SITUATION:
A major international producer of potato chips experienced a bunching effect on a potato fryer take out belt (a chain driven, wire mesh, incline belt) at their New England facility. The competitor’s belt would not lay flat and gathered and compacted belt spirals together shortly after installation. Consequently, the belt indexed and traveled with stops and accelerations. The belt manufacturer claimed the problem was due to poor installation procedure performed by the maintenance department and that the belt was not defective.