Method and apparatus for producing an elastically deformable glass plate

An apparatus for the industrial production of elastically deformable large-area glass plates in high quantities, comprising:

• a) a device for feeding a glass plate (3),
• b) a device for making an initial score on the top side of the glass plate (3) in the region of the desired breaking line,
• c) a device for the locally limited heating of the glass surface with a laser beam,
• d) a device for cooling the glass surface, wherein on at least one side of the laser beam there is disposed at least one cooling nozzle (19), which can be operated intermittently and controlled in terms of its intensity and which conveys a fluid that is variable in temperature and feed rate, and wherein the coolant is applied with an air pressure of 5 to 10 bar,
• e) a device for transporting the thermally locally pretreated glass plate into the region of a device for breaking the glass plate,
• f) a device for detecting a rectilinear crack formation on the surface of a glass plate (3),
• g) a rectilinear breaking blade on the underside of the glass plate, wherein the rectilinear breaking blade can be raised, wherein shorter plate pieces in which a weight of the shorter plate pieces is insufficient for the break-off are held down by at least one motorized hold-down device (27).