A processing method for metal strips,
- wherein a metal strip is in each case fed to a strip accumulator of a processing plant for the metal strips intermittently and sequentially in succession in a transport direction (x) that is uniform for the metal strips,
- wherein the respective metal strip has a respective strip head, a respective strip tail and a respective fillet piece between the respective strip head and the respective strip tail,
- wherein the respective metal strip enters the strip accumulator-first with the respective strip head, then the respective fillet piece and finally the respective strip tail,
- wherein the respective strip head has a respective leading edge and the respective strip tail has a respective trailing edge,
- wherein, immediately before the respective metal strip is fed to the strip accumulator, the respective leading edge is welded by means of a welding machine of the processing plant to the trailing edge of a metal strip which has in each case been partially fed to the strip accumulator immediately beforehand, with the result that a respective weld seam is formed between the leading edge of the respective metal strip and the trailing edge of the metal strip which has in each case been partially fed in immediately beforehand,
- wherein, when viewed transversely to the transport direction (x), the respective weld seam extends from a lateral edge, running in the transport direction (x), of one of the two metal strips involved to the other lateral edge of the same metal strip or to a lateral edge of the other metal strip,
- wherein the metal strips stored in the strip accumulator, including the weld seams connecting the metal strips, are fed continuously or intermittently from the strip accumulator to a processing device of the processing plant,
- wherein in each case first the strip head, then the fillet piece and only then the strip tail of the respective metal strip are fed to the processing device, wherein the welding machine is operated in such a way that,
- before the leading edge of the respective metal strip is welded to the trailing edge of the metal strip partially fed to the strip accumulator, the strip head of the respective metal strip and the strip tail of the metal strip partially fed to the strip accumulator are slightly rotated,
- the two strips are then connected to one another by forming the weld seam, wherein, during welding as such, the weld seam runs exclusively transversely to the transport direction (x), and
- finally, the strip head of the respective metal strip and the strip tail of the metal strip partially fed to the strip accumulator are rotated back again, with the result that, after the rotation of the metal strips, which are then welded to one another, the weld seam runs diagonally with respect to the transport direction (x).