Milestone for High Speed Laser Blanking: BILSTEIN GROUP and DREHER Automation decide to build the first series production plant

The aim of both partners is to use the new plant concept to raise the production of shaped blanks in the laser blanking sector to a new level of performance. On the basis of agile laser cutting technology developed by Automatic-Systeme Dreher GmbH in collaboration with the BILSTEIN GROUP, Fraunhofer ILT and KIT in Karlsruhe, a decisive step has been taken towards more resource-efficient and highly flexible series production of shaped blanks. The technology combines the advantages of conventional blanking and laser cutting.

The innovative system technology is characterized by a special feature that enables the two laser heads to work in overlapping cutting areas. This enables tight tolerances on the shaped blanks cut with the high speed laser from the coil, as well as high efficiency of the plant technology. The reduction in the use of materials and the saving in CO₂ emissions are significant. 

“The Proof-of-Concept has demonstrated that our plant design meets the requirements of series production”, explains Hasan Sarac, CEO and Main Shareholder of Automatic-Systeme Dreher GmbH. “Together with our partner BILCUT, we are now bringing the technology to industrial level. We are very grateful for the trust placed in us”. Jörg von Prondzinski, Managing Director of BILCUT GmbH, adds: “Especially in economically challenging times, we consciously focus on innovations that combine sustainability, efficiency and flexibility. High speed laser blanking offers enormous potential for us”.

BILCUT GmbH secured the exclusive rights to the first series production plant at an early stage. The project is funded by the Environmental Innovation Programme of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and will be implemented at the Hagen site until the end of 2026. Both partners are thus also strengthening Germany as a centre of research and production in the long term.

Premiere at the DREHER Automation Days 2026

Automatic-Systeme Dreher GmbH and BILCUT GmbH are currently performing cutting time calculations and blanking tests for interested parties on the prototype laser cell that has already been built. In Autumn 2026, the next DREHER Automation Days will see the premiere of the entire manufacturing process from coil to blank stack for a select audience of industry professionals.

What is BILCUT or High-Speed Laser Blanking?

BILCUT stands for “BILSTEIN High Speed Laser Blanking” – an advanced manufacturing process in which sheet metal is continuously cut from a coil into customer-specific shapes (so-called shaped blanks) by using laser technology. Compared to conventional blanking processes, BILCUT technology enables tool-free, flexible and efficient production of shaped blanks in small to large quantities and is faster than laser processes already established on the market.

About the BILSTEIN GROUP – a leader in cold-rolled metal strip (bilstein-gruppe.de)

The family-run BILSTEIN GROUP combines extensive international expertise in the manufacture and distribution of technical solutions made from cold-rolled steel strip. Thanks to its clear strategic and technical focus on the needs of its customers, the BILSTEIN GROUP has become one of the strongest international partners to the automotive and manufacturing industries in the field of precision strip steel. The BILSTEIN GROUP includes the production companies BILSTEIN (DE), HUGO VOGELSANG (DE), BILSTEIN CEE (CZ) and BILSTEIN COLD ROLLED STEEL (USA). As a family-owned company, we are committed to fair and long-term partnerships with our customers, partners and employees. Since 1911, we have been ensuring uncompromising sustainability with state-of-the-art plant technology and forward-looking manufacturing processes, right through to the development of CO₂-neutral cold-rolled strip – highly efficient and with a focus on what matters most: the cold-rolled strip of tomorrow.

About Automatic-Systeme Dreher GmbH, system provider for press automation (dreher.de)

The owner-managed Automatic-Systeme Dreher GmbH has been the leading system provider for the automation of forming-related manufacturing processes for well over 50 years. With the cooperation described above, the company is now strategically expanding its already extensive product portfolio in the field of press automation to include high speed laser blanking. At its new location in Sulz am Neckar, which it moved into in 2020, Automatic-Systeme Dreher GmbH currently employs around 200 people, with whom it is not only active worldwide, but also develops and manufactures further key technologies, such as the innovative and highly productive manufacture of electrical steel sheets (including rotor-stator laminations for the production of electric motors) and the manufacture of bipolar plates (for the production of fuel cells and electrolysers).