--- title: Meet the Monsters Hiding in Your Material Handling System description: Uninvited guests in your material handling system show up as dust, carryback, belt mistracking, material buildup, and unexpected downtime. Left unchecked, they can create safety concerns, increase maintenance costs, and rob your operation of valuable productivity. --- [Martin Engineering Blog](https://blog.martin-eng.com) # [Meet the Monsters Hiding in Your Material Handling System](https://blog.martin-eng.com/meet-the-monsters-hiding-in-your-material-handling-system) Written by [Chelsea Blake](https://blog.martin-eng.com/author/chelsea-blake) | Oct 23, 2026, 4:43:16 PM ### The Halloween Survival Guide for Defeating Common Conveyor Nightmares Halloween is all about ghosts, goblins, and creatures lurking in the shadows. But if you work around conveyors and bulk material handling equipment, you know the real monsters aren't hiding in haunted houses. They're hiding in your operation.🎃 These uninvited guests show up as dust, carryback, belt mistracking, material buildup, and unexpected downtime. Left unchecked, they can create safety concerns, increase maintenance costs, and rob your operation of valuable productivity. Fortunately, every monster has a weakness. Let's meet the five most common material handling monsters and learn how to stop them before they turn into full-blown operational nightmares.  ## Monster #1: The Dust Demon The Dust Demon is often the first monster to make its presence known. It appears as clouds of fugitive dust escaping transfer points, drifting through the air, and settling on equipment, structures, and walkways. At first, it might seem like a minor annoyance. Over time, however, excess dust can create housekeeping challenges, increase maintenance requirements, and contribute to safety concerns. Controlling airborne dust not only helps improve workplace cleanliness but can also reduce the risk of dust-related incidents.  ### Signs the Dust Demon Is Nearby: - Dust clouds around transfer points - Excessive cleanup requirements - Accumulation of dust on equipment - Reduced visibility in work areas - Increased maintenance demands ### How to Defeat It: The best defense against the Dust Demon is proper [containment](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_subcategory/487/conveyor-dust-containment-products) and [dust management](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_category/464/dust-management-containment). Well-designed transfer point solutions help keep material where it belongs: on the belt and inside the system rather than floating through your facility. Transfer point products are designed to improve containment, reduce dust issues, and support safer operations. ## Monster #2: The Carryback Creature If you've ever found piles of material underneath the return side of a conveyor, you've encountered the Carryback Creature. This stubborn pest clings to the belt after discharge and slowly drops material throughout the conveyor's return path. The result is constant cleanup, wasted product, and a never-ending battle to keep the area clean. Carryback contributes to material loss, equipment wear, dust problems, and potential slip-and-fall hazards caused by accumulated fugitive material.  ### Signs the Carryback Creature Has Moved In: - Material accumulating beneath the conveyor - Excessive sweeping and shoveling - Dirty support structures - Increased labor spent on cleanup - Premature wear on conveyor components ### How to Defeat It: [Belt cleaners](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_category/463/conveyor-belt-cleaners) are specifically designed to eliminate carryback and keep material moving through the intended process. Belt cleaning solutions help reduce material loss, improve housekeeping, and decrease maintenance requirements. When properly installed and maintained, belt cleaners can send the Carryback Creature packing. ## Monster #3: The Mistracking Monster Few conveyor problems are as frustrating as a wandering belt. The Mistracking Monster loves pushing belts off center, causing uneven wear, material spillage, and expensive damage to surrounding equipment. Sometimes it appears gradually. Other times it strikes seemingly out of nowhere. Regardless of how it arrives, the results are often the same: lost production, damaged components, and increased maintenance headaches. ### Signs the Mistracking Monster Is Active: - Belt edge damage - Material spillage along the structure - Frequent adjustments to belt alignment - Uneven wear patterns - Belt contact with conveyor components ### How to Defeat It: Effective [belt tracking solutions](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_subcategory/473/conveyor-belt-alignment-products) and improved [transfer point design](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_category/469/conveyor-transfer-point-solutions) help keep belts centered and operating efficiently. Properly tracking belts minimizes spillage, reduces wear and tear on equipment, and supports safer operations.  