Apparatus and method for producing weighed charges of loosely aggregated filamentary material from compacted bales of the material

Bales of filamentary material are separated into weighed charges of the material by disintegrating the bales in a rotating drum to produce tufts that are passed to a picking chamber wherein a toothed roll strips individual filaments from a supply roll formed from the tufts and passing the filaments to scales upon which the charges are accumulated. Each time a charge is accumulated on a scale, air is blown across the scale to discharge the scale. The charges are delivered to a magazine having a plurality of vertically stacked chambers, each chamber underlain by a movable gate, through which the charges are passed sequentially to be discharged at a fixed schedule from the lowermost chamber. Spikes mounted on the interior of the drum are shaped to loosen portions of bales entering the drum, tear tufts from such portions, and finally deposit the tufts into an air stream passing through the drum to expel the tufts. Between the drum and the picking chamber, the tufts are treated with an anti-static compound in a chamber through which the tufts fall while a mist of the compound is injected into the chamber. Above the picking chamber, the tufts enter a deflection tower and are deflected to one side or the other of the picking chamber to concentrate the supply roll at one side of the picking chamber and filaments to each of two scales are drawn from opposite sides of the picking chamber.