Ultrasonic cleaners use high frequency sound waves to create bubbles within a bath, which expand and rapidly collapse.  This cavitation creates a scrubbing action on the immersed parts for loosening and removal of dirt, scale, and other impurities. Ultrasonic cleaners are used to remove grease, soil, oil, abrasive dust, blast debris, swarf, paint, corrosion or other contamination from the surfaces of components coming off a production line.  Industrial ultrasonic cleaners include degreasing cleaners, sterilizer washers and ultrasonic parts washers.

Ultrasonic cleaners are available as complete cleaning systems, or they can be purchased piecemeal, part by part – to either build a system from scratch or to replace worn out components. An entire ultrasonic cleaning machine consists of all the components required for the parts washing applications, such as ultrasonic cleaning tanks, agitators, ultrasonic transducers, pumps or pressure generators, cabinets, nozzles or wheels, and reclamation systems.

Cleaning Mediums

The ultrasonic cleaning process can take place using one of three common cleaning mediums.  These medium types include hot water cleaning, aqueous cleaning, and solvent or vapor cleaning.  In the hot water process, the ultrasonic cleaner manipulates a heated water supply or steam to enhance cleaning and surface preparation operations.  Aqueous cleaning is similar hot water cleaning, except that the medium is a water-based cleaning solution.  In solvent vapor degreasers, the solvent is evaporated and then condensed on the parts surface.  The condensed solvent cleans the parts and drips back down into the ultrasonic cleaner tank for reclamation or disposal. 

Secondary Cleaning Operations

In addition to basic cleaning, many ultrasonic cleaners are used to perform secondary cleaning operations.  These include degreasing, surface preparation and sterilization.  Ultrasonic degreasers are used to remove grease, oils, and other similar substances from the surface of a part or component.  Ultrasonic cleaners that perform surface preparation not only remove dirt and other contaminants from the items surface, but they prepare the surface for additional processing.  Ultrasonic sterilizing systems are able to disinfect parts or surfaces.  This type of ultrasonic cleaner is especially useful in pharmaceutical, medical or food preparation / processing industries.