Maximising Conveyor Belt Longevity: The True Cost of Conveyor Mistracking
When considering a conveyor belt system, it is widely recognised that it is not the initial price you pay for a belt, but it is instead how long it stays operational before you have to replace it. Fenner Dunlop quote that the “true cost” of a conveyor belt is dictated by its longevity, and that buying for a competitive price can often prove to be a costly mistake.
This of course is a concern for individuals working within the conveyor sector, looking to spend over a hundred thousand pounds on a conveyor belt. Whilst making your purchase you must also consider the likelihood that your expensive purchase might cease to work in a shorter time than expected or fail to live up to what you need it to.
As well as general wear and tear that will inevitably occur with time and use, operators must also concern themselves with a common culprit in conveyor belt management – conveyor mistracking.

What is Conveyor Mistracking?
Conveyor mistracking is a common cause of conveyor belt issues, the process of a conveyor roller belt becoming misaligned with its proper path. When this occurs, the belt can begin to rub against the frame causing accelerated wear on the belt and in some cases causing the belt to turn over causing considerable damage as well as resulting of material spillage.
If conveyor belt alignment is left uncorrected, the impact of conveyor mistracking will negatively impact your business in two main ways.
Belt Damage
The conveyor belt is the most important and most expensive component of a conveyor system by a considerable margin. If a belt is subject to mistracking for a sustained period, it will begin to show signs of belt-edge damage. This shortens the amount of time in between replacing the belt, adding a large cost to your operation.
If conveyor mistracking is left uncorrected, long periods of sustained damage will force the need for a replacement belt. Due to the nature of conveyor systems, fitting a new conveyor belt will cause a standstill in your operation which will lead to a loss of profit during operational downtime.
Loss of Efficiency
Each belt has a specific weight capacity dependent on a variety of factors, usually fitted to the needs of the operation. This means that a belt should always be operating within its capacity.
When a belt undergoes belt-edge damage due to prolonged mistracking, the overall load capacity of a belt is reduced. This reduces the amount of material an operation is able to process, or if left unmanaged can lead to additional problems like further belt damage, belt slippage, and entire operational shutdowns. In each instance, the wear caused by belt mistracking leads to a significant loss in productivity and efficiency.

What’s the Solution to Mistracking?
There are many potential issues for what could be causing conveyor mistracking, whether that be a problem with slip rollers being poorly aligned and worn, or a failure to load material in an even manner.
Many might suggest that the first step is to identify belt-edge damage, and then assess the problem to limit the damage, however, at Davis Derby we work to prevent the problems before they even begin by and improve your conveyor protection.
Our Belt Alignment/ Tear Device is comprised of two identical units, positioned on each side of a chosen conveyor belt. When belt misalignment begins to occur the conveyor is brought into contact with one of the rollers which activates a rotary switch housed in the associated unit. Our technology is designed to allow us to detect safety concerns before they materialise.

StedFAST is Davis Derby’s solution to helping you improve the operating life of your conveyor belts, keeping them operational and free from incidents for as long as possible. If you want to revolutionise your conveyor safety, contact us to find out more about our solution – https://www.davisderby.com/contact/