The method for
cutting off glass panes from a continuously produced
glass sheet includes continuously testing the
glass sheet for glass faults prior to the
cutting off process and determining
glass sheet regions to be discarded containing the glass faults. Based on the test results for the glass faults an optimized
cutting pattern for a predetermined glass sheet section is calculated in a cutting optimization device, which is a plan for cutting the glass sheet section into crosscut pieces, in which glass panes of respective sizes are arranged next to each other in corresponding crosscut pieces. In order to reduce waste, the cutting lines for the glass panes to be
cut away within each crosscut piece are placed sufficiently close to the fault-containing glass sheet regions, so that widths (BS) of the glass sheet regions to be discarded are minimized or the glass sheet regions to be discarded are minimized, while accounting for a largest possible number of
usable glass panes. The crosscut pieces are subsequently
cut according to the optimized cutting pattern and the glass panes are formed. An appropriate apparatus for performing the method is described.