A system for sharpening and testing blade sharpness comprising: • a mounting arrangement for mounting a strip material to be cut; and • a force measuring device operable, in use, to determine variations in force along a blade as parts of the blade contact the strip material; • a robotic device configured to sharpen the blade; the system being characterized in that it further comprises a control system adapted to: ∘ receive a signal from the robotic device, after a sharpening operation has been performed on the blade, that a blade sharpness test is to be performed on the blade; ∘ in response to the signal, prepare the mounting arrangement for a blade sharpness test by ensuring a section of the material to be cut is in position for the test and tensioned to a predetermined level; ∘ detect when the blade contacts the strip material by detecting an increase of tension on the strip material and to identify this as the start of a blade sharpness test; ∘ receive position information for the blade from the robotic device so that the control system knows the position of the blade; ∘ detect when force on the material associated with contact by the blade rises above a pre-determined level and, if such level is exceeded, to cause the blade sharpness test to be aborted; ∘ detect when the blade sharpness test is completed, based at least in part on the position information; and ∘ provide an indication of the force of the blade on the material for different parts of the blade and communicate this to the robotic device; and wherein the robotic device uses the indication of the force of the blade on the material for different parts of the blade to adjust how it next sharpens the blade or to determine that the blade is sufficiently sharp. • a mounting arrangement for mounting a strip material to be cut; and • a force measuring device operable, in use, to determine variations in force along a blade as parts of the blade contact the strip material; • a robotic device configured to sharpen the blade; the system being characterized in that it further comprises a control system adapted to: ∘ receive a signal from the robotic device, after a sharpening operation has been performed on the blade, that a blade sharpness test is to be performed on the blade; ∘ in response to the signal, prepare the mounting arrangement for a blade sharpness test by ensuring a section of the material to be cut is in position for the test and tensioned to a predetermined level; ∘ detect when the blade contacts the strip material by detecting an increase of tension on the strip material and to identify this as the start of a blade sharpness test; ∘ receive position information for the blade from the robotic device so that the control system knows the position of the blade; ∘ detect when force on the material associated with contact by the blade rises above a pre-determined level and, if such level is exceeded, to cause the blade sharpness test to be aborted; ∘ detect when the blade sharpness test is completed, based at least in part on the position information; and ∘ provide an indication of the force of the blade on the material for different parts of the blade and communicate this to the robotic device; and ∘ receive a signal from the robotic device, after a sharpening operation has been performed on the blade, that a blade sharpness test is to be performed on the blade; ∘ in response to the signal, prepare the mounting arrangement for a blade sharpness test by ensuring a section of the material to be cut is in position for the test and tensioned to a predetermined level; ∘ detect when the blade contacts the strip material by detecting an increase of tension on the strip material and to identify this as the start of a blade sharpness test; ∘ receive position information for the blade from the robotic device so that the control system knows the position of the blade; ∘ detect when force on the material associated with contact by the blade rises above a pre-determined level and, if such level is exceeded, to cause the blade sharpness test to be aborted; ∘ detect when the blade sharpness test is completed, based at least in part on the position information; and ∘ provide an indication of the force of the blade on the material for different parts of the blade and communicate this to the robotic device; and