An apparatus lor stripping metal (12. 14) deposited on a cathode plate (16), comprises a first
robotic arm (46) carrying a first stripping apparatus (40), the first stripping apparatus having a
first gripping apparatus (62,63) to grip the cathode plate such that the first robotic arm operates to lift the cathode plate out ofthe stripping station following stripping ofthe metal sheets from the
cathode plate. A second robotic arm (48) carrying a second stripping apparatus (42) is located on a second side of the cathode plate, the second stripping apparatus having a second gripping apparatus (76,77) for gripping one or both of the first sheet of metal (12) and the second sheet of metal (14). The second robotic arm can be operated to move the first sheet of metal and the second sheet of metal to a metal storage region following stripping from the cathode plate (16). The metal is stripped from the cathode plate without breaking the bridge of metal that interconnects the first sheet of metal and the second sheet of metal- (Figure l5)