The challenges faced in the pulp and paper industry are unlike any other. The nature of the operation has belts moving indoors and outdoors, experiencing a wide variety of temperature and weather changes. All that, as well as misalignment of rollers, incorrectly installed splices, and material build-up from carryback and spillage, can cause your belt to veer off track.
Because mistracking is such a common issue around the wood yard at pulp and paper mills, it is often overlooked. As long as it’s still running and materials are still being moved from place to place, what’s wrong with a crooked belt? Well, nothing if you aren’t trying to operate at maximum productivity.
When you aren’t concerned with how efficiently your plant is running, you don’t care that the belt is hitting the structure, causing damage to the belt edges and wearing out your splices. Not to mention the damage it is doing to the actual conveyor since belts can saw through the structure. And every time you have to stop to replace or repair a belt, that is valuable production time lost.
And perhaps you don’t care that materials are spilling onto your conveyor components, seizing idlers and sticking to you conveyor frame. Maybe it doesn’t matter to you that flammable spillage is also falling into areas that contain heat sources, putting your operation and workers at risk.
But let’s suppose you do care about productivity, efficiency, and worker safety. What can you do about it?
If you have time, the best way to tackle a mistracking issue is to find the source of the mistracking. Is product buildup on your idlers or frame causing your belt to wander one way or the other? Is it a structure problem caused by heavy equipment bumping the conveyor and causing the belt to mistrack? Is the belt’s splice not square? An assessment of your entire conveyor is the best way to evaluate the cause of the mistracking.
Our experts can spot mistracking from a mile away, and we aren’t afraid to get up close and personal with your conveyor. Fill out the form below and one of our Territory Managers will come out to help you solve your mistracking issues.
If you can’t find the source of your mistracking problem, or don’t have the budget to fix a structural issue, addressing the actual mistracking is your best bet. And Flexco has the right belt training solution for every part of your system.
The PTEZ™ Belt Trainer provides pulp and paper operations with a high-performance tracking idler at an economical price point. Employing our patented “Pivot and Tilt” mechanism, the unit responds and compensates immediately to belt misalignment using the tapered end roller profile to engage the training action. This ensures that the belt stays away from the structure and the material stays on the belt without the use of sensor or edge rollers. As a result, the PTEZ can be used anywhere in the wood yard to provide tracking and prevent damage to the belt or structure. The PTEZ can even be used on chevron belts by mounting it on the “clean” side of the belt.
The patented PT Smart™ Belt Trainer also utilizes the "Pivot and Tilt" design in an economical, medium-duty trainer. This unit reacts and compensates instantly to belt misalignment, ensuring that the belt stays away from the structure and the material stays on the belt. The result: a continuous solution to mistracking problems that cause damage to the belt and conveyor structure.
Like the PTEZ Belt Trainer and PT Smart Belt Trainer, the PT Max™ Belt Trainer features the “Pivot and Tilt” design for heavy duty applications like overland conveyors. The PT Max reacts and compensates instantly to belt misalignment, ensuring that the belt stays away from the structure and the material stays on the belt. The PT Max delivers superior training action that makes it easy to keep even the most troublesome belts on track and on the job permanently.
Copyright Flexco
