Abstract: In apparatuses and methods for treating a plate-shaped process item including a bottom side, a top side and edges between the bottom side and the top side with a process medium, a transport unit is used, which includes an endless unit with support elements projecting from the same. A bottom side of the plate-shaped process item is supported on support elements of the transport unit and the transport unit is driven to move the support elements together with the supported plate-shaped process item in parallel to a process media level of a process medium. In a first operating mode, during a movement of the plate-shaped process item in parallel to the process media level, no parts of the transport unit engage the edges of the plate-shaped process item.