Can an Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaner Clean It?

An industrial ultrasonic cleaner can clean almost any item, as long as it can be immersed in a cleaning tank of water and then dried after cleaning.



Ultrasonic cleaners work by creating microscopic bubbles in water of a cleaning tank to dislodge particles of dirt and contaminants from the surfaces of the parts to be cleaned. Microscopic bubbles, also called cavitation bubbles, are formed when the ultrasonic sound waves travel through water. The sound waves form low-pressure troughs between the waves and high-pressure peaks. The bubbles form at low pressure and collapse at high pressure, releasing a jet of liquid that is powerful enough to dislodge the contaminants off the surfaces of parts that are being cleaned. This cycle repeats thousands of times per second, and the many microscopic jets of water can clean a wide variety of parts.



The great thing about industrial ultrasonic cleaners is that they use plain water for general cleaning of parts. Sometimes, a mild detergent or solvent is added when the parts are heavily contaminated with oil or grease or have contaminants that are difficult to remove.



Heat is also applied to parts contaminated with hard dirt and caked-on residues. In this case, the cleaning tank must have a heater and the ultrasonic transducers that generate the sound waves in the cleaning solution must withstand the high temperatures. The heated water softens the deposits and then the cavitation bubbles do the rest of the cleaning work.



Choosing the right frequency is one of the keys to a successful cleaning of the parts. Low frequencies are appropriate for cleaning rugged parts made of hard and resilient materials such as steel, brass, and cast iron. The comparatively large cavitation bubbles perform a robust cleaning action which is suitable for getting rid of heavy dirt and contaminants. High frequencies, on the other hand, are ideal for cleaning delicate parts, such as medical equipment. The bubbles created at higher frequencies are smaller and the cleaning action becomes gentler and less intense. These delicate parts would suffer surface pitting if the low frequency is used.



For more details read the complete article, “Can an Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaner Clean It?” If you would like a free consultation to discuss how an ultrasonic cleaner can be used to meet your cleaning requirements contact Kaijo at 408-675-5575 or mail info@kaijo-shibuya.com.