Abstract: A method and a machine for producing plate components (1) from a sheet of metal (2) which is moved through a press (13) for at least a first cutting operation to be performed to separate the plate components from the sheet of metal and a second cutting operation to separate scrap (27), said press being open with a space (32) allowing free insertion of the metal sheet. According to the invention the metal sheet is displaced by means of a feeding device (11) between the metal working operations, following a predetermined coordinate pattern and being machined in consecutive y-sections (24, 26) each y-section (24) being fully machined in x-direction before the immediately following y-section (26) is brought into position for machining, the metal sheet being machined within surface areas (33), each of which has a length in x-direction of at most 30 cm, and is larger than the plate component so that a peripheral, unbroken scrap portion (27) remains after the first cutting operation.