Helpful Tips to Improve Your V-Guide Knowledge

March 29, 2022

Close-up of conveyance technician installing v-guides on a red conveyor belt

V-guides are commonly applied to the bottom of conveyor belts to help them track properly. The placement of the v-guide is usually dictated by the design of the conveyor.

A V-guide is a trapezoidal cross section (similar to a V-belt) and comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. They can be used in various ways, but it is crucial to understand that the use of V-guides does not fully prohibit tracking issues. Tracking problems caused by poor conveyor design or improper maintenance are generally not eliminated by adding a V-guide to the belt.

Black V Guide Belt for Mi Conveyance Solutions

Use of V-Guides on Belting

Single center guides are popular for long, narrow belts where wider belts will use a V-guide on the bottom of each belt edge and are popular for short and reversing conveyors. Guides also aid in performance on systems with low tension or low speed, as well as with side loading/diverting belts.

V-Guide Placement

Close-up of a blue v-guide on a white background A single guide on belt centerline is the most common V-guide request, although conveyor belts can have the guide not on centerline, or have multiple guides. Though they are typically applied to the bottom of the belt to serve as a guide, they can also be attached to the top of the belt and used as a vanner edge. Positioning the guide on the belt is critical for proper performance:

Start with the centerline of the guide and tell us where that line is positioned on the belt: i.e. centerline of belt; 2″ from centerline of belt, etc.
Avoid using a worn belt edge as a reference point to measure guide placement from the edge(s) of the belt, as this may result in an incorrectly positioned V-guide.
When multiple guides are required always give center to center of guides.

Different Sizes and How to Measure

XYZ Guide for V Guide Measurement by Motion Conveyance Solutions Guides come in different sizes, with larger belts usually having a larger sized V-guide. To identify V-guide size:

Measure the width at the widest point, where it attaches to the belt, and then measure the thickness. (See the chart below for dimensions).
Guides should not fit snuggly in the grooves on the pulleys − there should be a 1/16″ clearance on both sides and bottom of the guide.