A belt that stays on track gives the Mistracking Monster nowhere to hide. ## Monster #4: The Buildup Beast Deep inside chutes, hoppers, silos, and process vessels lurks the Buildup Beast. Unlike some monsters that reveal themselves immediately, this one grows quietly over time. Material begins sticking to walls, creating obstructions that restrict flow until a sudden plug or blockage brings production to a halt. Clinging, arching, bridging, and ratholing are common material flow challenges that can interfere with efficient operation.  ### Signs the Buildup Beast Has Found a Home: - Frequent plugged chutes - Reduced material flow - Production bottlenecks - Increased manual intervention ### How to Defeat It: [Air cannons](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_subcategory/491/air-cannons-products) and [industrial vibrators](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/product_category/468/industrial-vibration-solutions) are designed to keep materials flowing and prevent accumulations from developing. Air cannon systems release timed bursts of compressed air that help break up buildups and bottlenecks without damaging equipment. Likewise, industrial vibrators help prevent common flow issues and encourage consistent material movement.  When materials continue moving smoothly, the Buildup Beast loses its lair. ## Monster #5: Downtime Dracula Every Halloween story needs a final villain, and in the world of bulk material handling, that's Downtime Dracula. This monster feeds on every problem the others create. Dust issues, carryback, mistracking, and material buildup all contribute to unexpected shutdowns, lost production, and rising maintenance costs. Downtime Dracula rarely appears without warning. The challenge is recognizing the signs before small issues become major failures. ### Signs Downtime Dracula Is Feeding: - Unexpected equipment shutdowns - Rising maintenance costs - Frequent emergency repairs - Lost production hours - Recurring conveyor problems ### How to Defeat It: The most effective approach is prevention, combining proactive inspections and routine maintenance with a clear understanding of proper operating practices to keep systems running safely and productively.   [Walk the Belt™ Inspections](https://www.martin-eng.com/content/page/538/walk-your-conveyor-belt) include a comprehensive review of the conveyor system, including belts, cleaners, tracking systems, chutes, dust control components, and other key equipment. The inspection evaluates issues such as carryback, mistracking, fugitive material, airborne dust, and flow obstructions while providing recommendations for improvement. Knowledge is most valuable when it can be put into practice. That idea inspired the [Foundations™ Training](https://foundations.martin-eng.com/en-us/training-options) Program, which brings our accumulated bulk material handling expertise together in an engaging, practical learning experience. The program explores essential topics that help operations tackle conveyor challenges safely and effectively and is offered in various formats to suit attendees' busy schedules.  By identifying problems before they become failures, operations can keep Downtime Dracula from draining valuable production hours. ## Build Your Monster-Hunting Team Fortunately, you don't have to battle these conveyor monsters alone. Every material handling nightmare has a solution: - **Dust Demon** → Dust Management & Transfer Point Solutions - **Carryback Creature** → Belt Cleaning Systems - **Mistracking Monster** → Belt Tracking Solutions - **Buildup Beast** → Air Cannons & Industrial Vibrators - **Downtime Dracula** → Walk the Belt™ Inspections & Foundations™ Training ## Don't Let the Monsters Take Over The scariest conveyor problems rarely appear overnight. Most begin as small issues that gradually grow into larger operational challenges. The good news is that today's bulk material handling technologies can help eliminate carryback, improve tracking, control dust, prevent buildup, and reduce downtime before these problems become costly nightmares. This Halloween, take a closer look around your operation. If you spot any of these monsters lurking in your material handling system, now is the perfect time to send them packing.   [View full post](https://blog.martin-eng.com/meet-the-monsters-hiding-in-your-material-handling-system) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Chelsea Blake" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-23T16:43:16.832Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-23T16:43:16Z", "headline" : "Meet the Monsters Hiding in Your Material Handling System", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 600, "url" : "https://5156573.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/5156573/Blog%20Header%20Halloween%202026%20copy.jpg", "width" : 1200 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.martin-eng.com/meet-the-monsters-hiding-in-your-material-handling-system", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 60, "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png", "width" : 60 }, "name" : "Martin Blog" } } ```