Why Industrial Cleaners Are Used by Plastic Manufacturers

Manufacturers of plastic products need to clean their equipment between production runs. They also often need to clean the plastic products they manufacture as well.

Also, manufacturing plastic products have various cleanliness standards, depending on the end use of these products. For instance, products that are meant for use in food and medicine must have more stringent cleanliness requirements. Other plastic products used in industry applications may require less strict levels of cleanliness.

More plastic product manufacturers have turned to industrial ultrasonic cleaners from the old traditional cleaning methods that require intense mechanical scrubbing and the use of harsh chemicals.

High performance industrial ultrasonic cleaners can deliver different levels of cleaning action by choosing the right frequency and power. The microscopic cleaning bubbles produced by Ultrasonic cleaners penetrate wherever there is cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank. These bubbles completely and effectively remove contaminants down to the plastic base or tool material.

The benefits that industrial ultrasonic cleaners provide to plastic manufacturers include the following:

• Reduced costs due to the absence of harsh cleaning chemicals;
• Reduced labor costs because there's no more manual scrubbing, scraping, or pressure washing;
• Increased worker safety because the ultrasonic cleaning process is safe and needs little human supervision;
• Less time spent on cleaning because the ultrasonic cleaner's quick one-step cleaning process;
• Superior cleaning performance as the ultrasonic bubbles penetrate holes and crevices of the surfaces being cleaned;
• Longer tool and mold life because ultrasonic cleaning does not cause damage to the molds and tools;
• Better output quality because the ultrasonic cleaning parameters can be selected to specific cleaning application requirements by using appropriate frequencies and power levels.

Kaijo Shibuya, a leader among ultrasonic equipment manufacturers, can provide an ultrasonic cleaning system that meets the requirements of a customer’s application. If you would like additional information, or want a free consultation or quote after reading our complete article “Why Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaners Are Used by Plastic Manufacturers”, call Kaijo’s office at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com.

How to Buy the Right Ultrasonic Cleaner for Your Application – Part I

Industrial ultrasonic cleaners can effectively clean parts rapidly and completely if they are correctly configured for the specific cleaning application.

An ultrasonic cleaning system typically consists of a signal generator, a transducer, and a cleaning tank. Each component of an ultrasonic cleaning system should be carefully selected, and they must work together so that the entire system can clean parts and tools effectively.

Cleaning application – Ultrasonic cleaners usually remove light contamination like dust, films, and residues quickly and effectively. For cleaning parts that have heavy contamination (such as grease), the application of heat or mild solvents may be added.

Size and power – Effective cleaning also depends on the size of the parts to be cleaned, as well as the power selection. For bigger parts or parts that have unusual shapes, a custom-made tank may be appropriate. Naturally, bigger tanks will require more power than tanks of a standard size. However, too much power can cause pitting on the surfaces of the parts being cleaned, that's why selecting the right amount of power is as important as selecting the right tank size. The bottom line is that the ultrasonic waves need to be evenly distributed in the cleaning tank so that it can clean parts thoroughly and effectively.

Since industrial ultrasonic cleaning is carried out by the high-frequency sound waves in the cleaning solution, the cleaning tank (and the parts inside it) may vibrate slightly as cleaning takes place. This means that the parts should be suspended in the cleaning solution to avoid contact with the walls and the bottom of the cleaning tank, as even slight vibrations can cause damage.

Do you have questions? For more details read the complete article, “How to Buy the Right Ultrasonic Cleaner for Your Application – Part I”. You may also call Kaijo at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com if you have questions or would like to discuss your industrial cleaning needs.

How to Select the Right Type of Ultrasonic Cleaner

Industrial ultrasonic cleaners come in various types with different configurations and characteristics that are determined by the cleaning application. The size, power, frequency, and controls of each ultrasonic cleaner will influence its cleaning capabilities. It’s important to choose the right type of ultrasonic cleaner to achieve the best (and the most desirable) cleaning performance possible.

Ultrasonic cleaners come in different types which include:

• Desktop system – suitable for cleaning small parts of one type with the same contaminants.
• Bench top system – a larger system that can be an integrated turnkey system or assembled from individual components. It can clean a wide array of parts and remove different kinds of contaminants.
• Large industrial system – consists of tanks that can accommodate large or bulky products. In this system, ultrasonic generators are mounted separately, and several transducers may require filling the tank with the ultrasonic sound waves.

The cleaning frequency is essential for the removal of dirt and contaminants. Low frequencies deliver robust cleaning action but can damage delicate parts. High frequencies, on the other hand, deliver provide gentler cleaning but may take a longer time to remove contaminants.

In order to insure that the industrial ultrasonic cleaner works as expected for a specific cleaning application, the right frequency and power must be provided. For existing cleaning tanks, a separate immersible transducer is typically the easiest solution. For new cleaning tanks, a built-in transducer is mostly preferred to avoid problems with transducer placement and vibrations.

Optional measures such as using heat and/or using mild cleaning chemicals can help in dissolving and removing more difficult contaminants. Heat is often useful in cleaning applications that involve heavy contamination that include grease and oil since higher temperatures soften these contaminants so they are easier to remove.

For more details on this topic read the complete article “How to Select the Right Type of Ultrasonic Cleaner”. For help with selecting the right ultrasonic cleaner for your application contact Kaijo for a free consultation or quote at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com.