Why the Medical Industry Has Increased Their Use of Ultrasonic Cleaning

Safe medical practices require a high degree of cleanliness. That's why medical instruments, implants, and other medical devices have to be cleaned thoroughly before use.

Medical instruments and devices may have been contaminated with bodily fluids, while implants may have manufacturing residues that have to be removed. Ultrasonic cleaning uses microscopic cavitation bubbles to break up and dislodge surface contamination quickly and thoroughly.

Medical ultrasonic cleaners work by generating microscopic cavitation bubbles throughout the cleaning bath. When these bubbles collapse, they emit a tiny but powerful jet that dislodges dirt and contamination from the devices' surface to be cleaned. The millions of the tiny cavitation bubbles produce an intense scrubbing action that leaves device surfaces completely clean.

Traditional cleaning methods such as manual cleaning and soaking the parts in chemicals can be time-consuming, costly, unsafe, and, most of all, won't produce the same complete cleaning results as an ultrasonic cleaner does. The traditional cleaning process may also require constant monitoring. Manual cleaning and scrubbing of sharp objects can cause puncturing wounds or cuts, and the process can take a lot of time and effort. Not to mention that manual cleaning can be difficult, especially if the device has complex shapes or hard-to-clean openings and crevices.

On the other hand, soaking the parts requires chemicals that have to be purchased, stored, delivered, and (when they're no longer needed) disposed of properly. These harsh cleaning chemicals can pose a significant environmental hazard if not handled properly.

Many of these medical tools and devices are delicate that they cannot withstand high temperatures. For instance, cleaning them with hot water may cause damage and, in turn, compromise their efficiency. Optical devices such as parts of fiber optics may have delicate surfaces that manual scrubbing can damage them. Medical ultrasonic cleaners can be designed to deal with these issues and thoroughly clean fragile electronic and optical devices

Ultrasonic cleaning, therefore, may help address these issues. The parts are placed in a basket immersed in the cleaning bath that can be plain water or solution with only mild detergent or disinfectant. After a timed period of ten to twenty minutes, the clean parts can be removed from the bath. No manual cleaning or scrubbing, use of chemicals, and supervision of the cleaning process are needed. The result is clean objects that can be sterilized without fear that hidden contamination may protect microbes and pathogens against sterilization.

For more details read the article, “Why the Medical Industry Has Increased Its Use of Ultrasonic Cleaning”. As a leader among ultrasonic cleaner manufacturers, Kaijo Shibuya provides extensive experience with a broad product line and outstanding customer support to address your industrial cleaning requirements. Contact them at info@kaijo-shibuya.com or call 408-675-5575.

What Medical Applications Require High Frequency Ultrasonic Cleaning?

Ultrasonic cleaning is the ideal solution for many medical applications because medical ultrasonic cleaners deliver rapid and complete cleaning without using hazardous chemicals. They can even clean parts with complex shapes, interior cavities, or cracks and ridges wherever the cleaning solution can penetrate. Medical applications, such as implants, surgical instruments, and other medical devices, must be clean and sterile in ultrasonic bath with a disinfecting solution.

Choosing the right type of frequency in an ultrasonic cleaner will result in optimum cleaning performance. For medical devices with soft or delicate parts, or those that may have parts with delicate structures, the best cleaning performance is achieved by gentle cleaning at high frequencies. Low frequencies produce a powerful cleaning action that can dislodge contaminants effectively, causing pitting of soft surfaces or damage to fragile components.

Ultrasonic systems generate microscopic bubbles in the cleaning solution. When the bubbles burst, they produce energetic jets that dislodge contaminants from the medical devices' surfaces. Higher frequencies produce smaller bubbles and less energetic jets, which are ideal for cleaning fragile and delicate parts such as parts of medical devices. Such components could be damaged very easily by powerful mechanical cleaning. High-frequency medical ultrasonic cleaners deliver thorough but gentle cleaning action, which is suitable for medical devices.

Specific medical instruments – such as those that take readings of a patient's condition – can't be sterilized with heat because their circuitry and material are heat-sensitive. In this case high-frequency ultrasonic cleaning technology can clean such instruments in a solution of disinfectant, which will sterilize and clean them at the same time.

For more details, read the complete article “What Medical Applications Require High Frequency Ultrasonic Cleaning.” If you have questions, or would like to set up a free consultation to discuss how an ultrasonic cleaner can be used to meet your cleaning needs, contact Kaijo Shibuya at 408-675-5575 or email to info@kaijo-shibuya.com.

Which Ultrasonic Frequencies Are Used in Automotive Parts Cleaning?

Automotive parts typically have hard surfaces and are comparatively rugged, allowing ultrasonic cleaning to take place at the low-frequency spectrum in an ultrasonic cleaner. Within that lower range, there is still room for optimizing the cleaning performance by matching the automotive ultrasonic cleaner frequency exactly to the automotive parts to be cleaned.

Low frequencies can clean solid, rugged steel parts rapidly and thoroughly. Higher frequencies can clean more delicate parts or parts with special coatings.

