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Choosing the Right Hygienic Bearing House: 5 Types Explained

When you're designing or maintaining machinery for food production, the bearing housing might not be the first component you think of - but it should be one of the most carefully selected.

The wrong type of housing can compromise your hygiene strategy, increase downtime, and complicate maintenance. At NGI, we focus on hygienic bearing housings engineered specifically for use in sanitary and washdown environments. And over time, we’ve standardized five core housing types that cover most food-grade applications.

This article walks through these five housing variants, how they differ in design and performance, and which real-world use cases each is best suited for. If you’ve ever had to choose between a 2-bolt pillow block and a flange bearing or wondered when a 4-bolt housing is worth the added strength, this guide is for you.



Written by Austin Davis, Category Manager, NGI

”Choosing the right bearing housing isn’t about preference - it’s about hygiene, durability, and keeping your line running".

Austin Davis,Category Manager, NGI

Why Focus on Bearing Houses?

Bearings are often hidden inside your machine frames, which makes them easy to overlook. But in hygienic processing environments, they are a critical hygiene risk if not properly designed.

 

A poorly sealed bearing housing can trap bacteria, allow water ingress, and even leak into your product zone. That’s why every NGI hygienic bearing housing is made with food-safe materials, fully sealed against contamination, and designed to survive aggressive washdowns.

 

But hygiene is just the baseline. Mechanical strength, installation flexibility, and long-term durability also play key roles. Our five housing types are each built to serve specific structural needs, and knowing their differences helps ensure you select the best one for your process.

XB2FC variant: installed parallel to the shaft direction, featuring two flanges.

Type 1: XB2FC – The 2-Bolt Parallel Housing 

The XB2FC is the most common type in our lineup. It’s what many engineers would recognize as a hygienic version of a traditional pillow block. Designed with two mounting holes in a parallel arrangement, this housing sits flat on a frame and supports the shaft horizontally.

It's an ideal choice for general-purpose conveyor systems, slicing machines, or equipment where vibration and load are moderate.

Because these variants spread the load across two bolts, it offers enough stability for most belt-driven conveyors and rotating shafts.

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XB3FC variant: installed parallel to the shaft direction, featuring three flanges.

Type 2: XB3FC – The 3-Bolt Housing for Added Stability

When you step into environments with higher vibration or heavier loads, the XB3FC is often a better fit. With three mounting holes instead of two, this bearing housing distributes force more evenly and resists shifting during operation. It’s especially useful in areas where machines start and stop frequently or experience changes in torque.

The third bolt also helps prevent rotation of the housing under dynamic load, which is a common problem in equipment like fillers, rotary machinery, and indexing systems. In some cases, the XB3FC has replaced older 2-bolt solutions that experienced repeat failures due to loosening over time.

This housing is available in the same shaft size range as the 2-bolt version, but we recommend it particularly for applications with vertical or angled loading. It installs just as easily and follows the same hygienic design principles, making it a drop-in upgrade when stability is a concern.

XB4FC variant: installed parallel to the shaft direction, featuring four flanges.

Type 3: XB4FC – The Heavy-Duty 4-Bolt Housing

If your equipment runs under continuous high loads or involves heavy lateral forces, the XB4FC is the most robust option. With four mounting bolts forming a rectangular pattern, this housing can tolerate significant vibration and torque without loosening.

It is often found on large mixers, drum machines, and heavy-duty conveyors where shaft loads fluctuate or impact forces are present.

In tests, the 4-bolt design showed improved resistance to micro-movement, which helps prevent long-term damage from fretting or wear. This is critical in start-stop processes where motors frequently accelerate and decelerate. Some food processors have even replaced welded bearing mounts with XB4FC houses to make maintenance easier without compromising strength.

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XBPBC variant: installed perpendicularly to the shaft direction.

Type 4: XBPBC – The Perpendicular Flange Housing (Pillow Block)

Not all equipment has room for bearings mounted parallel to the shaft. In some cases, you need a bearing that installs perpendicularly, especially when space is limited or the machine layout is vertical.

