The manufacturing of clad strips by means of twin-roll casting is a prospective trend regarding the production of lightweight materials. This study is dedicated to an analysis of bond formation conditions during the twin-roll casting of clad strips of aluminum EN AW-1070 and an austenitic stainless steel 1.4301. The procedures of steel substrate preparation and their influence on the diffusion bond are investigated. These include surface pretreatment of the steel substrate by means of mechanical grinding and laser irradiation as well as its pre-heating. Using the different sets of process parameters, the clad strips with a thickness of 2.5 mm are manufactured and characterized. Light and electron microscopy are used to characterize the microstructure of the aluminum layer and the bond zone and to investigate the mechanism of bond formation. The evaluation of the strips' properties is carried out by means of adhesive tensile tests, peeling tests, uniaxial tensile tests, and fatigue tests. The influence of each of the substrate preparation methods as well as post heat treatment on the parameters of bond zone and the mechanical properties of the clad strip is investigated. The implementation of the investigated manufacturing method allows producing thin clad strips with excellent characteristics.