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New Lubricant Could Improve Hard Drives
Associated Press/Globe and Mail ^ | September 9, 2004 | Matthew Fordahl

Posted on 09/10/2004 1:06:54 PM PDT by Loyalist

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A newly developed lubricant could improve the performance, capacity and longevity of hard drives used widely in computers, music players, video recorders and other devices, researchers say.

Lubricant coats and protects the polished disc surface that spins thousands of times per minute as data are magnetically recorded, retrieved and erased on the drive by a head that flies back and forth dozens of times per second.

But today's standard lubricant, called perfluoropolyethers, is reaching its limits as disc drives spin faster and hold more data. In some cases, centrifugal forces are causing the lubricant to ripple. In others, the material flies off the spinning disk.

The new lubricant, called sterically hindered polyester, is based on inexpensive and abundant materials. It acts like a solid material when it's cast in very thin films and has very good adhesive properties, said its creator, Wei Xiao, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois.

"Solving the problem forced us to make a completely new kind of polyester," said James Economy, a University of Illinois professor of material science and engineering.

Besides hard drives, the polyester also could find use in other applications, such as mining and even automobile engines.

Samples of the new material have been sent to the industry-sponsored Center for Magnetic Recording Research for real-world testing. Ms. Xiao reported her findings last month an American Chemical Society meeting.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Technical
KEYWORDS: computing; it; macuserlist
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To: fritzz

And how long before this thread gets banished to the Smokey Backroom?


21 posted on 09/10/2004 1:26:02 PM PDT by thulldud (It's bad luck to be superstitious.)
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To: sc2_ct

Its a cost issue. Solid state is still too expensive.


22 posted on 09/10/2004 1:26:17 PM PDT by scuret
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To: Red Badger

Sort of plugged into a console, like "Brave New World".


23 posted on 09/10/2004 1:27:11 PM PDT by sheik yerbouty
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To: null and void
San Jose tech Ping

Or maybe Castro Street kinky Ping

So9

24 posted on 09/10/2004 1:28:18 PM PDT by Servant of the 9 (We are the Hegemon. We can do anything we damned well please.)
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To: Red Badger
Hard drives will eventually be obsoleted by solid state memory devices........

Perhaps, but will be be as cheap as 10,000 GB hard drives then? I want to store all the information in the universe on my home computer.

25 posted on 09/10/2004 1:28:56 PM PDT by Voltage
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To: Loyalist

BTTT


26 posted on 09/10/2004 1:29:24 PM PDT by Cold Heart
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To: thulldud
And how long before this thread gets banished to the Smokey Backroom?

LOL, That's ok. We can find it.

27 posted on 09/10/2004 1:29:43 PM PDT by fritzz
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To: Loyalist

?

28 posted on 09/10/2004 1:30:50 PM PDT by CougarGA7 (Fighting the AQFK (Al-Qada for Kerry))
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To: Red Badger
Hard drives will eventually be obsoleted by solid state memory devices........

Call Jimmy Carter. He'll be able to do more than lust in his mind.

29 posted on 09/10/2004 1:31:57 PM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (.)
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To: Loyalist
New Lubricant Could Improve Hard Drives

That's what she said
30 posted on 09/10/2004 1:32:16 PM PDT by ableChair
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To: Loyalist


31 posted on 09/10/2004 1:34:18 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Alan Go!!!)
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To: Loyalist
Hard drives are the unsung heroes of the computer industry.

The amount of precision required is akin to flying an F15 figher jet across the country, one foot off the ground, without crashing.

32 posted on 09/10/2004 1:36:43 PM PDT by ikka
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To: Loyalist

Slide it to the top.
Bumping is so passe


33 posted on 09/10/2004 1:39:29 PM PDT by TexasTransplant (I made my Fortune selling Sugar Coated Cat Turds on a Stick at the DNC Convention)
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To: Voltage

Try the MEGAN Mind Meld.....It's Cheaper!......


34 posted on 09/10/2004 1:42:44 PM PDT by Red Badger (Kerry can't run on his record, so George Bush is going to.....)
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To: Loyalist
"Solving the problem forced us to make a completely new kind of polyester," said James Economy

I can finally get rid of my leisure suit.

35 posted on 09/10/2004 1:42:50 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: Loyalist

I knew I didn't need to read the story. Went straight to the posts...


36 posted on 09/10/2004 1:44:06 PM PDT by telebob
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To: Loyalist
New Lubricant Could Improve Hard Drives

This lubricant will make it hard to drive ;-)


37 posted on 09/10/2004 1:46:03 PM PDT by varon (Allegiance to the constitution, always. Allegiance to a political party, never.)
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To: ikka
The amount of precision required is akin to flying an F15 figher jet across the country, one foot off the ground, without crashing.

All the more amazing when you see how they test HDD for robustness. Imagine standing the thing on in edge & letting it fall flat while it was reading. When I used to buy them (5 or 6 years ago) this kind of 'drop testing' was the standard.

I'm sure the testing has only become more rigorous since.

38 posted on 09/10/2004 1:47:04 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: Loyalist


39 posted on 09/10/2004 1:48:05 PM PDT by Radix (...it is easier for logical men to appear barbarous than for barbarous men to appear civilized.)
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To: Loyalist

Yeah, whatever you hafta tell yersef.


40 posted on 09/10/2004 1:54:53 PM PDT by Jaded ((Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. - Mark Twain))
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