Abstract: A method of manufacturing ceramic tape includes a step of directing a tape of partially-sintered ceramic into a furnace. The tape is partially-sintered such that grains of the ceramic are fused to one another yet the tape still includes at least 10% porosity by volume, where the porosity refers to volume of the tape unoccupied by the ceramic. The method further includes steps of conveying the tape through the furnace and further sintering the tape as the tape is conveyed through the furnace. The porosity of the tape decreases during the further sintering step.

Abstract: A wipe comprising a nonwoven web of a wettable fiber matrix, wherein the wettable fiber matrix are thermoplastic polymeric fibers blended with at least one hydrophilic melt additive. In alternate embodiments, the nonwoven web further includes binder fibers which may be wettable or non-wettable or combinations of both.

Abstract: A method for assembling an ultrasonic transducer, first produces a plurality of plates of piezoelectric material. Then the plates are bonded together through use of a polymeric matrix comprising a polymer and intermixed particles having determined dimensional parameters, the particles acting to separate the plates by predetermined distances that are dependent upon the determined dimensional parameters. Preferred particles are polystyrene spheres. A second embodiment produces a plurality of strips of green piezoelectric ceramic material, each strip including a layer of a fugitive material. The strips are then placed in a stack and the stack is fired to convert the green piezoelectric ceramic material into densified ceramic plates. The firing acts to drive off said second fugitive material and to leave voids. The voids are then backfilled with a polymeric material to create a unified structure.