Apparatus and method for severing a moving ribbon of inorganic material

A method comprising:

• indirectly engaging a first surface of a moving ribbon of strengthened glass with a non-contacting support frame by establishing a positive pressure region and a negative pressure region within a space between the non-contacting support frame and the first surface of the ribbon and urging the non-contacting support frame and the ribbon away from one another in the positive pressure region and toward one another in the negative pressure region, the non-contacting support frame substantially circumscribing a perimeter of a sheet to be separated from the ribbon, the ribbon comprising a core layer disposed between a first cladding layer and a second cladding layer, each of the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer comprising a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the core layer such that each of the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer comprises a compressive stress and the core layer comprises a tensile stress;
• and
• selectively applying heat to the first surface of the ribbon along the perimeter of the sheet to be separated from the ribbon with a thermal separating frame while the non-contacting support frame is indirectly engaged with the ribbon to form a thermal gradient across a thickness of the ribbon to reduce the compressive stress of the first cladding layer.