An apparatus for producing and further processing slabs of a metal, preferably steel, comprises: a continuous casting apparatus, which is designed to produce at least one cast strand and to transport it in a transport direction; a cutting device, which is arranged behind the continuous casting apparatus, as seen in the transport direction, and is designed to cut the cast strand into slabs; at least a first route and a second route, which implement, at least in some portions, different process lines for the further processing of the slabs; and a process control system, which is designed to make a route decision on a slab-specific basis as a function of at least one measured or calculated process parameter, which route decision assigns one of the plurality of routes to the respective slab, and to initiate the further processing of the corresponding slab along the assigned route.

Metal sheets (13) are produced from strand-shaped profiles (8) having a low thickness, made of magnesium or magnesium alloys by way of an extrusion system (1). The open or closed extruded profile (8) exiting the extrusion die (6-7) of an extrusion press (1) is shaped to obtain a flat metal sheet (13) and is then subjected to a defined shaping process by way of stretch-forming. The system for carrying out the method is essentially composed of an extrusion press (1) comprising a die plate generating the extruded profile and a shaping unit (5) following the die plate, wherein the shaping unit (5) is composed of a severing unit (2), a bending unit (3), and an unrolling unit (4).

A method for marking a wordpieces and workpiece are disclosed. In an embodiment the method includes applying an identification to a blank in places and after applying the identification to the blank, deforming the blank to form a metal body, wherein deforming the blank comprises rolling so that a thickness of the blank changes more strongly than a width of the blank when the metal body is formed, wherein the identification remains on the metal body at least until after deforming the blank and is not destroyed by deforming the blank, and wherein the identification, both to the blank and to the metal body, has at least one of a difference in reflection or a difference in remission and an albedo difference of at least 15 percentage points in at least part of at least one of a near ultraviolet spectral region, a visible spectral region or a near-infrared spectral region.

A method for marking a wordpieces and workpiece are disclosed. In an embodiment the method includes applying an identification to a blank in places and after applying the identification to the blank, deforming the blank to form a metal body, wherein deforming the blank comprises rolling so that a thickness of the blank changes more strongly than a width of the blank when the metal body is formed, wherein the identification remains on the metal body at least until after deforming the blank and is not destroyed by deforming the blank, and wherein the identification, both to the blank and to the metal body, has at least one of a difference in reflection or a difference in remission and an albedo difference of at least 15 percentage points in at least part of at least one of a near ultraviolet spectral region, a visible spectral region or a near-infrared spectral region.