Ultrasonic cleaners work by using ultrasonic generators to produce microscopic cavitation bubbles as the ultrasonic sound waves pass through the cleaning solution. The bubbles form in the low-pressure troughs and collapse in high-pressure peaks. As the cavitation bubbles bust, they produce tiny, high-energy jet that impacts the surface of the part being cleaned which dislodges and removes contaminants.

The size of the bubble and the energy of their jets depends on the ultrasonic frequency. Lower frequencies produce larger bubbles and more powerful jets. High frequencies produce smaller bubbles and less energetic jets. The ideal match between the frequency and the parts to be cleaned uses a frequency powerful enough to dislodge dirt, but not too powerful to cause pitting or damage part surfaces, coatings, plating, or small structures.

Typical parts cleaned with automotive ultrasonic cleaners include brake parts, injector nozzles, cylinder heads, carburetor and differential components. In each case the frequency selected depends on the part material and surfaces, the amount of contaminating material and the contaminants' composition.

Kaijo helps customers select the right ultrasonic cleaners from their extensive line of ultrasonic cleaning equipment to achieve effective automotive part cleaning results.

Read the complete article, “Which Ultrasonic Frequencies Are Used in Automotive Parts Cleaning?” for further details on using ultrasonic cleaners for automotive parts cleaning. If you would like to get a free consultation on your cleaning requirements, contact Kaijo Shibuya at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com.

 

Why Medical 3D Printing Uses Ultrasonic Cleaning

Medical 3D printing is used to produce instruments, implants, and prostheses that must be completely cleaned before being used. Since 3D-printed medical implants and instruments are inserted into the body, they must be cleaned to meet medical requirements. Any contamination can result in serious infections, and ultimately, failure of the implant procedure.

Medical ultrasonic cleaners can help ensure that the 3D-printed products and parts are clean, sterile, and free from contaminants. 3D-printed medical parts may contain traces of support material, dirt that may have been picked up during transportation and storage, or pathogens that may have been transferred onto the part during handling in the hospital. 

Medical ultrasonic cleaners can remove bacteria, viruses, or other organic contamination from all of these sources and provides an excellent solution to cleaning medical 3D parts.

Ultrasonic cleaning works by generating microscopic cavitation bubbles in a cleaning solution inside a cleaning tank. The bubbles are produced by the ultrasonic sound waves when they pass through a liquid. The bubbles collapse and direct tiny powerful jets onto the surfaces of the parts to be cleaned. These jets dislodge dirt and contamination on the underlying surface.

Ultrasonic cleaning cleans medical 3D parts fast and completely. It can even clean around complex shapes, dead-end holes, and inside threads of the medical parts to be cleaned. With the right frequency, it does not cause damage to the delicate parts. Using Kaijo’s ultrasonic cleaners saves time, money, and labor. It doesn’t require heavy mechanical scrubbing and harsh cleaning chemicals. It uses only water, and sometimes a mild detergent or disinfectant, depending on the contamination of the medical parts.

Kaijo offers a free consultation for ultrasonic cleaning applications and has the experience and expertise to design and build systems for cleaning specific types of medical devices. For more details read the complete article, “Why Medical 3D Printing Uses Ultrasonic Cleaning”. Contact Kaijo Shibuya at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com if you have questions or would like to set up a free consultation.

How Ultrasonic Cleaners Reduce Labor Costs and Improve Employee Safety

Ultrasonic cleaning technology is a fast and safe way to clean various parts without heavy mechanical brushing or harsh cleaning chemicals. By using ultrasonic cleaners, the cleaning process is faster, more thorough, and efficient – even complicated shapes and hard-to-reach areas can be cleaned effectively. 

Ultrasonic cleaning technology involves the generation of microscopic cavitation bubbles by channeling ultrasonic sound waves through water. When the bubbles burst, they direct small but powerful jets of liquid at the part's surface to be cleaned. These jets dislodge foreign material from the part surfaces and deliver highly effective cleaning action.

The use of ultrasonic cleaning technology provides a significant reduction in costs and labor. Ultrasonic cleaners only require a cleaning solution of water or solution with mild detergent, so there's no need to use harsh cleaning chemicals. There's also no need for mechanical scrubbing or soaking of parts in chemicals which provides a significant reduction of labor.

With ultrasonic cleaners, the operator places the parts to be cleaned in the cleaning tank, sets a timer, and leaves the machine to do its work. Ultrasonic cleaners are completely safe and do not need monitoring. In addition to reduced costs of human resources, there are also big savings from the elimination in the handling, and disposal of toxic and hazardous cleaning chemicals. The elimination of chemicals also results in a much more environmentally friendly operation.

A mild detergent added to the water will speed up the cleaning process for cleaning parts with oily or greasy residues. For cleaning parts with heavy contamination (such as hard, baked-on grime), heating the solution can soften the contaminant and make cleaning more comfortable and faster. These methods are still safer and more efficient compared to traditional cleaning.

