The present invention relates to a pivot joint, in particular a high precision ball joint.
Pivot joints which comprise a ball on a stalk are known. In such pivot joints the ball is located within a socket with the stalk protruding from the socket. These pivot joints have the disadvantage that they are not high precision, particularly because the ball part is not accurately spherical. A further disadvantage is that parts cannot be cheaply replaced when worn. As such joints wear, their positional accuracy decreases which can result in undesirable movement at the pivot point.
Accurate spheres (i.e. ball bearings) can be made very precisely by a lapping process.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds