Apparatus for cutting reinforcing fiber material

Apparatus for cutting fiber thread, comprising:

• a cutter for cutting the fiber thread, means for feeding the thread to the cutter;
• means for moving the cut threads away from the cutter;
• the cutter comprising a rotary cutter having a substantially cylindrical mantle surface;
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart knives at the mantle surface for cutting thread at the knives;
• a support roller opposed to the mantle surface of the rotary cutter, including an elastic surface layer which cooperates with the mantle surface and with the knives of the rotary cutter, the elastic surface layer forming a thread nip with the cylindrical mantle surface;
• slot shaped recesses in the mantle surface between the spaced apart knives, each of the slot shaped recesses have a width and a length, the length being longer than the width, the length extending circumferentially along the mantle surface, the slot shaped recesses receiving the fiber thread in the recesses, so that the fiber and cut thread move into and along the recesses, wherein the fiber thread fed by the feeding means may be fed at a feeding rate which deviates from a rotary speed of the mantle surface of the rotary cutter for adaptation of a cutting length of the fiber thread.