Abstract: Process and apparatus for continuously cutting a tow of continuous filaments and opening the resulting fibers are described. Immediately after the tow is cut, while the fibers are still in an orderly array, they are transported to an opening device, especially garnett wires, where the fibers are opened without damage.The apparatus modifies existing tow cutting devices of the type including crown-arranged and radially oriented knives, means for winding the tow around the knife edges and means for pressing the tow against the knife edges by providing an annular fiber collector at the rear of the ring of knives for collecting the fibers while they are still oriented in the same direction and feeding the orderly array of fibers to at least one garnett wire carried on at least one rotatable cylinder located at the outlet of the fiber collector.