Not all of the common problems found in conveyor belts are caused by faulty design, implementation or maintenance, but sometimes relate to the production and storage of key components. Chapter four of Martin Engineering's Foundations notes that a primary example of this type of damage is known as belt camber.
Belt camber is identified by the warping of a belt to create a curved bow shape when laid out flat. Technically, the camber refers to the outside edge of the curve, with the concave side being referred to as the bow.
A camber can produce serious tracking problems for the belt, generally producing a steady side to side motion along the affected belt. This motion can change if one or more of a group of spliced belts have a camber, but it differs from a crooked splice, which generally creates a sudden sideways jump. However, while cambers produce a less dramatic effect, this motion continues across the length of the belt, as opposed to just at the point of the splice.
Cambers are often the product of faulty manufacturing or improper storage, but they can also be produced by improper splices or irregular tension in the belt.