reference surface  26  in an actuator block  24 , and a distal end portion of the suspension  14 , to which the slider  12  is to be attached, is maintained with good precision at a preset dimensional position by making the insertion member  18  contact an intermediate portion of the suspension  14  and the suspension  16 .  
      On the other hand, the gripping mechanism  22  that attaches the slider  12  to the distal end portion of the suspension  14  is configured by a structural member made from two blocks (structural details are described hereinafter). It should be noted that the gripping mechanism  22  is shown in  FIG. 1A  on the distal end side of the suspension  14  and the suspension  16 . This shows that the gripping mechanism  22  is inserted in the gap  20 , and does not indicate that the gripping mechanism  22  is inserted from the distal end side of the suspensions (in other words, the side on which a terminal electrode of the slider  12  is formed.).  
       FIG. 1B  shows a direction along which the gripping mechanism  22  is inserted in the gap  20 . Namely, the gripping mechanism  22  is inserted from a direction denoted by an arrow  28  or an arrow  30  (longitudinal sides of the suspension), or from a direction denoted by an arrow  34 , as shown in  FIG. 1B . The gripping mechanism  22  grips a portion other than the terminal electrode surface of the slider  12  at this point. Accordingly, even if a mechanism that electrically connects a terminal electrode (not shown) formed on a distal end side  32  of the slider  12  approaches from the direction of the arrow  34  after the slider is attached to the distal end of the suspension  14 , the mechanism that electrically connects the slider  12  and the gripping mechanism  22  do not interfere with each other.  
      The gripping mechanism  22  that grips the slider  12  and attaches the slider  12  to the suspension  14  is explained below.  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the gripping mechanism according to this embodiment,  FIG. 3  is an explanatory diagram that shows an opening and closing structure of the gripping mechanism, and  FIG. 4  is an enlarged diagram of main portions of  FIG. 3 .  
      As shown in those figures, the gripping mechanism  22  according to this embodiment is composed of two block members, a first block  36  and a second block  38 , so that the slider  12  can be sandwiched therebetween.  
      In the first block  36  that configures the gripping mechanism  22 , a first plate portion  40  that extends in a vertical direction is provided in a center portion thereof. A first projecting piece  42  that projects out from a side of the first plate portion  40  in an L-shape is provided in a lower edge portion thereof. It should be noted that the first projecting piece  42  is formed thinner than at least the slider  12  that is to be gripped. The first projecting piece  42  thus does not interfere with the suspension  14  when the side surface of the slider  12  is gripped by a first pressing surface  44  formed on a distal end of the first projecting piece  42  and the slider  12  is inserted into the gap  20 .  
      Furthermore, a guiding mechanism (not shown) is provided on an upper end portion side of the first block  36 . The first block  36  can move reciprocally within a range set in advance in a direction that is orthogonal with respect to the first pressing surface  44 . Further, a spring (hereinafter called a first spring) is latched to the first block  36  so as to urge the first block  36  in a direction shown by an arrow  46  of  FIG. 3 .  
      On the other hand, a second plate portion  48  that extends in a vertical direction is provided in a center portion of the second block  38  that configures the gripping mechanism  22 , similar to the first block  36 . A second projecting piece  50  that projects out from a side of the second plate portion  48  in an L-shape is provided on a lower end portion side of the second plate portion  48 . It should be noted that a distal end portion  52  of the second projection piece  50  is formed thicker than an intermediate portion  54 , making it possible to grip the slider  12  by a second pressing surface  56  formed along the raised portion extending from the intermediate portion  54  to the distal end portion  52 , and the first pressing surface  44  that is formed in the distal end of the first block  36 . Further, a horizontal regulating surface  60  is formed on a side that opposes an ABS  58  of the slider  12  in the intermediate portion  54 . By bringing the ABS  58  of the slider  12  into intimate contact with the horizontal regulating surface  60 , the attitude of the slider  12  can be made in conformity with the second plate portion  48  (the slider  12  can be gripped horizontally).  
