Mistracking

Mistracking is the off-centre travel of the conveyor belt along the conveyor line. A misaligned conveyor will cause the belt to run off to one side. The belt will tend to creep to the side that first makes contact with the idler roll. Mistracking can be caused by a number of factors, including belt splices, structure, components, or environment and material loading effects. 

Mistracking

Risks & Concerns

Mistracking often causes spillage at it shifts the conveyed material from the middle of the belt. Chronic mistracking causes belt damage and spillage, creating a ripple effect as the spillage damages the idlers and other structural components. As the belt wanders the edges of the conveyor belt are likely to be damaged as it comes into contact with other components. Belt wander creates interruptions in production, as the belt must be stopped, repaired, and retrained prior to resuming operations.

In order for a belt to track correctly, idlers and pulleys should be aligned, levelled and square to centre line prior to loading of the belt. The correct loading of the belt should be distributed in the centre of the belt.

In order to install belt tracking or training devices, the belt needs to be monitored in order to identify problem areas that cannot be solved by making adjustments.

ESS Products to Prevent Mistracking