Wexmar provides custom bearing housing machining for OEMs in pumps, power transmission, fluid power and industrial equipment. Our Canastota, New York shop produces CNC machined bearing housings, bearing carriers, flange housings, end bells and pillow blocks on CNC lathes and 4-axis horizontal machining centers. A bearing housing lives or dies on its bore fit and alignment, and our process and inspection are built around holding both.
What bearing housings do and who buys them
A bearing housing locates a bearing outer race, transfers load to the frame and often retains seals and lubricant. An oversize bore lets the outer race creep; an undersize bore closes internal clearance and shortens bearing life. Typical buyers include:
- Pump and compressor OEMs needing bearing frames and carriers
- Power transmission and gearbox builders
- Bearing and industrial equipment manufacturers with custom housings
- Defense and government programs with build-to-print housings
How our custom bearing housing machining works
CNC turning for round housings
Round cartridges, carriers and flange housings run on our Mazak and Doosan lathes, up to the Mazak Nexus 450-II for larger diameters. The bearing bore, pilot diameter and mounting face are finished in one chucking, which ties the bore axis to the face and pilot. Live tooling and Y-axis drill bolt circles, grease ports and seal grooves in the same setup. See CNC turning.
Horizontal milling for prismatic housings
Pillow blocks, split housings, two-bore gearbox housings and bearing frames run on our Mazak FH4800, PFH4800 and Nexus horizontal machining centers. The 4th axis lets us bore from both sides on one fixture, so line-bored housings keep bore-to-bore alignment without re-clamping. Pallet changers support production runs. See CNC milling.
Typical materials
- Steel and aluminum castings or forgings, customer supplied or sourced through qualified outside processors
- Carbon and alloy steel bar, plate and forgings
- 6061 and 7075 aluminum for lightweight housings
- 304, 316 and 17-4 PH stainless for washdown and corrosive service
- Bronze for sleeve bearing housings
Critical features and how we hold them
- Bearing bore size and fit: finish bored with a boring head or fine boring bar to fits such as H7, J7 or K6 for the outer race.
- Bore roundness and cylindricity: controlled with light finish passes and temperature-stable measurement.
- Bore to face perpendicularity: the shoulder and mounting face are cut in the bore setup.
- Bore to bore alignment: on two-bore housings, both bores are machined from one datum by indexing the 4th axis.
- Bolt pattern position: mounting holes are positioned from the bore axis, not an outside edge.
Typical tolerances and finishes
| Feature | Typical tolerance | Tighter on request |
|---|---|---|
| Bearing bore diameter | +/-0.0005 in (about H7) | +/-0.0003 in |
| Bore roundness | 0.0005 in | 0.0002 in |
| Bore to face perpendicularity | 0.001 in | 0.0005 in |
| Bore to bore coaxiality | 0.001 in | 0.0005 in |
| Bolt hole true position | 0.005 in | 0.002 in |
| Mounting face flatness | 0.001 in | 0.0005 in |
| Bearing bore finish | 32 Ra | 16 Ra |
Values are typical for housings up to moderate size. Wall thickness, material and bore depth affect what is practical, and the quote confirms each callout.
Design notes
Thin-wall housings distort under clamping, so we fixture them on the mounting face where possible and finish the bore last. On castings, adequate stock allowance and a clear primary datum on the drawing avoid surprises at first article. If the housing is steel and will be heat treated or coated, tell us whether the bore is finished before or after that step so we can hold the fit in the final condition.
Secondary operations
Heat treat, stress relief, painting, powder coat, anodizing and plating are completed through qualified outside processors. Seal groove and bore surfaces can be masked as specified.
Quantity patterns
Bearing housing orders range from single replacement units and prototype sets to production runs of a few hundred per release. Fixtures are retained for repeat orders, so later releases are machined on the same datums and inspected against the same CMM program as the first article.
Inspection
Bore size, roundness, perpendicularity and bore alignment are verified on our Brown and Sharpe CMMs, with bore gages used in process. FAI in AS9102 format, CMM reports and material certs are available. See inspection and quality.
Getting a quote
Send the drawing, bearing part number or fit callout, material and quantity. You can upload a drawing for an instant estimate, and an estimator will confirm price and lead time. Call (315) 400-2654 to discuss a housing.