How an Ultrasonic Cleaner is Configured for Different Cleaning Application

From delicate parts to large machined components, the job of an industrial ultrasonic parts cleaner can be challenging and complicated largely due to different cleaning needs. The best manufacturers offer both standard and customized solutions, with components which can be mixed and matched to any specific needs.

The essential components that are selected for configuring ultrasonic parts cleaners consist of:

1) Generator – creates and amplifies an ultrasonic signal;
2) Transducer – creates physical ultrasonic sound waves from the signal created;
3) Cleaning bath – holds the parts or items that need to be cleaned.

Each of these parts is selected at the configuration stage. Custom features can also be added to these standard components as well in order to meet specific customer’s needs.

When configuring an ultrasonic cleaner, the first step is to look at the cleaning requirements which are usually described by the customer. Then, the design personnel determines the specific equipment needed to meet those requirements, depending on the various factors that include the nature of the contamination and the material of the part being cleaned. Other variables including the size of the parts being cleaned are also considered. For instance, for a single-use application, a low-frequency generator may be used; in the case of larger cleaning baths, multiple transducers can be installed to achieve optimum cleaning performance.

Once the design characteristics are determined, the designers start to look at the kind of transducers to use – there are immersible, mounted and bolt-on varieties – which can be used for different cleaning needs. For example, if the bath to use is an existing tank at the customer's own facility, an immersible transducer is ideal to use. There are also other customizable options which include mounts, a heater and the use of the resonance system, among others.

Companies that need either standard or customized ultrasonic parts cleaners should read the complete article titled “How an Ultrasonic Cleaner Is Configured for Different Cleaning Applications.” Contact Kaijo Shibuya at 408-675-5575 or info@kaijo-shibuya.com for a free quote or consultation to discuss your specific cleaning application.

How Ultrasonic Cleaners Provide Green Industrial Cleaning

As chemicals and their safe handing have increased in cost, industrial ultrasonic cleaners provide an ideal alternative that offers substantial savings while reducing negative environmental effects. Ultrasonic cleaners rely on the mechanical scrubbing action of microscopic cavitation bubbles to remove contaminants from the surfaces of the parts being cleaned rather than using harsh chemicals. This cleaning method is completely and does not require the use of harsh or toxic chemicals.

Traditional industrial cleaning methods are costly and time-consuming. In addition, they are generally not environmentally-friendly because they rely on the action of harsh cleaning chemicals to clean parts and components. Various acids or strong solvents are used in the cleaning process, depending on application requirements. After the cleaning application is completed, the chemical wastes need to be neutralized and disposed of in an acceptable manner. Adding to the cost of the traditional industrial cleaning processes are stringent health and safety measures (such as ventilation standards).

The advantages of Industrial ultrasonic cleaners include rapid and effective cleaning and the ability to clean inaccessible places. The use of ultrasonic cleaning also provides a safer, healthier workplace and a more environmentally friendly operation. These aspects provide additional cost advantages.

Since chemicals no longer are required, the extensive chemical handling infrastructure for traditional industrial cleaning methods is eliminated. Toxic and harsh chemicals also have special storage requirements and spills can be expensive. In addition, chemical mixing and delivery to cleaning tanks can are hazardous and the systems that provide this are expensive to set up and maintain. After use, the chemical waste must be neutralized and safely disposed to meet requirements which have become increasingly costly.

Kaijo’s ultrasonic cleaners provide a flexible solution which allows customers to meet the needs of a wide variety of cleaning applications. Using their complete line of ultrasonic cleaning systems and equipment, Kaijo can provide recommendations on a specific system or combination of system components to meet the specific needs of a customer.


The complete article, “How Ultrasonic Cleaners Provide Green Industrial Cleaning” explains more about the benefits of using ultrasonic cleaners. For a free consultation or quote call 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com.

How Ultrasonic Cleaners Provide Effective Cleaning Before Plating or Coating

Ultrasonic parts cleaners are the ideal choice for cleaning metal or plastic parts that will be plated or coated. Parts often have contaminants as a result of machining, buffing compound, or shop dirt. Surface parts that are contaminated will encounter problems with adhesion when they're being coated or plated. Ultrasonic cleaners provide a fast and thorough cleaning of part surfaces, saving time and ensuring complete adhesion. The use of ultrasonic cleaners is completely safe and does not require the use of chemicals to remove dirt or contaminants. The benefits include quicker processing, better throughput, and higher quality results.

