Abstract: This patent presents apparatus for cutting staple fibers to predetermined accurate lengths from yarn, tow or ropes. The apparatus includes a circular assembly incorporating a plurality of knives and one or more camming means which cooperate with the plurality of knives to pull a tow into cutting engagement with the knives in response to rotational movement of either the knife assembly or the camming means. A movable endless belt encircles the camming means and is adapted to move with the tow and, thereby, eliminate frictional heating generated between the tow/s and the camming surface/s. In one embodiment the endless belt is supported by a film of air, gas or liquid between it and the cam, and in an alternate embodiment the cam is a circular rotatable means and the endless belt is in direct contact therewith, but frictional heating is effectively eliminated because sliding engagement between the endless belt and the camming means is minimized.

Abstract: This invention contemplates a method and apparatus for taking fine metal fibers having a diameter range from .5 microns to approximately 150 microns and cutting the fibers into precise short lengths. The method and apparatus utilized first moistening tows of metal fibers, unwinding the tows from spools and positioning them into tow bands, stiffening the ribbon made from the tow bands, and cutting the fibers to desired precise lengths in order to prevent cold welding or deformation of the ends of the fibers during the cutting operation. Materials that may be used for stiffening the fibers include starch, PVA, ice, etc.

Abstract: Apparatus for severing a tow of crimped textile fibers has an outer cage and an inner cage. The inner cage has an annulus of idler rollers extending in parallelism with the common axis of the cages, and the outer cage has an annulus of elongated knives whose cutting edges spacedly surround and face the rollers. A tow of textile fibers is fed axially into the inner cage and is guided radially outwardly by an eyelet in the inner cage to enter a ring-shaped compartment between the knives and the rollers. A motor drives the inner cage or the outer cage to thereby convolute the tow in the compartment whereby the driven cage adds convolutions in the region immediately adjacent to the rollers and such convolutions cause the outer convolutions to expand toward and to be severed by the cutting edges. The severed fibers are withdrawn by a suction chamber which surrounds the outer cage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing staple fibers of a predetermined length from a substantially endless tow of fibers. The tow of fibers is fed onto needles carried in rows on a carrier under tension. The carrier is rotated past a cutting area and a depositing area. As the rows of needles pass the cutting area the tow of fibers is raised away from the surface of the carrier to enable cutting of the fibers by a cutter blade. The cut fibers are held by the needles until such reach the depositing area wherein the particular row of needles is retracted to deposit the cut fibers on a receiving means.