How to use a Wood Material in Computer Hard Disc Drives - Case Study Example

A hard disk drive is made up of aluminum and a mixture of other non-biodegradable materials. These two components are expensive; hence, it is essential to come up with new, cheap and easily available materials to be used as alternatives in the manufacture of hard disks. This will result in a decline in the cost of producing and installing the hard disks. Wood is a cheap and readily available product that can be used in the manufacture of hard disks. The use of wood materials will allow for the production of affordable hard disk drives, as well as increase the efficiency of hard drives.

This report will demonstrate how wood can be used as an alternative material in the manufacture of effective and efficient hard disks. To start with, the report will discuss the main components of a hard drive, the function and choice of material of each part. II. Breakdown of the Main Parts of the Hard Disk and the Function of Each Part The computer hard drive is made up of several components with different functions, as discussed below. These internal components are very sensitive to dirt and dust and, therefore, hard drives should never be opened (Born, 1997).

The following figure shows the major components of a hard disk. Figure 1: Components of a hard drive 1. Cover It is also known as the drive casing and it is rectangular box that holds and covers all the internal components of the hard drive (Born, 1997). . The speed of rotation increases with the increase in file size and speed of transfer (Braun, 2009). 3. Platters They are located at the centre of the disk and are used to store the computer data. The number of platters in a disk may vary depending on the capacity of the disk.

They are made from a non-magnetic material, mostly aluminum alloy, ceramic or glass (Hdd-tool, 2010). Aluminum alloy was initially used but today the desire for higher density has resulted in the use of glass platters. Glass platters are also preferred since they are more stable thermally and offer greater rigidity (Born, 1997). All platters are coated with a layer of a magnetic material and an outer layer of Carbon for protection purposes. The platters are rotated by the spindle at a certain speed resulting in creation of air pressure that is responsible for lifting the read and write heads of the platters.

In the event of more than one platter on a single drive, the distance between the platters is usually very precise. Data on the drive may be lost forever if the platters gets misaligned (Born, 1997). 4. Read and Write Heads They are also known as heads and they read and write magnetic information to and from the platter. The heads read data more efficiently the more close they are to the platter. However, a close-mounted head may have contact with the platter and this may damage the disk and the information stored in it (IBM, 2000). 5. Actuator Arms They move the read and write heads to the suitable area of the platter.

The head of the hard disk is mounted on the actuator arm and it moves it in order to read and write data correctly (Lamberton, 2007). It also helps in keeping the head at an optimal distance from the platter so as to protect the disk as well as preserve its speed and