Abstract: Scrap cuttings are separated from a panel that was punched or cut from a sheet of material by providing a transport device (22) that attracts a sheet of material (10), supported by a platen (15) of a machining device (16), that was punched or cut via the attractive force of a first attraction surface (28). Subsequently, the transport device (22) is moved toward a second attraction surface (39) of a cutting separator (18) until the sheet of material (10) is lying on top of the second attraction surface (39); and the attractive force exerted in this position by the second attraction surface (39) is greater in the area of the cuttings (14) than the attractive force exerted by the first attraction surface (28), and the attractive force exerted by the second attraction surface (39) in the area of the panel (12) is smaller than the attractive force exerted by the first attraction surface (28).