An integrated suspension for a hard disk drive is formed as a single-piece flat assembly. The design eliminates the need for mechanical reinforcement such as flange forming, and requires no additional weld processing to form the functional portion of the assembly. A partial etch process is used to reduce local thicknesses in the gimbal and hinge areas to reduce the overall stiffness of the suspension. The proximal end structure of the suspension is also built by partial etching to achieve higher natural frequencies. The suspension design also incorporates built-in load/unload features and two-sided, opposite-facing limiters to limit excessive slider displacement during the manufacturing process, loading/unloading, and non-operational shock environments.