Roving cutter

A roving cutter comprising an integrated air motor and cutting means driven thereby, characterized by:

• a unitary mounting plate located between the air motor and the cutting means, said mounting plate defining part of an air motor rotor cavity on one side thereof and mounting means for the cutting means on the other side thereof,
• said air motor including a hollow body having an opening therethrough mounted on said one side of said plate and defining therewith an air motor rotor cavity, a rotor rotatably mounted in said cavity and having a shaft rotatably supported in and extending through said plate to said other side thereof, first air passages in said body and said plate for conducting compressed air to said cavity for driving said rotor.
• said cutting means including a cutter roller mounted on said shaft at said other side of said mounting plate, a back-up roller adjustably mounted on said mounting plate at said other side thereof in parallel relation to said cutter roller, a feed roller mounted on said mounting plate at said other side thereof in parallel relation to said back-up roller, positive displacement adjustment means for fixing the position of said back-up roller relative to said cutter roller and said feed roller, said adjustment means including manually operable means extending to the exterior of said body and said plate for adjusting said back-up roller during operation of the cutter, said feed roller cooperating with said back-up roller for feeding roving to said cutter roller and said cutter roller cooperating with said back-up roller to cut the roving into short segments, air jet means on said other side of said mounting plate adjacent the outlet side of said cutter roller for shaping the pattern of the cut segments of roving, second air passages in said body and said plate for conducting compressed air to said air jet means,
• first valve means for controlling the supply of air to said first air passages independently of the supply of air to said second air passages, and second valve means for controlling the supply of air to said second air passages independently of the supply of air to said first air passages, said first and second valve means each including means extending to the exterior of said body and said plate for independently adjusting the respective valve during operation of the cutter to independently adjust the speed of said rotor and cutter roller and the pattern of the cut segments of roving.