APPARATUS FOR MONITORING THE LUBRICATING STATE OF A ROTATING BELT， TO WHICH A LUBRICANT HAS BEEN APPLIED， FOR TRANSPORTING MATERIAL TO BE PRESSED

The invention relates to an apparatus and to a method for monitoring the lubricating state of a rotating belt (4)， to which a lubricant has been applied， for transporting material to be pressed. The invention also relates to a continuous press comprising such a monitoring device and to a method for operating such a press. One or more sensors (9) are provided in the region of the belt (4)， using which sensors at least one measurement signal (M) dependent on the quantity of lubricant on the belt (4) can be produced. According to the invention， the sensors (9) are designed as capacitive sensors which each have at least one sensor plate (10) located at a distance from the belt (4) and which， together with the belt (4)， each form a capacitor (11) having a capacitance which depends on the quantity of lubricant on the belt (4).