Hard disk drives (HDDs) rarely miss; they are an incredible component of computing which have to satisfy extremely demanding expectations. HDDs are responsible for finding the correct file that is requested when accessing a document, image, music or video file. These small devices have tremendous demands put upon them every day and yet still attain high levels of durability.
How often have you accessed a photo, file or any bit of information on your computer and found that the HDD didn’t pull up the file you wanted? I don’t remember ever accessing a piece of data that wasn’t exactly what was requested. It’s not often that users encounter errors associated with the drive’s operation or its ability to deliver exactly what was requested. HDDs are incredibly accurate in their ability to consistently store digital data efficiently and effectively. In order to maintain this high level of expectations, hard drives need to be designed and manufactured with very high standards using repeatable processes.
To develop drives to meet these exacting standards, drive manufacturers ensure manufacturing facilities are impeccably clean to prevent foreign particles from entering the HDD enclosure. Even the tiniest contaminant can cause the head of the drive to literally crash into the platter, rendering the entire drive useless.
This manufacturing process is very intricate, with 105 components and sub-assemblies in each Toshiba HDD, and the highest level of detail must be paid when building these tiny devices. The head that reads the information off of the drive is just like flying a 747 one inch off of a lake — with a calculation that precise, product design and manufacturing have to be virtually perfect.
The views expressed on this post are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TAEC or Toshiba.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.