Abstract: Apparatus for supplying textile fibers to each of a plurality of textile blending machines extending in a line and defining a blending line from each of a plurality of fiber bales extending behind each of the machines with an overhead crane mounted for movement vertically and in two horizontal directions by a number of motors, a sensor in the hopper of each machine for providing a demand signal when the level of material in that hopper is less than a predetermined level, and a control circuit for operating the motors to supply material in a set order to each hopper having a sensor providing a demand signal with each hopper receiving fibers from each of the bales extending behind it.

Abstract: Apparatus in a card for sensing and controlling the relative speeds of the feed and doffer rolls in accordance with the sliver density. A mechanical sensing device responds to the cross-section of the sliver to close the contacts of an electrical circuit when the cross-section deviates from an acceptable range. On contact closure, the circuit provides an electrical signal to the drive arrangement of the feed and doffer rolls to vary the roll speeds thereby effecting a correction in sliver cross-section.

Abstract: Overfeed prevention method and apparatus operative during the purging of a pneumatic line which, between purges, conveys fiber material from a source to one or more of a plurality of stations. Whenever a station indicates a demand for fibers, control circuitry causes fibers to be supplied to that station and after all the demanding stations have been so supplied, the line is purged of fibers by operating at least one (preferably the last fed one) of only those stations which received fibers during a predetermined number of previous cycles to the exclusion of and thereby preventing the overfeed of any station that did not demand to be fed during that predetermined number of previous cycles. The stations have a priority sequence so that if, during the feeding of a given station, a station having a higher priority indicates a demand, the feeding of the given station is interrupted in favor of the station having the higher priority.