How Does Ultrasonic Cleaning Work? Step by Step Guide
What is Ultrasonic Cleaning and How Does it Work?
So you might be thinking..
What is Ultrasonic Cleaning and how can it help me?
Well it turns out there is this unique item, almost like an open dishwasher, that can help sanitize tools, remove grime from weapons, and even clean your old Pink Floyd records that have been sitting in storage for a few years.
You know it's a pain to wash everything by hand like gun parts, dirty dental tools, or even filthy carburetors. Ultrasonic Cleaners help eliminate the "dirty work" and help sanitize millions of items in a short and easy process.
The process is super easy and affordable for everyone!
We promise..
That our step-by-step ultrasonic cleaning guide will help you understand more about..
- What Ultrasonic Cleaners are?
- What are cavitation fields and why does it matter?
- What shape and size would work for me?
- Where can I use this technology?
- Why ultrasonic cleaning solution is so important?
So What Exactly is Ultrasonic Cleaning?
Ultrasonic Cleaning, in a nutshell, can be simplified as underwater sound waves that create vibrations in the water, which help certain items become clean and sanitized with proper solution.
Does that sound complicated? Not so much...
So let's get technical:
This cleaning process is also known as cavitation.
Fancy right?
Cavitation can also be described as the formation of millions of bubbles, like a "cavity" in water. Imagine jumping into a pool, all the bubbles created after the jump is cavitation in action!
Not convinced?
Jump into a pool and find out for yourself!
There are many manufactures such as Elmasonic, Crest Ultrasonics, and SharperTek who specialize in this sort of sanitation. These cleaning companies have dedicated a lifetime of work in providing the best ultrasonic cleaners to the market.
So where does leadsonics come into play with all this?
leadsonics is a proud distributor of these and many more manufactures.
We pull all the quality manufactures together..
in a one stop internet shop (with the best prices off course) ;-)
so you don't have to scavenge the internet to find more information on them.
You can thank us later.
What Technically Is An Ultrasonic Cleaner?
An ultrasonic cleaner is a pretty simple device:
It's a device that helps keep in millions of cavitation bubbles within a specific tank dimension.
Cavitation is made from the transducers located inside the unit.
These vibrations help sanitize specific items with the appropriate solution.
Ultrasonic Cleaners vary in frequency ranges and help sanitize an array of tools, utensils, and more.
These units also vary in sizes and are used in many industries. Some companies such as Boeing, Bayer, and Toyota use these ultrasonic cleaners to help aid them in providing the best products to customers and consumers.
Cleaning massive carburetors, for example, requires larger tank sizes.
Cavitation also should take place centrally in the tank...
How is the maintained?
Very simple.. with a ultrasonic cleaning basket.
These baskets sit within the cavitation fields for optimal cleaning performance.
Cleaning Medical Instruments, Equipment, and Machined Parts With Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaners
Some industries require specific items to be cleaned in ultrasonic tanks over a specific gallon amount.
Do you own a bowling alley and need to clean bowling balls quickly?
Your best bet is to buy an industrial cleaner.
These tanks can range anywhere from 5 gallons, 50 gallons, and up.
Some industries even have custom made cleaners that can span a few feet.
Tabletop ultrasonic cleaners are limited to size, industrial ultrasonic cleaners give the extra capability in handling material that are larger in nature.
What are some popular industrial cleaners on the market?
These cleaners are perfect for cleaning medical instruments, equipment, and machined parts. Here are a list of our popular cleaners:
Industrial ultrasonic cleaning is one of the most practical cleaning process available to medical professionals, industry professionals and repair shops.
Learn About The Power Of Ultrasonic Transducers
Transducers are pretty simple.
Some are larger, some are smaller, but in the end they do one thing..
They help the tank create cavitation bubbles tuned to different frequencies.
(Example of Ultrasonic Cavitation)
Transducers determine how effective an application can be, when used.
Lower frequencies produce a low amount of cavitation bubbles. But the bubbles are larger in energy released and size. Lower frequencies also require an ultrasonic generator to compete with the heavy cleaning.
The frequency ranges are typically anywhere from 25kHz to 40 kHz.
Lower frequencies can cause damage to items like soft metals being cleaned.
Higher frequencies produce a high amount of cavitation bubbles. These bubbles are lower in energy released and size. These are perfect for gentler cleaning for jewelry, precious metals and much more.
Higher frequency transducers typically do not require generators. Where are these transducers located? Typically attached to under the tank!
Ultrasonic Cleaner Solution Can Remove Grime, Scale, Oxide Metals and Much More.
Typically adding water to ultrasonic tanks is not an effective way to sanitize materials.
The same effect is when you run a dishwasher without detergent..
Sure the silverware looks clean.. but is it sanitized?
The best practice is to use ultrasonic cleaning solution for the cavitation to do its job effectively. Most cleaning solutions contain specific ingredients with different pH levels that are designed to target specific cleaning jobs.
Most solutions are used when warm, typically around 45–70 °C (113–158 °F) are optimal temperatures for most applications. Some medical applications use specific solutions and temperatures below 45 °C (113 °F) to prevent protein coagulation.
It can get confusing from time to time on which solution to buy.
We made a simple solutions page and a solutions buying guide to help pick the right one for you.
Stop Wasting Time Handwashing, Use An Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner For Your Weapons
Ultrasonic cleaning is very popular for gun enthusiasts who are looking for a simpler way to clean their weapons, after use.
It's a pain to clean multiple items with your hands..so is it worth it?
One of the applications is putting the owner's firearm into an ultrasonic cleaning tank that contains quality solution.
This solution should be specific in surfactants, emulsifiers, wetting agents and rust inhibitors in order to optimize for a perfect clean.
All these means is that the solution should keep the gun clean from gunk.
SharperTek creates an optimal gun cleaning solution for gun owners. An ultrasonic cleaner for guns is perfect for weapons such as M16s, M1s, AR15s, 9mms, 40 caliber weapons, glocks, and semi-automatic weapons.
SharperTek also doesn't sell you a stainless steel baskets. So your guns don't scratch and look brand new.
How awesome is that?
Different size ultrasonic cleaners are available and cleaning packages that every firearm owner can enjoy.
Clean Precious Metals With An Ultrasonic Cleaner For Jewelry
Fragile Jewelry can also be a pain to clean.
When was the last time you cleaned a wedding band, earrings, or your favorite necklace?
An ultrasonic cleaner for jewelry is the perfect "solution" for cleaning multiple pieces of delicate jewelry.
Hand washing, scrubbing, and removing grime is a tedious and delicate job for expensive pieces of jewelry. Some ultrasonic cleaners are specifically designed to clean delicate jewelry with pieces looking like new.
It's always a good idea to touch up some old pieces!
Smaller units are perfect for jewelry since they take up minimal space and get the job done fast.
Many companies such as the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) rely on these cleaners for precision and delicate cleaning.
More On Ultrasonic Cleaning
We hope that you learned a ton in this quick read article!
Ultrasonic cleaning has one of the best uses of sanitation on the market.
Many industries rely on these cleaners to help promote quality products to customers and consumers.
Our blog has many interesting articles that pertain to these topics and more. Be sure to also subscribe to our mailing list for more ultrasonic cleaning news. You can also checkout our full line of ultrasonic cleaners on sale!