associated with the nipper head 3 the nipper head 3 cooperates with detaching rolls 6 a fiber assembly or wad 7 delivered for combing is conducted continually to the nipper head 3 from a lap not shown the advancing end of the wad 7 emerging from the nipper is referred to as the fiber tuft 10 and is conveyed away after piecing with the combed material of a web 11 the web 11 is held between the detaching rolls 6 and fed back in a step and repeat type of movement pilgrim step like and is detached from the following fibers of the wad 7 the needle segment 5 is cleaned of the comber noil which is combed out of the freely suspended fiber tuft 10 by means of a brush roller not shown which rotates in the same direction as the half lap 4 at a higher rate of speed the nipper head 3 features a lower nipper plate 13 and a nipper knife plate 21 mounted on bearings in a swingable manner the lower nipper plate 13 consists essentially of a nipper plate arm 15 and a cushion blade 16 secured to it at a lateral swivelling journal 17 of the lower nipper plate 13 an upper nipper plate 14 is swingably mounted on bearings in the lower nipper plate 13 a feed roller 18 for the wad 7 is also mounted on bearings this converts the continuous fiber feed into a discontinuous feed an intermittent drive of the feed roller 18 is accomplished in the rhythm of the nipper head movement by means of a pawl drive which is not shown but which is described in the aforementioned u s pat no 3 479.