That’s where the XBPBC comes in. It’s our hygienic take on the classic square flange bearing and is ideal for mounting on vertical panels or the sides of machinery.


These flange houses don’t require frame extensions for mounting. They can be fixed directly onto the face of a machine, which simplifies layout and saves space. We often see this type used in space-restricted conveyor setups, vertical augers, or small-footprint machinery in packaging lines.

This variant is just as hygienic as the rest, with the same seal and housing materials, and is available in anti-static models for dry food or powder handling.

XBTBC variant: installed perpendicularly to the shaft direction and equipped with 2 threaded inserts.

Type 5: XBTBC – The Threaded Bolt-on Flange (Tapped base)

The XBTBC shares the same perpendicular orientation as the XBPBC, but it includes threaded inserts for applications where the mounting surface can’t accommodate through-bolts or where rear access is limited. This makes it a go-to choice in retrofits or in modular systems where mounting options are constrained.

The threaded design ensures a secure fit even in high-vibration environments and simplifies installation in tight spaces. It’s particularly popular in washdown machinery and modular stainless-steel equipment where hygiene must be balanced with flexibility.

Use cases include standalone equipment upgrades, OEMs building for multiple configurations, and even in equipment where traditional bolting introduces hygiene or serviceability challenges.

Considerations on Sizing and Customization

While some customers specifically search for 25 mm or 30 mm hygienic bearing houses, NGI offers a far broader range. Our houses cover shaft sizes from 20 mm up to 40 mm in metric and ¾ inch to 1½ inch in imperial. Certain types, like the XB4FC, are better suited for larger diameters due to their strength, while compact types like the XBPBC work best at smaller sizes.

Each housing type is also compatible with our full range of insert bearings and can be customized with different seal types, anti-static materials, and mounting accessories depending on your hygiene or process requirements.

Choosing the Right Housing: Lessons from the Field


One NGI customer in the dairy industry initially used generic 2-bolt pillow blocks but experienced repeated bearing failure due to shaft misalignment and washdown ingress.

After switching to the XB3FC variant, which provided better clamping and more stable support, downtime dropped by over 40% and replacement intervals tripled.


In another case, a dry goods producer using pneumatic equipment adopted XBTBC threaded flange houses in their modular hoppers. This eliminated contamination concerns from exposed threads and simplified the assembly process across dozens of machine variants.

Stories like these show that bearing houses aren’t just mechanical components; they’re an opportunity to improve hygiene, reduce maintenance, and simplify your engineering.

Find more case stories here

Need Support?

Each of NGI’s five bearing housing types serves a distinct purpose.

Whether you need a compact 2-bolt for general conveyors or a robust 4-bolt for high-torque machinery, understanding these differences allows you to design smarter, cleaner, and more durable equipment.

Our houses are certified for EHEDG, USDA, and 3-A standards, made from fully hygienic materials, and designed with real use cases in mind.

If you need help determining which variant fits your needs, or want to review mounting data or compatibility options, we’re here to support your process.

 

Austin Davis, Global Category Manager – Bearings United States, NGI

Learn more about the author, Austin Davis: 

I have over 10 years of experience in technical sales and product management, primarily in the food and beverage industry. At NGI, I lead the global development of our non-leveling hygienic components, working closely with OEMs, end-users, and distributors to bring practical, high-performance solutions to market.

My background includes roles in sales engineering and territory management, with a focus on bearings, sealing solutions, and hygienic equipment. I’ve supported customers across North America, helping them solve technical challenges, optimize equipment performance, and meet strict hygiene requirements. I'm driven by data, customer insight, and a strong belief that product innovation must serve real-world application needs.

 

The chain is as strong as the weakest link

Hygienic Design is not just a matter of choosing certified hygienic components, although it can of course help to raise the general level of hygiene in your production.

The chain never gets stronger than the weakest link. Therefore, your entire production environment and your production line must be assessed!

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