Patent ID: 7540178

Claim:
A rolling installation ( 100 ) for producing a metal strip, comprising a reversing stand ( 110 ) for rolling the metal strip in a plurality of steps until a desired thickness of the metal strip is reached, with a rolling direction (R) being reversed at each rolling step; at least one reversing reel ( 130 , 131 ′) associated with the reversing stand ( 110 ) and having a reel mandrel ( 132 , 132 ′) for intermittent storing of the metal strip after separate rolling steps; and a sensor device ( 120 ) for determining the thickness of the metal strip, preferably, after each rolling step; characterized by a winding sleeve exchange device for pushing a winding sleeve ( 134 , 134 ′) onto the reel mandrel ( 132 , 132 ′) before an intermittent storage of the metal strip and for removing the winding sleeve ( 134 , 134 ′) between two further rolling steps when thickness of the metal strip, which is determined by the sensor device ( 120 ) is greater than a desired thickness but smaller than a predetermined thickness threshold.