Ultrasonic cleaners offer a range of incredible benefits for cleaning complex equipment or materials. Using an ultrasonic cleaner, you can achieve a fast, efficient clean and a high standard of cleanliness.
Increasingly, ultrasonic cleaners are becoming popular for industrial use, making it easy to save time and stress on cleaning processes. Able to be used across a range of tasks, items, and industries, ultrasonic cleaners are diversely applicable and are a great option for many cleaning requirements.
Here’s everything you need to know about what ultrasonic cleaners are and how they work.
What is an ultrasonic cleaner?
An ultrasonic cleaner is an advanced cleaning machine that is designed to clean intricate or complex items and is usually used for industrial purposes.
Ultrasonic cleaners can be used to clean metal, glass, rubber, ceramics, and some plastics, removing contaminants such as dust, dirt, oil, and pigment.
Many professionals favour ultrasonic cleaners because they are fast and efficient, producing excellent cleaning results.
How ultrasonic cleaners work
Ultrasonic cleaners work by transmitting high-frequency, typically 40kHz, sound waves through a liquid water or solvent solution, in which items are submerged.
Through a process called cavitation, these sound waves produce sonic energy that agitates the liquid solution, causing microscopic voids to form and create bubbles. As these bubbles implode, they produce a great force. This dislodges any surface contaminants that are affecting the items or materials being cleaned.
Timeframes for ultrasonic cleaning vary by typically range from 3 to 6 minutes in total. In some instances, it is possible to quicken the cleaning process by choosing a higher heat setting.
What are ultrasonic cleaners made from?
Ultrasonic cleaners are made up of three key components: the tank, the generator, and the transducer.
Ultrasonic cleaning machines are available with a range of tank sizes, with the size of your tank impacting the size and quantity of the items you can clean.
Cleaners also include a generator, which converts electrical energy from a power source into mechanical energy.
Finally, ultrasonic cleaners require a transducer, which obtains electrical energy from the generator and uses this to generate high-frequency sound waves, which are essential to the cavitation process.
Ultrasonic cleaners also include additional features, such as timers, baskets of racks, and temperature control switches. Extra features and specifications can vary depending on the model you purchase.
Types of ultrasonic cleaners
There are many different types of ultrasonic cleaners, which can be used for different purposes and applications.
Industrial ultrasonic cleaners are high-grade cleaners intended for use in industrial or commercial settings. Typically, these cleaners have large tanks, robust generators, and advanced transducers. These elements allow industrial cleaners to deliver more power and to clean larger items or more items at a time.
Lab size or tabletop cleaners are a step down from industrial models. These ultrasonic cleaners are designed for day operations and usually take up less space than their industrial counterparts. They can still be used commercially, but they usually have slightly smaller tanks and simpler generators and transducers.
Finally, small ultrasonic cleaning systems are available for home and small business use. These cleaners are much more compact than other models. They have the same functionalities, but they usually have lower capacity for cleaning and may include fewer extra system features.
To find high-quality ultrasonic cleaners, visit the RS Online store.