Kaijo’s ultrasconic parts cleaners are designed to provide both safety and low cost of ownership. For more details read the complete article, “How Ultrasonic Cleaners Reduce Labor Costs and Improve Employee Safety.” For a free consultation or a quote, contact Kaijo Shibuya at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com

Cleaning Aluminum Engine Parts in an Ultrasonic Cleaner

Aluminum engine parts may require routine cleaning or removal of contaminants before re-building. Because aluminum is softer than steel, scrubbing it or scraping it to remove contaminants may damage the surface of the part. While manual or mechanical scrubbing is the typical cleaning procedure for aluminum, soaking parts in strong solvents to soften hard deposits is another procedure.

Ultrasonic parts cleaners can clean and remove deposits faster and more thoroughly, efficiently, and safely than traditional cleaning methods. What's more, an ultrasonic cleaner delivers superior cleaning results and reduces costs.

Ultrasonic cleaners rely on the generation of microscopic cavitation bubbles in the cleaning solution. As the ultrasonic sound waves pass through the liquid, these bubbles form, and collapse, producing high-energy jets. The jets strike the surface of the aluminum and dislodge deposits and films.

Two of the significant advantages of using ultrasonic cleaners are complete one-step cleaning and a safer working environment. There is no need for manual or mechanical scrubbing or the use of harsh and toxic cleaning chemicals. Just place the parts to be cleaned in the cleaning solution inside the tank and let the ultrasonic system work without supervision. The tiny cavitation bubbles penetrate wherever cleaning solution is present and clean even inside dead-end holes, inside threads, in nozzles, and around intricate shapes. The result is completely cleaned surfaces.

The chosen frequency is also the key to proper cleaning of aluminum engine parts, which use different alloys, coatings, and metal treatments depending on the characteristics needed for the part. The resulting metal surfaces can vary in hardness, which can be damaged by the cleaning action that is too robust. Kaijo can recommend the correct frequency for cleaning aluminum engine parts with different characteristics. Low frequency ultrasonic settings that include the commonly used 40kHz frequency for industrial cleaning will erode aluminum parts. Kaijo assists customers in choosing the proper frequency to safely cleaning critical engine parts.

The size of cavitation bubbles generated by the ultrasonic system depends on the frequency. Low frequencies produce larger bubbles and jets with enough energy to damage soft and delicate surfaces. Higher frequencies, on the other hand, generate smaller bubbles with less jet energy. The lowest frequency delivers extremely powerful and robust cleaning action, which is ideal for cleaning hard surfaces and surfaces with heavy contamination. If the surface of the part to be cleaned is softer, a higher frequency has to be used to avoid pitting of the metal surface.

The complete article, "Cleaning Aluminum Engine Parts in an Ultrasonic Cleaner", provides more detail about how Kaijo's ultrasonic cleaners thoroughly clean aluminum engine parts. For a free consultation or quote contact Kaijo Shibuya at 408-675-5575 or email info@kaijo-shibuya.com.

Top Automotive Parts Cleaned with an Ultrasonic Cleaning System

Most automotive parts can be cleaned quickly and effectively using an ultrasonic cleaning system. Automotive parts are usually contaminated with oil, grease, and other heavy deposits. The top automotive parts suitable for ultrasonic cleaning include cylinder heads, fuel injectors, carburetors, brake cylinders, and differentials.



Traditional cleaning uses manual or mechanical scrubbing or harsh cleaning chemicals to remove heavy deposits and contamination from automotive parts. Parts may also need to be soaked for extended periods before being subjected to scrubbing, which would take a long time. Chemicals and manual or mechanical scrubbing can damage parts and surfaces. The use of chemicals is expensive as is the manpower needed to clean the parts.



On the other hand, an ultrasonic cleaning system is a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative in cleaning automotive parts. The microscopic bubbles created in the cleaning solution by the ultrasonic waves deliver a powerful scrubbing action that removes contaminants from part surfaces and dislodges residues.



With ultrasonic cleaners, there is no need to add harsh cleaning chemicals or to do manual scrubbing. Just submerge the parts to be cleaned in the cleaning solution inside a tank and leave it unattended. Cleaning the components can be completed in as little as ten or fifteen minutes, and after that, the parts will come out completely clean and free from residues.



For cleaning automotive parts with heavy deposits (such as caked-on grease), heating the solution will soften the deposit and helps speed up the cleaning process. For cleaning excessively oily parts, only a mild detergent is added to remove the oil.



With ultrasonic cleaning, automotive parts will be properly and thoroughly cleaned while leaving them intact, making them ready for assembly.



Read the complete article, “Top Automotive Parts Cleaned with an Ultrasonic Cleaning System,” to learn why Kaijo’s ultrasonic cleaning systems are an ideal solution for cleaning automotive parts. Email Kaijo Shibuya at info@kaijo-shibuya.com or call 408-675-5575 to discuss your cleaning requirements or to schedule a free consultation.