Patent ID: 6870129

Claim:
A method for cutting a flat glass plate ( 1 ) into a plurality of rectangular plates ( 2 A, 2 B, 3 A, 3 B) of a predetermined edge length by means of a laser beam, moved along the cutting lines, in conjunction with an associated cooling spot for inducing a thermomechanical stress along the cutting line, which is above the breaking strength of the glass, as well as for inducing a mechanically induced initial crack at the beginning of each cutting line, having the following steps: cutting apart the flat glass plate ( 1 ), in a basic position, along a plurality of parallel first cutting lines (cuts 1 - 3 ), whose spacing is determined in accordance with the predetermined length of the one edge of the rectangular plates, into a plurality of partial plates ( 2 - 5 ) with induction of the initial crack at the beginning of each cutting line at the each of the flat glass plate ( 1 ), rotating the flat glass plate ( 1 ), thus cut apart, by 90° and moving the cut partial plates ( 2 - 5 ) apart to a predetermined spacing from one another, and cutting apart the partial plates ( 2 - 5 ) that have been moved apart along a plurality of parallel, second cutting lines (cuts 4 - 9 ), which extend perpendicular to the first cutting lines and whose spacing is determined in accordance with the predetermined length of the other edge of the rectangular plates to be cut to size into these rectangular plates ( 2 A, 2 B, 3 A, 3 B), with induction of the initial crack at the beginning of each cutting line at the edge of each partial plate.