Flexible auto balancer design for the reduction of optical disk drive vibration

This study investigates the design of a flexible auto balancer (FAB) for the compensation of disk eccentricity. The FAB has various advantages over a conventional auto ball balancer, such as low cost, ease of implementation, lack of noise and applicability to standing-type drives. For the FAB design, a finite element model is developed considering the prestress effect and spin-softening effect caused by rotation. The structure is optimized and fabricated based on finite element model verification via modal testing. In addition, the dynamic behavior of the FAB is recorded by high-speed photography, and the vibration transmission to the base deck is measured.