Device for removing rod-like articles from a hopper

A device for the removal of rod-like articles, such as cigarette filter plugs, from a hopper containing a supply of said articles, said hopper being closed at its bottom by a drum rotating on a horizontal axis and presenting a plurality of peripheral flutes parallel to its axis, transfer means being provided at a point of the circumferential path of the drum located outside of the hopper to transfer the articles housed in the flutes to a feed conveyor operatively coupled with the rotating drum, wherein the improvement consists in that each flute of the rotating drum presents a depth so as to be capable of housing at least two articles arranged parallel to each other and the one above the other in radial direction, and the said transfer means take out at least one article from each flute, and transfer it to the said feed conveyor, there being provided a concave suction guide covering the flutes over an arc immediately prior to the transfer means, whereby either the single article housed in the flute, or the outermost article of at least two articles housed in the flute, is sucked towards the exterior against the concave suction guide, until it reaches the transfer means.