Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating and winding pre-treated yarn, for example, tire cord, the method comprising two stages. In a first stage, a coated and heat-set fabric, constituted of longitudinally running warp cords and laterally running picks interlaced with the warp cords, is subdivided into a plurality of elongate tapes, each tape having a lesser number of warp cords than the fabric and picks of reduced linear extent. The tapes are then wound into respective packages. In the second stage, the tapes are unwound and divided each into a plurality of independent warp cords free from the picks. The warp cords are then wound into respective packages.

Abstract: An apparatus designed to facilitate the processing of uncured rubber or like raw material, which is normally produced, stored and shipped in sheet form but which is to be subjected to a continuous and uniform strip feeding into an extruder, mill or like treating means, is disclosed. The apparatus includes cutting means for forming in a sheet of such material a plurality of slits extending across the sheet and spaced from each other longitudinally of the sheet, the slits in an alternating sequence starting at the opposite side edges of the sheet and each terminating short of the respective other side edge of the sheet. In its preferred version, the cutting means is a rotary cutter having an even number of ogee-curved blades extending transversely to the sheet feed direction, the blades being alternatingly recessed at one end each, so that each cutting edge effectively starts at one end of the cutter and terminates somewhat short of the other end thereof.