Mechanical joint

A mechanical joint is a section of a machine that is used to connect one or more mechanical parts to another. Mechanical joints may be temporary or permanent, and most types are designed so that they can be disassembled. Most are also designed to allow the connected parts to move relative to one another in one degree of freedom while restricting movement in one or more other directions. The term covers a broad family of connections between machine parts rather than a single product. This atlas places it among industrial components, as a basic building block that manufacturers of machinery design in or buy in when assembling larger equipment.