Common Causes of Conveyor Belt Issues
For factories, conveyor belts are critical pieces of equipment. If your conveyor belt malfunctions or stops working, it brings your entire operation to a screeching halt. Conveyor belt mishaps can cost your factory a lot of time and money. That’s why it’s imperative to know about common conveyor belt issues and how to fix them. That way, you won’t have to call a technician every single time you run into a problem. Here are some common causes of conveyor belt issues.
Mistracking
Conveyor belts work by tracking their paths. Tracking means that the belt’s aligned and following the right direction. A hiccup in the system is called mistracking. This issue occurs when the conveyor belt slips out of alignment. Mistracking can cause your entire operation to shut down. It can also wear on your belt unevenly, which will lead to other problems.
To fix this issue, inspect the following components on your conveyor belt:
- A crooked conveyor frame
- Misaligned snub rollers
- The belt (it could be crooked, or dirt and debris could be clogging it.)
Those are the most common causes of mistracking. As long as you re-align the components and clear the debris, your belt should be good to go. If none of these tactics work, call a technician so they can repair it.
Blockage
You probably use your conveyor belt to transport large amounts of products. A problem can occur in this system when something snags on one of the products. That can lead to a blockage as a result. A significant enough blockage can cause your entire system to malfunction.
Check your belts for any protruding corners or sharp edges. These can snag your products as they go by, creating a blockage. Once you’ve found the source of the backup and removed it, your belt will work again.
Conveyor Belt Tear
Some products can cause your conveyor belt to tear. Rips and tears in your belt can cause many issues, so it’s critical to repair them immediately. Here are some tips on how you can repair a tear in your conveyor belt:
- Use vulcanization to use heat to repair your belt
- Repair it with metal fasteners
If you can’t perform this repair on your own, you’ll need to call a professional. Also, bear in mind that there are different types of conveyor belts. You need to know which one you’ve before calling a repair service.
There you’ve some common causes of conveyor belt issues. We hope that this guide has helped you diagnose what’s going wrong with your conveyor belt.