How does an ultrasonic parts cleaner work in cleaning parts to be plated or coated? It involves the production of microscopic cavitation bubbles in the cleaning tank. An ultrasonic generator produces a high-frequency electric signal to a transducer, which converts the signal into sound waves as they encounter the cleaning solution.

These sound waves in the cleaning liquid have high-pressure peaks and low-pressure troughs. Cavitation bubbles are formed at low pressure and collapse at high-pressure peaks. The continuous cavitation action results in a mechanical cleaning action and scrubbing effect on the surfaces of the parts to be cleaned. Contaminants and particles are dislodged and carried away by the cleaning solution.


Choosing the appropriate frequency, power and cleaning system configuration is important for effective cleaning before plating or coating. The frequency depends on the structure of the parts as well as the nature of the surface contamination that needs to be removed. Kaijo’s experts work with customers to ensure the right frequency, power and system configuration is used to provide optimum results for their specific cleaning application. 

Kaijo’s ultrasonic parts cleaners provide fast and thorough cleaning of parts, ensuring total and effective adhesion of coatings and planting applications. To learn more about how ultrasonic cleaners work, read the complete article “How Ultrasonic Cleaners Provide Effective Cleaning Before Plating or Coating”. Call Kaijo for a free consultation or quote at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com.

Why Ultrasonic Cleaners Are the Best Alternative to Cleaning with Toxic Solvents

Traditional industrial cleaning methods involve cleaning parts using toxic chemicals and mechanical scrubbing to dissolve and remove surface contaminants and residues. However, the cost of the cleaning chemicals, as well as their handling and disposal, continues to rise. The best alternative to traditional industrial cleaning methods is the use of Industrial ultrasonic cleaners. Ultrasonic cleaning effectively removes surface contaminants from a wide variety of parts made from different materials but does not require the use of toxic chemicals and intense scrubbing.

How does ultrasonic cleaning equipment work? It uses the scrubbing effect of microscopic cavitation bubbles produced by ultrasonic waves in the cleaning solution. The cavitation bubbles are formed in the low-pressure regions of the ultrasonic sound waves and they collapse in the high-pressure peaks. The continuous formation and collapse of the microscopic bubbles create the powerful cleaning and scrubbing action where they effectively dislodge dirt and contaminants from the surfaces of the parts being cleaned.

Kaijo’s ultrasonic cleaning equipment is a cost-effective alternative to traditional cleaning methods. There is no need to soak the parts or wash them in aggressive cleaning solvents. Since it uses only water and sound waves, ultrasonic cleaning is safe. Plus, ultrasonic cleaning is faster and much more efficient. It can dislodge contaminants without damaging the parts being cleaned when the right frequency and power is applied. For cleaning more stubborn deposits, a mild detergent is sometimes used along with the use of a tank heater to heat the cleaning solution.

Ultrasonic cleaning does not also need special storage or handling facilities and does not have regulatory oversight of for waste disposal.

Read our complete article “Why Ultrasonic Cleaners Are the Best Alternative to Cleaning with Toxic Solvents” to learn more about the benefits of using ultrasonic cleaners. Call 408-675-5575, or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com if you would like to discuss how Kaijo’s equipment can be used in your cleaning application.

How to Select an Ultrasonic Tank for Your Industrial Cleaning Application

An ultrasonic cleaning system consists of an ultrasonic generator one or more transducers and the ultrasonic cleaning tank that holds the cleaning solution where the part is cleaned. In a well-designed system, the selected frequency of the generator, system power and tank characteristics all contribute to providing optimum cleaning performance.

The size of the ultrasonic tank is crucial to the ultrasonic cleaning system’s overall cleaning performance. If the ultrasonic cleaning system is a single-use installation, the cleaning tank can be sized to exactly contain the parts to be cleaned. For parts are big, long, or have odd shapes, it’s best to have a custom tank sized to meet the needs of the application. For ultrasonic cleaning systems that are used for many different cleaning applications, the choice of the tank size is critical so as to not limit the cleaning system’s flexibility.

 After determining the size of the largest part or items to be cleaned, the minimum tank size needed for the application will be known. For cleaning smaller and/or more delicate parts, a parts basket can be used to hold the parts and prevent them from coming into contact with the vibrating tank on the bottom as well as on the sides. Therefore, the tank should be a bit larger to hold the parts inside the part basket.

