Counter track joint

A method of producing a counter track joint, comprising:

• producing an outer joint part with a longitudinal axis, a connection side and an opening side, an inner face with a supporting face axially effective towards the connection side, and with first outer ball tracks and second outer ball tracks forming an outer ball track group;
• producing an inner joint part with a longitudinal axis, an outer face, and first inner ball tracks and second inner ball tracks forming an inner ball track group;
• producing a ball cage with a cage axis, an cage inner face, a cage outer face and cage windows circumferentially distributed about the cage axis;
• inserting the inner joint part into the ball cage;
• inserting the ball cage into the outer joint part;
• turning the inner joint part relative to the outer joint part such that the first inner ball tracks are opposite the first outer ball tracks and form first pairs of tracks which widen towards the opening side of the outer joint part, and the second inner ball tracks are opposite the second outer ball tracks and form second pairs of tracks which widen towards the connection side of the outer joint part;
• inserting balls into the cage windows with the inner joint part and outer joint part overflexed relative to each other, with the first pairs of tracks and the second pairs of tracks each receiving one of the torque-transmitting balls, wherein the balls are held by the ball cage on a joint centre plane when the longitudinal axes of the inner joint part and the outer joint part are aligned coaxially;
• wherein one of the outer ball track group and the inner ball track group is pre-machined soft, then hardened and hard finished after hardening;
• and
• wherein the other one of the outer ball track group and the inner ball track group is soft finish-machined and then hardened, i.e. remains mechanically unmachined after hardening.