Responsive conveyor belt tracker improves production and safety

(Posted on 31/01/24)

USA based pioneer in belt conveyor accessories, Martin Engineering, has launched the next generation of tracking technology for a global marketplace. Martin Engineering designed the highly responsive Martin® Tracker HD (heavy-duty) belt conveyor alignment system with widely available plate steel to increase availability and affordability across all 6 continents it serves. A mistracking belt produces excessive spillage which increases labour costs for cleanup and may cause contact with the mainframe. This seriously damages both the belt and the structure and increases the potential for a friction fire. The Martin Tracker HD upper and lower units provide immediate, continuous, and precise adjustment of the mistracking belt. The result is greater productivity with less unscheduled downtime from both equipment replacement and spillage cleanup for a lower cost of operation.

“Since most OEM mistracking devices are only designed to prevent contact with the stringer and don’t actually realign the belt, operators can spend a lot of time monitoring the system and adjusting idlers to achieve consistent alignment,” explained Dave Mueller, Product Manager for Martin Engineering. “With enough manual adjusting, operators find that idlers must be recentred if there’s a change in cargo characteristics or to install a new belt. The Tracker HD automates the alignment process, eliminating the need for constant monitoring and manual adjustments, reducing the labour and downtime for maintenance.”

The Martin Tracker HD’s unrivalled precision comes from sensing rollers that ride either side of the belt edge and are attached to the end of an arm assembly. As the rollers detect slight variations in the belt path, the force of the wandering belt causes the arms to automatically position a pivoting idler in the opposite direction of the misalignment. The lever action requires less force to initiate the correction and only slight adjustments mean the consistent contact between the belt and idlers reduces the energy needed to bring the belt back into alignment.

Martin Engineering has been a global innovator in the bulk material handling industry for more than 80 years, developing new solutions to common problems and participating in industry organizations to improve safety and productivity.