 The bigger the tank, the more transducers may be required to ensure that the amount of bubbles is generated evenly throughout the cleaning solution. The type of transducer impacts the design of the cleaning tank. They can be bolt-on transducers (fixed onto the tank) or immersible transducers (submerged in the cleaning liquid inside the tank).

Kaijo’s ultrasonic cleaning tanks can be customized for your cleaning application. Read our complete article “How to Select an Ultrasonic Tank for Your Industrial Cleaning Application” to learn more about what Kaijo can do to help you. If you have questions, or would like to schedule a free consultation, call 408–675–5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com.

How Do Ultrasonic Cleaning Transducers Work?

Ultrasonic cleaning transducers convert the high-frequency electric signal of an ultrasonic cleaning system to sound waves within the cleaning solution. Ultrasonic cleaning systems are made up of an ultrasonic generator, a transducer and a tank to hold the cleaning solution. Frequencies in the lower range from 20 kHz to 160 kHz effectively clean heavy hard to clean contamination from a robust part, while higher frequencies up 2 MHz are used for gentle cleaning of delicate components.

Ultrasonic Cleaning Transducer Features

Kaijo’s ultrasonic cleaning transducers have to generate an equal and consistent distribution of sound waves in the cleaning solution while withstanding the vibrations, temperature and the cleaning action of the system. Ultrasonic sound waves create high-energy cavitation bubbles in the cleaning solution, which create a scrubbing and cleaning action, dislodging the dirt and contaminants from the surfaces of the parts immersed in the cleaning solution. The cleaning solution may also contain mild detergent and can also be heated for faster cleaning.

The housing of Kaijo’s ultrasonic cleaning transducer is protected by 316L polished stainless steel so that the transducer is not affected by the cleaning solution and can resist the possible pitting from the cavitation bubbles. They are hermetically sealed and can operate in cleaning solutions of up to 100 degrees centigrade. Lower frequency range transducers are provided with power levels of 600 W or 1200 W, and higher frequency units are available at 1200 W.

There are three types of ultrasonic transducers:

• Immersible transducers – these are independent units and are the most flexible in their application. They can be placed into different tanks, or different transducers can be placed in the same tank.
• Bolt-on transducers– they can be semi-permanent placement on a cleaning tank.
• Mounted transducers– they are integrated into the tank.

If you would like additional information, read the complete article entitled “How Do Ultrasonic Cleaning Transducers Work?” You may also contact Kaijo at 408-657-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com to discuss what kind of ultrasonic transducer and cleaning system should be used for your application. 

Can Kaijo Create a Custom-Built Ultrasonic Cleaner for My Application?

Aside from standard ultrasonic cleaning solutions, there are also industrial ultrasonic cleaners that are custom-built solutions that cater to the clients' specifications. Kaijo’s extensive knowledge of ultrasonic cleaning technology allows them to analyze cleaning requirements to make needed adjustments to standard equipment for superior cleaning performance.

Industrial ultrasonic cleaners consist of an ultrasonic generator, a cleaning tank, and a transducer. Each of these components can be selected from a line of standard components but custom features can be added and a custom system can be assembled to respond to unusual cleaning conditions or requirements.

Kaijo first looks at the cleaning application and considers the factors affecting the cleaning system. These include the type of parts to be cleaned, nature or level of dirt or contamination to be removed, and whether the system is mainly used for a single cleaning task or whether many different types of cleaning have to be carried out.

Based on these factors, Kaijo decides on the ideal frequencies or frequency ranges as well as the system power. A lower frequency is usually used for removing tough dirt from rugged parts in a single use application, while a higher frequency is ideal for removing light contaminants from delicate parts. Also, the system power must be high enough to evenly fill the cleaning tanks with ultrasonic waves.

Once Kaijo has chosen the frequencies and the power, the company looks at the physical installation, determining the right kind of transducer and tank. Transducers can be immersible or mounted on the tank. Tanks could be existing ones or new ones. The size of tanks and materials used could influence the cleaning process.

Once these characteristics are determined, Kaijo chooses the components from its complete line of ultrasonic cleaning equipment. The company decides whether it's the standard off the shelf components can be used or if custom components will be required by the client.

The complete article “Can Kaijo Create a Custom-Built Ultrasonic Cleaner for My Application?” provides additional information. If you have questions after reading the article or would like to set up a free consultation to discuss your needs, please call 408-675-5575 or send an email to info@kaijo-shibuya.com.