A non-contact heating apparatus uses a series of rotating magnets to heat, levitate, and/or move metal articles therethrough. A first series of rotating magnets heats the metal article to a desired temperature. A second series of rotating magnets levitates the metal article within the heating apparatus and maintains desired tension in the metal article, including urging the metal article through the heating apparatus. The heating apparatus can extend sufficiently far to soak the metal article at the desired temperature for a desired duration. The rotating magnets can be positioned outside of an electrically non-conductive, heat resistant chamber filled with an inert or mildly reactive gas, through which the metal article passes in the heating apparatus.

In order to increase the operational safety of an unreeling apparatus and an unreeling method at high working speed, an unreeling apparatus for unreeling a ring of wire along a pull-off direction, having at least two reel crowns, which can each be brought into a pull-off position and into a preparation position and/or loading position by way of a displacement device, includes a safety apparatus having an overload safety device and having a safety guide track, which has a directional component that faces in the pull-off direction and acts independently of the other reel crown, at least for the reel crown situated in the pull-off position, wherein the overload safety device holds the reel crown situated in the pull-off position in the pull-off position and, in the event of an overload, releases the reel crown situated in the pull-off position into the safety guide track.

In order to increase the operational safety of an unreeling apparatus and an unreeling method at high working speed, an unreeling apparatus for unreeling a ring of wire along a pull-off direction, having at least two reel crowns, which can each be brought into a pull-off position and into a preparation position and/or loading position by way of a displacement device, includes a safety apparatus having an overload safety device and having a safety guide track, which has a directional component that faces in the pull-off direction and acts independently of the other reel crown, at least for the reel crown situated in the pull-off position, wherein the overload safety device holds the reel crown situated in the pull-off position in the pull-off position and, in the event of an overload, releases the reel crown situated in the pull-off position into the safety guide track.

The invention relates to a method and a robot system (23) for producing transformer cores (12), sheets of metal (16) from which a transformer core is constructed being received on at least two stacking tables (18) by means of a multiaxial robot (22) of the robot system, the sheets of metal being supplied to the robot and stacked adjacent to the robot in at least two storage positions (31) for different sheets of metal by means of a conveyor device (29), the robot and the conveyor device being controlled by a control device (17), sheets of metal being collected from the storage positions and being stacked on the stacking tables by means of the robot disposed between and above the stacking tables.

The invention relates to a device for processing an end of a strip, in particular a metal strip (2), wound up into a coil (1), in particular for sampling and/or for inspection of the strip, with a winding device for unwinding the end of the strip. This device is characterized in that the winding device is formed as a coiler (9) with one or more rotatable coiler drums (10) for receiving the coil (1) and in that the coiler (9) is arranged on a transporting system (11), with which the coiler (9), and the coil (1) arranged on it, can be moved between various processing stations (3, 5, 6).

The invention relates to a device for processing an end of a strip, in particular a metal strip (2), wound up into a coil (1), in particular for sampling and/or for inspection of the strip, with a winding device for unwinding the end of the strip. This device is characterized in that the winding device is formed as a coiler (9) with one or more rotatable coiler drums (10) for receiving the coil (1) and in that the coiler (9) is arranged on a transporting system (11), with which the coiler (9), and the coil (1) arranged on it, can be moved between various processing stations (3, 5, 6).

The invention relates to a reel (10) for winding or unwinding strip-shaped material, in particular a metal strip or the like, and to a method for tensioning a coil (12), the reel comprising a frame (13), at least one reel head (14) for disposing the coil for winding or unwinding material (11), a drive arrangement (15) having at least one electric motor (16) and a shaft (20) which connects the electric motor to the reel head, the electric motor being formed comprising a stator (17) and a rotor (18) and being disposed on the frame, the electric motor being a torque motor or a synchronous motor, the shaft directly connecting the rotor to the reel head, the rotor being mounted on the stator so as to be axially displaceable relative to the stator.

Systems and methods of hot forming a metal blank include receiving the metal blank at a heater and positioning the blank adjacent a magnetic rotor of the heater. The systems and methods also include heating the metal blank through the magnetic rotor by rotating the magnetic rotor. Rotating the magnetic rotor induces a magnetic field into the metal blank such that the metal blank is heated.

Systems and methods of hot forming a metal blank include receiving the metal blank at a heater and positioning the blank adjacent a magnetic rotor of the heater. The systems and methods also include heating the metal blank through the magnetic rotor by rotating the magnetic rotor. Rotating the magnetic rotor induces a magnetic field into the metal blank such that the metal blank is heated.

Systems and methods of threading a metal substrate on a rolling mill include receiving a coil of the metal substrate. The method also includes uncoiling the metal substrate from the coil while the coil and guiding the metal substrate to a work stand of the rolling mill with a threading system.