Motorised disc tray and loading mechanisms for CD, DVD and Blu-ray drives · Loading motor, tray rack and sliding cam, raising the traverse to clamp the disc, position sensing, vertical mounting retainers, tray cycle life and emergency eject
A tray mechanism is the assembly in a tray-type optical drive that carries the disc in and out through the front panel and hands it to the spindle: a loading motor drives a rack on the underside of the tray, and near the end of travel a sliding cam lifts the pickup deck or traverse chassis so the turntable and clamper grip the disc; the sequence runs in reverse to eject. Ask three things first: how the mechanism will be driven and sensed, which mounting postures the drive must work in, and how many load–eject cycles it must survive.
Disc tray loading mechanisms (tray, loading motor and gear train, sliding cam, traverse lift, clamper interface, position sensing, emergency eject) for tray-type CD, DVD and Blu-ray drives. Slot-loading and manual drawer drives, the optical pickup and the drive electronics are covered only where they interact with the tray.
01
A Samsung patent describes the tray moved by a tray-conveying rack along the underside of the tray, driven through a pinion, pulley gear and belt by a loading motor. When a load signal arrives the motor turns and the tray moves in; after about 8 mm, a guide groove under the tray shifts a sliding cam, and when the tray is fully in, a second groove moves the cam further so its rack engages the pinion. The cam then raises the pickup deck, which carries the spindle motor, turntable and optical pickup, until the disc sits on the turntable. Unloading runs in reverse. During the first movement a pulsed voltage at a set duty cycle is applied to the motor so the tray does not tilt from a sudden start, then normal DC is applied. [1]
A Funai patent drives the disc tray, the up-and-down movement of the traverse chassis and the sliding of the optical head from a single drive motor, switching where the force goes with a cam slider: to unload, the head first moves to the inner edge of the disc, the traverse chassis drops so nothing on it obstructs the tray, then the tray moves out. The turntable and a clamp on the main chassis attract magnetically to hold the disc. A stopper restricts the cam slider so that shock or vibration cannot make its rack mesh with the tray gear unexpectedly. [2]
Give the supplier the drive form factor and disc sizes (120 mm and 80 mm), the motor voltage and drive arrangement, how the traverse is lifted and the disc clamped, the required load and eject behaviour, and the emergency eject method.
02
In the conventional design described by Samsung, two switches operated by plates on the sliding cam tell the controller whether the tray is open or closed, which limits control to two modes, makes it hard to apply a higher voltage while the deck is being raised, and requires the plate and switch positions and heights to be set accurately. The patent instead puts a shutter with a row of holes on the cam, passing through an optical sensor, so the controller reads a series of cam positions and can control the motor in more modes. [1]
A Quanta Storage patent explains that a tray drive mounted with the disc vertical must hold the disc on the tray until it reaches the loading position; conventional trays use movable retainers, and the patent adds a receiver with horizontal and vertical bearing areas and a ramp. [3]
A Hitachi-LG specification for a half-height SATA DVD writer lists tray-type auto loading, power load and eject, and an emergency eject hole; horizontal and vertical installation within 12° of the drawn postures, with other postures not guaranteed; a tray cycle test of 30,000 cycles, one loading and one ejecting per cycle, with no degeneration in the mechanical part; and a tray in PBT + ABS rated UL94 V-2. Load time to drive-ready after tray loading is 10 s typical for DVD-ROM and CD-ROM 22 s for DVD±R and DVD±RW, and 40 s for DVD-RAM. [4]
Ask for the tray cycle test count and pass criteria, the sensing method (switches or optical sensor), postures and tilt limits, tray and gear materials with flammability rating, emergency eject access, and drop and vibration test results.
03
Arrangements described in the reviewed patents and specification.
| Arrangement | How it works | Points to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Loading motor with belt, pinion and tray rack | Tray rack meshes with a belt-driven pinion. [1] | Belt wear, start-up control. |
| Single motor for tray, traverse and head | Cam slider switches the force path. [2] | Timing accuracy, shock lock. |
| Horizontal-only tray | Disc lies flat on the tray. [3] | Cost, posture limits. |
| Tray with retainers for vertical mounting | Retainers hold the disc edge. [3] [4] | Retainer design, tilt limits. |
04
Parts named in the reviewed sources.
| Part | Role | Fix in the order |
|---|---|---|
| Disc tray | Carries 120 mm or 80 mm discs. [4] [1] | Material, flammability, retainers. |
| Tray rack and guide grooves | Take drive force; shift the cam. [1] [2] | Tooth form, groove profile. |
| Loading motor and gear train | Drive tray and cam. [1] [2] | Voltage, gear ratio. |
| Sliding cam | Raises and lowers the deck or traverse. [1] [2] | Cam profile, stopper. |
| Position switches or optical sensor | Report cam position. [1] | Number of modes. |
| Turntable and clamp | Hold the disc magnetically. [2] | Clamp force. |
| Emergency eject | Manual release through a front hole. [4] | Access and tool. |
05
The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to obtain from the supplier.
| Field | What it means and published values | Ask the supplier for |
|---|---|---|
| Tray load capacity | Not stated; the tray carries 120 mm or 80 mm discs. [4] | Disc sizes and adapters supported. |
| Tray travel time | Not stated; load time to drive-ready 10–22 s, 40 s for DVD-RAM. [4] | Tray in and out time. |
| Tray position repeatability | Not stated in the reviewed sources. | Positioning tolerance at closed position. |
| Operating voltage | Drive supply +5 V ±5% and +12 V ±10%. [4] | Loading motor voltage and current. |
| Operating temperature | 5 °C to 50 °C for the drive. [4] | Mechanism rating. |
| Storage temperature | −30 °C to 60 °C. [4] | Storage range. |
| Relative humidity | 10–80% operating, 10–90% storage, non-condensing. [4] | Humidity limits. |
| Ingress protection | Not stated; dust guarantee only with bezel and tray panel fitted. [4] | Dust test conditions. |
| Material | Tray PBT + ABS UL94 V-2; bezel PC + ABS UL94 V-0. [4] | Tray, gear and cam materials. |
| Weight | Whole drive 640 ± 30 g. [4] | Mechanism mass. |
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | Whole drive 146 × 41.3 × 165 mm. [4] | Mechanism envelope. |
06
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
Drive: [form factor; disc types and sizes] Drive train: [motor voltage; single or separate motors] Clamping: [traverse lift; clamp type] Sensing: [switches or optical sensor] Mounting: [horizontal; vertical; tilt] Life: [tray cycles; drop and vibration] Supply: [quantity; testing; documentation]
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A loading motor drives a rack on the tray; a sliding cam then lifts the deck to put the disc on the turntable. [1]
Yes; a Funai patent switches one motor between tray, traverse and head with a cam slider. [2]
Retainers on the tray hold the disc edge until it reaches the loading position. [3]
One Hitachi-LG specification gives a 30,000-cycle tray test with no mechanical degeneration. [4]
Sources checked 2026-10-11. The patents describe specific mechanism designs; the Hitachi-LG specification describes one complete drive. Values for your mechanism must come from the supplier offered.
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