Removing a metal shield from electrical cable

A method to be used with an apparatus for removing a metal foil shield from an electrical cable comprising:

• inserting the electrical cable in a holder of the apparatus such that the electrical cable is held in the holder and to expose at least a part of the metal foil shield, wherein the electrical cable includes the metal foil shield and an insulating layer located beneath the metal foil shield, wherein the at least a part of the metal foil shield comprises a circumference entirely around the metal foil shield;
• applying laser radiation from the apparatus to ablate a groove on a surface of the at least a part of the metal foil shield, wherein after applying the laser radiation to ablate the groove, the metal foil shield at least partly remains under the circumference on the surface without exposing the insulating layer located beneath the metal foil shield;
• gripping, using a gripper of the apparatus, a segment of the metal foil shield;
• generating, while the gripper is gripping the segment and the holder is holding the electrical cable, a twisting movement performed by the gripper of the segment of the metal foil shield and a remainder of the electrical cable remains stationary in order to generate shear stress in the groove on the surface of the at least a part of the metal foil shield thereby separating the segment of the metal foil shield from the remainder of the electrical cable;
• and
• after generating the twisting movement thereby separating the segment of the metal foil shield from the remainder of the electrical cable, generating a linear movement of the segment relative to the remainder of the electrical cable in order to linearly move the segment relative to the remainder of the electrical cable.