      Furthermore, a guiding mechanism (not shown) is provided on an upper end portion side of the second plate portion  48 , similar to the first block  36 . The second block  38  can move reciprocally within a range set in advance in a direction that is orthogonal with respect to the second pressing surface  56 . Further, a spring (hereinafter called a second spring) is latched to the second block  38  so as to urge the second block  38  in a direction shown by an arrow  62  of  FIG. 3 . It should be noted that a force of the first spring is set to be stronger than that of the second spring in this embodiment, so that an urging force on the first block  36  becomes large compared to an urging force on the second block  38  (a relationship between the magnitudes of the urging forces is shown by the sizes of the arrow  46  and the arrow  62  in  FIG. 3 ).  
      By positively setting a difference between the urging force of the first block  36  and the urging force of the second block  38  in this way, one surface of the slider  12  is positioned by the urging force of the first block  36  while taking as a reference the first pressing surface  44  moved to a movable end surface by the urging force of the first block  36 , and the position of the second pressing surface  56  of the second block  38  is determined by the position of the other surface of the slider  12 . It thus becomes possible to maintain a constant relative position between the slider  12  and the gripping mechanism  22  when the slider is gripped.  
      The first block  36  and the second block  38 , which are held in intimate contact with each other due to spring urging, are spread open by an air cylinder  64  that is disposed above the first block  36  and the second block  38 . In other words, a pair of rollers  66  are disposed on the first block  36  and the second block  38 , and the urging forces of the first block  36  and the second block  38  can be overcome by making a rod  68  of the air cylinder  64  contact the pair of rollers  66 . It thus becomes possible to open and close a space between the blocks. Therefore, by moving the rod  68  of the air cylinder  64  reciprocally, the space between the blocks can be opened and closed.  
      Further, a servo motor  72  that serves as a rotation driving means for causing the first block  36  and the second block  38  to rotate about a Z-axis  70  is also provided above the first block  36  and the second block  38 . It should be noted that the Z-axis  70 , which is the axial center of the servo motor  72 , is set to pass through the center of mass (centroid) of the slider  12  that is held by the gripping mechanism  22 . The slider  12  does not deviate from the Z-axis  70  when correcting tilt of the slider  12 , and consequently, miniaturization of the apparatus itself can be achieved. Although the Z-axis  70  is set to pass through the center of mass (centroid) of the slider  12  being held by the gripping mechanism  22  in this embodiment, there are no limitations placed on this arrangement. For example, when the Z-axis cannot pass through the center of mass (centroid) of the slider  12  due to design restrictions (such as space restrictions), the Z-axis may be placed as near as possible to the center of mass (centroid) of the slider  12 . It thus becomes possible to perform corrections to slider tilt within a minimum range provided that the Z-axis  70  is placed as near as possible to the center of mass (centroid) of the slider  12 .  
      Beveled portions  74  are formed in edge portions of the first pressing surface  44  and the second pressing surface  56 , thus reducing the reflectivity of light in a vertical direction as compared to that of a rear surface  76  of the slider  12 .  
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  are explanatory diagrams that show differences in image recognition due to the presence/absence of the beveled portions  74 .  FIG. 5A  is an image for a case where the beveled portions  74  do not exist, while  FIG. 5B  is an image for a case where the beveled portions  74  exist. As shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the edge boundary line of the slider  12  is unclear when the bevel portions  74  do not exist in the edge portions of the first pressing surface  44  and the second pressing surface  56 , and there is a fear that the position detecting accuracy for the slider  12  will decrease. However, the edge boundary line of the slider  12  becomes clear when the bevel portions  74  are formed in the edge portions of the first pressing surface  44  and the second pressing surface  56 . The position detecting accuracy for the slider  12  can thus be increased.  
      It should be noted that the gripping mechanism  22  described above is connected to driving means such as a servo motor (not shown). The driving means performs gripping of the slider  12  by the gripping mechanism  22 , and inserts the gripped slider  12  into the gap  20  between the suspensions  14  and  16 , thus making it possible to press the slider  12  onto the distal end of the suspension  14  to which the slider  12  is to be attached. The driving means performs these actions based on position information regarding the external shape and the center of mass (centroid) of the slider  12 , and the distal ends of the suspension  14  to which the slider  12  is to be attached. The position information is detected by a camera (not shown).  
