Above: The Georg tooling robot integrates flexibly into existing slitting lines
Written by: Andrea Pilot, director of sales, Toolingrobot, Heinrich Georg GmbH
December, 2025- Manual tool changing at slitting lines used to be a very time-consuming process and a critical bottleneck in many operations. This often led to the lines operating below capacity. As a solution, Heinrich Georg GmbH developed the Georg tooling-robot, which offers numerous productivity- enhancing performance features such as short handling and setup times, machine learning and predictive planning.
The Georg tooling-robot automates all formerly manual activities associated with tool changing, as well as tasks such as tool cleaning and knife edge inspection. It is specifically tailored to the needs of steel and aluminum service centers, whose operations are characterized by frequent program changes. The robot eliminates a bottleneck in production by dramatically shortening the tool change times.
COMPACT, FLEXIBLE
The Georg tooling-robot was designed to be compact yet scalable; it can be adapted to changing conditions and needs.
The software uses intelligent, machine learning algorithms that use information such as frequently recurring tool combinations to plan ahead, ensuring that new tooling assemblies are readily available when needed. By managing up to 14 tool setups per shift, the system helps to significantly increase the throughput of slitting lines, giving slitting operations an additional boost in productivity.
With a footprint of only 11.8 by 13.8 feet in its basic version, the Georg tooling-robot is suitable for both new installations and as a retrofit to existing slitting lines. Due to its modular design, the system can be adapted to the specific line configurations, including where space is rather tight.
Georg offers the system in three versions: If additional tool storage capacity is needed, the basic version can be expanded with a second tool store. Additionally, the frequency of possible tool changes (in other words, the performance) can be increased by adding a second robot. The Georg tooling-robot can also be integrated into slitting lines from other manufacturers.
MORE COILS PER SHIFT
By allowing for up to 14 tool changes per shift, Georg sought to set a new industry standard. The high rate of tool changes can be attributed to advanced engineering features and intelligent, self-learning software.
The handling robot—apart from the actual parts picking and placing motions from and into the slots—performs basically only vertical and radial motions. This provides the benefit of short traveling distances and shorter tooling times as a result. The Multiple Picking functionality—the picking of several parts simultaneously—also speeds up the tooling process.
The Warehouse Management system calculates the optimal storage places for the tools. Additionally, it stores combinations of tools that are frequently used and automatically decides which of these recurring tool packages should be kept together as fixed entities. The software permanently identifies the occurring combinations of tools. It is trained to continuously and autonomously optimize the process. All in all, the software reduces the previously typical number of activities by about 25 percent, not considering the fact that the Georg tooling-robot can perform many preparatory activities autonomously, during nights and weekends, for example. That helps to set aside capacity for the next day of production.
The robot places the tool packages individually or in frequently recurring sequences in the up to 260 slots of the tool store.
The inspection system operates fully autonomously and in parallel with the production process, using a sophisticated handling system.
LOGISTICS
The robot picks up the tool packages from the tooling capstan and stores them individually or in frequently recurring sequences in the up to 260 slots of the tool store. The gripper technology developed by Georg for the tooling-robot makes it possible to separate spacer rings down to a width of 1 mm with ease, even when they tend to stick together.
The software uses the order data automatically transmitted from the operator’s ERP system to generate the tooling setup. Based on this information, the robot very quickly assembles the tools on the capstan, quick because many of the tools can be picked as pre-sorted groups.
A look inside: Tool handling is performed by a robot.
KNIFE INSPECTION & SORTING
The continuous and precise inspection of the knife edges ensures that the condition of the slitting shears is apparent at all times. The system can decide which existing shears can still be used for the cutting quality specified and which ones should be reground.
Georg employs a camera-based solution and intelligent image processing to recognize and categorize defects such as thin cracks and chipping, and the degree of edge wear. Worn slitting knives that must be remachined are removed from service with an additional station arranged at the robot. Knives that show medium wear and are no longer suitable for the more demanding jobs may still be usable for certain, less demanding jobs, where the requirements in terms of cutting quality and dimensional accuracy are less exacting.
The inspection system is fully autonomous. The only activities required from the robot is to place the knives into a buffer store or take them back out of it. This makes it possible to perform the inspection at any time desired in parallel with the production process.
Combining the effects of mechanical, chemical and thermal processes, the washing unit achieves optimal cleaning results.
CLEANLINESS
For tool cleaning, Georg supplies a washing and drying system as an option. The system can be flanged to the robot at different positions around its circumference, depending on the installation space available.
Combining the effects of mechanical, chemical and thermal processes, Georg’s system achieves optimal cleaning results. The washing process is more efficient and requires less time than those included in competitors’ systems. The tools are first cleaned in an ultrasonic bath that contains alkaline detergents and is heated to about 40 degrees Centigrade (100 degrees Fahrenheit). Due to the low bath temperature, less vapors arise from the process. Next, water is sprayed on the tools from different directions by highpressure nozzles. After rinsing, the tools are passivated. Finally, air knives remove all residual fluids from their surface.
All process water circuits are separate from one another in order to avoid any mixing of process media that may impair their effectiveness. Moreover, there is no foaming that could lead to any tools sticking together. The tool washing process is completely decoupled from the operations in the robotic unit. Washing can run autonomously at any time chosen by the customer, which eliminates another bottleneck known to impact on the productivity of slitting line operations.
REDUNDANT SYSTEMS
As tool changing plays a key role in slitting line operations, Georg sought to ensure the highest possible level of operational reliability and so adopted a range of measures, like implementing redundant components, to guarantee high availability of the systems. In the past, errors frequently stemmed from human operators selecting the wrong tools for a job or failing to store them in the correct place. The fully automatic operation requires no human intervention.
Should an error occur nonetheless, this would lead to an inconsistency in the inventory. In this case, the operator can correct the error himself, led through the process step by step by the software, without outside support. All tools bear a data matrix code so that they can be unmistakably identified.
In case of a power failure, the system is protected by an uninterruptible power supply, enabling it to shut down in a controlled way and save all data. As all servomotors are equipped with absolute encoders, homing is not necessary. If the power supply failure persists, the tools can be removed manually.
The engineers for the Georg tooling-robot estimate that the build and installation costs can be paid back in less than two years. A 10 percent boost in slitting line production resulting, for example from just one additional tool change performed in every shift-can mean the ROI period is reduced to just a few months.
Heinrich Georg GmbH, 540/977-0404, georg.co
