Conveyors, Part 2; Belt Tracking

Hello Team Members;

Belt Tracking

  One of the major issues with transport conveyor belts is tracking them properly. If the conveyor belts moves off the center, the sides of the belt will ride on the side of the conveyor causing damage to the belt and possibly to some of the mechanical parts of the system. Keeping the belt centered is a bit of art and patience. Honing in the skill set of belt tracking with optimize the life of your MHE (material handling systems). Belt tracking could easily get out of hand if someone who does not know the proper procedure and tries to correct the trouble by making improper adjustments.

  If the belt lacing drags along the side of the conveyor and catches slider pan or part of the conveyor frame, the motor will drag the belt through, causing major damage to the lacing, and tear the belt apart. This can cause critical down time and if the location of the conveyor is in a hard to reach area, downtime could be extended and have a greater impact on revenue due to costly repair time.

Before trying to make any adjustments, the following points should be checked:

• If a new belt has been installed, has the belt been cut perfectly square or has it been cut on a camber? A belt that was poorly cut, will almost never track properly.
• Has the conveyor frame itself been pushed out of line by lift trucks or other devices? One of the main issues here is contractors are paid to quickly install new conveyance systems, and squareness usually takes a back seat on the new installs. On a conveyor that is not square will have permanent tracking issues.
• Have adjustments been made on the return idlers or the end pulleys by mechanics inexperienced in solving such problems?
• Have the bolts, which hold the flange bearings pulley shafts become loose and shifted from their original positions? One of the main items to look at during PM’s is to make sure that the fasteners are tight.
• Have any of the roller conveyor bearings or flange bearings become so worn as to affect their original square alignment? Over tightening, the belt will cause the mechanical parts to wear out faster than industrial expectations

  This week’s blog will be about the art of tracking a conveyor belt. With the proper tension, (we covered last week) and tracking techniques, your conveyor systems will last longer then industrial expectation! By having both of these components aligned together, your motor/reducer, bearings and rollers will last longer as well. 

  The Do’s and the Don'ts of belt tracking…
 

The Do’s…

• Ensure that the Snub Rollers, Carrier Rollers, End Pulleys, Drive Pulleys & the Take-up Pulley are all square or in neutral position
• Utilize the Snub/Idler Rollers to track the belt
• Start steering/tracking a belt from the charge end on the top of the conveyor rather than the discharge end
• Start with the return run, working your way up to the top run

The Don’ts…

• Avoid using the End Pulleys & the Take-up Pulley to track a belt
• Never use the Drive Pulley to track a belt
• Do not over tension the conveyor belt to assist in tracking

 

  One of the main points that needs to be taken serious on belt tracking is the importance of Not Using the Drive/End Pulleys! As we discussed last week about tensioning the belt properly, if you use the end rollers or drive system, you will stretch your belt on one side; and when that happens to your belt, you will be engaged in a belt tracking conflict due to having a warped belt. 

The Art of Belt Tracking

  The basic rule to keep in mind when tracking a conveyor belt is simply “the belt moves toward the end of the roll/idler it contacts first”. By moving the snub roller or any of the idler rollers, the belt will move into the new direction that the technician wants the belt to move. When tracking a belt, we can also liken a set of Bicycle Handle bars to a tracking roller or “snubber”. 

  The best industrial practice is to start with the return run, working towards the tail pulley, and then follow with the top run in the direction of belt travel. Start with the belt empty, this will make it easier to monitor and see how the belt reacts to the changes that you have made. After tracking is completed, run the belt with a full load and recheck tracking, and the main purpose for this is due to the fact that when product or loaded totes enters the conveyor, the weight may cause the belt to adjust. In many warehouses and fulfillment centers, totes and products are at times skewed to one side of the conveyor. This will add pressure to that side and may cause belt alignment issues.

  Tracking adjustment is done while the belt is running and the technician can see the length of the conveyor preceding the region of trouble. The adjustment may not be immediately apparent, therefore, permit the belt to run for several minutes or at least ten full belt revolutions after each snubber/idler has been adjusted to determine if additional adjustment is required.

  Here is a website that has a lot of information on conveyors for you to look up... Cisco Eagle

  As you read this week’s blog, you now have a better understanding of “Belt Tracking”.

Things To Know…

• The faster a belt travels, the faster it reacts to adjustments
• The slower a belt travels, the slower it reacts to adjustments
• Measure tracking progress from the belt’s lace
• If time permits, make adjustments slow and methodically, you don’t want to have to do unnecessary rework
• It can take hours to properly track a belt
• Never make an adjustment and forget to come back and check your work (always monitor your work throughout your shift)
• Belts tend to track along the path of least resistance
• Ensure all pulleys and roller are square prior to tracking

  In Conclusion my friends; what are some of the topics that we talked about here supported your needs? What are some of the challenges in belt tracking do you need support on?

  I hope that this blog supports your essentials and delivered good content for you! Please feel free to leave a comment!

Best Regards. Joe DeLoach