There are certain optimum operating conditions which can ensure maximum life and trouble-free opration. We have taken the liberty of outlining five key points below:

1. A belt should always be operated under tension. This tension should be sufficient to take the slack out of the belt while operating without slippage on your drive roller. At no time should the belt be exposed to heat while in a slack or tension-free condition.

2. The belt should be tracked by means of a compensating guide mechanism. The system itself consists of nothing more than a sensing device (a feeler or sensor along the edge of the belt) which is connected to a pivot roller with 15° or 30° of belt wrap. As the belt off-tracks, the sensing device relays the degree of off-tracking to the tracking or pivot roller, causing it to move a sufficient amount to compensate for the off-tracking.

3. It would be helpful if a system were installed that would cause the belt to continually rotate while the oven is heated. This should, of course, be preset, so that while the oven remains above a specific temperature (190°F, for example), the belt will continue to move in the oven. We also suggest you consider a warning system that will flag your machine operator when the temperature in the over exceeds a specific limit. This limit should coincide with the maximum temperature at which the belt is rotated.

4. Limit switches that will sense severe off-tracking of the belt, signaling the machine operator of this condition, would also be helpful. Should your tracking mechanism fail to operate or should an extreme condition cause severe off-tracking, this will prevent irreparable damage to the belt edge.

5. When attempting to manually track a belt, select an adjustable roller (one that will pivot forward and back or up and down) with 30° to 45° of wrap. Do not select a roller with more than a 45° wrap, such as a tail or turn-around roller, which will alter the path of the belt from one side to the other.