      When using the magnetic head manufacturing apparatus  10  configured as described above, first an image recognition camera photographs a tray in which a plurality of the sliders  12  are received, or the slider  12  that has been moved from the tray onto a temporary holding stand or the like, thus obtaining the position information thereof. The driving means then moves the gripping mechanism  22  to a position above the slider  12  based on the position information for the slider  12 , and extends the rod  68  of the air cylinder  64  to separate the first block  36  and the second block  38  apart from each other. The first block  36  and the second block  38 , thus separated from each other, cause the distance between the first pressing surface  44  and the second pressing surface  56  to become wider than the width of the slider  12 . The rod  68  of the air cylinder  64  is then pulled back, causing the first block  36  and the second block  38  to move. The slider  12  is thus gripped by the first pressing surface  44  and the second pressing surface  56 .  
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  are explanatory diagrams that show how the slider is held by the first pressing surface  44  and the second pressing surface  56 . That is, when the slider  12  is inserted as shown in  FIG. 6A , first the slider  12  is sandwiched by the first gripping surface  44  and the second gripping surface  56  in a state where the ABS of the slider  12  is separated from the horizontal regulating surface  60 . After the slider  12  is sandwiched by the first pressing surface  44  and the second pressing surface  56 , the gripping mechanism  22  is lowered as shown in  FIG. 6B , and the horizontal regulating surface  60  is made to contact the ABS  58 . Sliding (side slipping) of the ABS  58  with respect to the horizontal regulating surface  60  thus does not occur provided that the slider  12  is held in position through the procedure from  FIG. 6A  to  FIG. 6B . Abrasions and the like to the ABS  58  can thus be prevented.  
      After the slider  12  is held by the gripping mechanism  22 , an adhesive serving as a connecting means for bonding the slider  12  to the suspension  14  is applied to the rear surface  76  of the slider  12 , and the slider  12  is moved to the distal end of the suspension  14 , which has been detected in advance by image processing. It should be noted that tilt of the slider  12  may be corrected by the time when the slider  12  is inserted into the gap  20 . After completing positioning of the slider  12  in X and Y directions with respect to the distal end of the suspension  14 , and correcting rotation about the Z-axis  70 , the gripping mechanism  22  may be moved down, and the slider  12  may be attached to the suspension  14  by the adhesive.  
      It should be noted that the distal end of the suspension  14  is held in position with good precision by the insertion member  18  in this embodiment (position “A” of  FIG. 1 ). Accordingly, a load that deviates from a set value, such as an excessive load (or a deficient load), is not applied to the slider  12 . Consequently, attachment of the slider  12  to the suspension  14  can be performed with good precision. The slider  12  is post mounted, and it thus becomes possible to prevent damage to the slider  12  due to ESD or the like.  
      It should be noted that, although a two piece structure is used for the gripping mechanism  22  in this embodiment, other structures may also be employed. For example, the gripping mechanism  22  may have a three piece structure. A first pressing surface, a second pressing surface, and a horizontal regulating surface may each be formed independently on respective blocks constituting the three piece structure. It thus becomes possible to perform very fine control when holding the slider  12  provided that the three piece structure is used.  
      In addition, although a procedure for attaching the slider after attaching the suspensions to the actuator block is explained in this embodiment, other procedures may also be employed. For example, the slider may also be post mounted to the suspensions alone, or the slider may also be post mounted after the suspensions and an arm are assembled.  
      In the above case, the suspensions are not positioned on opposite sides. Consequently, a positioning member may be provided as a substitute for the insertion member  18  described above. When the positioning member is formed as a pressing member that presses an intermediate portion of the suspensions, distal ends of the suspensions are moved by the pressing member to height values set in advance. After thus setting the heights of the distal ends, attachment of the slider  12  may be performed by using the gripping mechanism  22  described above. It should be noted that the positioning member is not limited to the pressing member. For example, a stage may also be used as the positioning member instead of the pressing member. The suspensions may be mounted onto the stage (not shown), and the heights of the distal ends of the suspensions may be set in this state.  
      After side walls of the slider  12  are gripped by the gripping mechanism  22 , the ABS is brought into intimate contact with the horizontal regulating surface  60 , adjusting the horizontal attitude of the slider. Accordingly, damage is not caused to the ABS. A head gimble assembly (HGA) having a stable flying attitude and a stable flying amount can thus be obtained, and a head arm assembly (HAA) in which an arm is attached to the HGA can be obtained. Good electrical characteristics can be obtained when incorporating the HGA or the HAA into an HDD.