Glue reclaiming system

Claim 1

A layup line for sheet material including a glue reclaiming system, said layup line comprising, in combination: a conveyor including a plurality of endless substantially parallel flat belts revolving about a plurality of spaced apart rollers for transporting individual sheets of said sheet material from a receiving position to a discharging position; glue application means located adjacent to said conveyor between said receiving and discharging positions for applying glue to said sheets as said sheets are transported by said conveyor; glue removal means including a flat scraper meMber located to contact each of said plurality of revolving flat belts to remove the glue remaining on said belts after said sheets have been transported by said conveyor to said discharging position and a catch basin located adjacent to said scraper member for receiving the glue removed from said plurality of flat belts by said scraper member; glue recycling means including a glue reclaim tank, a first conduit connecting said catch basin to said reclaim tank to facilitate the movement of said reclaim glue from said catch basin to said reclaim tank, a pump means for forcing the reclaimed glue to be displaced from said glue reclaim tank to said glue application means, a second conduit connecting said glue reclaim tank to said pump means, and a third conduit for connecting said pump means to said glue application means, said glue recycling means further including a reclaimed glue level sensing means positioned within said glue reclaim tank and connected to said pump to sense the level of the reclaimed glue within said glue reclaim tank and control the amount of glue forced by said pump means from said glue reclaim tank to said glue application means; and a water bath and water spray chamber positioned so that said plurality of flat belts pass therethrough for cleaning after said plurality of flat belts have been scraped by said flat scraper member.