We can help with the standard steel belt conveyor design to optimize tracking solutions of your PureSteel^® metal belt or conveyor system. Belt can also help with engineered forced tracking solutions such as Metrak^©, Flanges or Cam followers. For more complex systems, Belt Technologies offers a custom-designed auto tracking system for ease of operator use.

Auto Tracking

Belt Technologies has developed a simple and effective pulley system for independently steering flat belts while allowing for easy, on-the-fly tracking adjustments.

This patented system solves tracking problems that result from changes in an operating environment; it also eliminates downtime by allowing independent belt adjustments on a common, multi-pulley shaft. Steering is accomplished by adjusting the angle of the pulley relative to the belt and modifying lateral tension. Rather than moving the pulley shaft through the use of pillow block adjustments, the ISP design fits a variable steering collar (with either a skewed or offset bore) and a sealed bearing assembly to the body of the pulley. When rotated, the collar changes the angle of the pulley body, resulting in the controlled bidirectional movement of the belt across the pulley face.

TruTrack™ Pulley System

The TruTrack™ Pulley system is another simple and effective auto-tracking solution that monitors and regulates the tracking of a metal belt. It incorporates a frictionless, segmented roller design with edge guides that substantially reduces side loads on the belt, prevents damage to its edge and improves the overall lifespan of the system. The versatile TruTrack™ can be used in multiple industries and applications and comes as a standalone product or as part of a conveyor system designed by our engineers.

Manual Tracking

Belt offers three types of manual tracking:

Pulley Axis Adjustment

Adjusting the pulley axis in a metal belt system is the most effective way of tracking a metal belt. Belt edge tensions are changed in a controlled manner, thus steering the belt. The technique is also applicable to both flat-faced and crowned pulleys. Ideally, both the drive and idler pulleys would have adjustable axes. In reality, however, the idler is the only adjustable pulley. The drive pulley is usually difficult to adjust due to its interface with motors or other power transmission devices.

Crowing Friction Drive Pulleys

When crowned friction drive pulleys must be used, it is in conjunction with—not in place of—axis adjustment. This is because crowned pulleys will not self-center a metal belt. Crowned pulleys work best on thin belts, as the belt web must conform to the crowned face of the pulley. While increased tension can be used to achieve belt-to-pulley face conformity, tension cannot be so high as to cause permanent belt deformation. The optimal geometry for a crowned friction drive pulley is a full radius, with a chord height no greater than the thickness of the belt that is running on the pulley.

We often refer to forced tracking as a method for maintaining lateral positioning of a steel belt. In this video, Belt Technologies President Al Wosky demonstrates the use of cam followers as a method of forced tracking. The steel belt edge rides on the bearings’ surface, or cam follower, to achieve belt tracking and lateral position. This method of tracking can achieve an accuracy of better than 0.001 of an inch!\

There’s more information on tracking solutions, including forced tracking, in this blog article.

In cases where simple axis adjustment cannot completely eliminate improper tracking, forced tracking methods such as cam followers or glass-filled Teflon^® flanges may be necessary and acceptable. System design relationships may need to change; this may involve the use of a thicker belt than might otherwise be recommended, since forced tracking techniques can contribute to a decrease in expected belt life.

Metrak^© Tracking

An alternative forced tracking technique for wider belts employs a V-belt bonded to the inner circumference of the metal belt. This two-element belt, which Belt Technologies calls the Metrak^© System, distributes tracking stresses on the V-belt rather than on the metal belt, thus maximizing belt life in a forced tracking system.

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

Hear how Belt helped overcome manufacturing challenges and production issues for our customers in similar situations to the one that brought you to this page.

Need More Information?

Give us a call to discuss our integrated automation and industrial conveyor systems. Once call could improve your tracking.