Apparatus for the industrial production of elastically deformable large-area glass plates in high quantities, having: a) a device for making an initial invasion on the top side of a glass plate in the region of the desired breaking line, b) a device for the locally limited heating of the glass surface with a laser beam moving pivotally in a fan-shaped manner on a straight line, wherein said laser beam is guided in a tubular laser beam guide and a following deflection device into a laser head, characterized in that the entire path length over which the laser beam is guided consists of a space in which a slight overpressure reigns, c) a device for feeding the glass plate is provided, wherein the position of its front edge is registered and fixed in the desired position, d) a device for cooling the glass surface is provided, wherein on at least one side of the laser beam there are disposed a plurality of cooling nozzles in the form of Laval nozzles, for inducing a deep crack in the glass plate, which are arranged in a row, can be operated intermittently and controlled in terms of their intensity and which convey a coolant that is variable in temperature and feed rate, and wherein the coolant is applied with an air pressure of 5 to 10 bar, and wherein the coolant is a cationic surfactant or consists of a mixture of water and ethanol, e) a device for transporting the thermally locally pretreated glass plate into the region of a device for breaking the glass plate is provided, f) a device for detecting a rectilinear crack formation on the surface of the glass plate is provided, wherein a device for subjecting the glass surface to a liquid condensate, for example water vapor, is present, the registration of the crack formation via control technology being realized by means of a lighting device in conjunction with a camera system, g) a rectilinear breaking blade is provided on the underside of the glass plate, which can be raised on one side and/or on both sides, wherein shorter plate pieces in which gravitational force, or their own weight, is insufficient for the break-off, are held down by at least one motorized hold-down device. h) in that the registration of the positions of relevant workpieces or of parts of such workpieces is realized by means of optical sensors or by means of sensors based on the use of ultrasound in conjunction with a camera system. a) a device for making an initial invasion on the top side of a glass plate in the region of the desired breaking line, b) a device for the locally limited heating of the glass surface with a laser beam moving pivotally in a fan-shaped manner on a straight line, wherein said laser beam is guided in a tubular laser beam guide and a following deflection device into a laser head, characterized in that the entire path length over which the laser beam is guided consists of a space in which a slight overpressure reigns, c) a device for feeding the glass plate is provided, wherein the position of its front edge is registered and fixed in the desired position, d) a device for cooling the glass surface is provided, wherein on at least one side of the laser beam there are disposed a plurality of cooling nozzles in the form of Laval nozzles, for inducing a deep crack in the glass plate, which are arranged in a row, can be operated intermittently and controlled in terms of their intensity and which convey a coolant that is variable in temperature and feed rate, and wherein the coolant is applied with an air pressure of 5 to 10 bar, and wherein the coolant is a cationic surfactant or consists of a mixture of water and ethanol, e) a device for transporting the thermally locally pretreated glass plate into the region of a device for breaking the glass plate is provided, f) a device for detecting a rectilinear crack formation on the surface of the glass plate is provided, wherein a device for subjecting the glass surface to a liquid condensate, for example water vapor, is present, the registration of the crack formation via control technology being realized by means of a lighting device in conjunction with a camera system, g) a rectilinear breaking blade is provided on the underside of the glass plate, which can be raised on one side and/or on both sides, wherein shorter plate pieces in which gravitational force, or their own weight, is insufficient for the break-off, are held down by at least one motorized hold-down device. h) in that the registration of the positions of relevant workpieces or of parts of such workpieces is realized by means of optical sensors or by means of sensors based on the use of ultrasound in conjunction with a camera system.