One of the first if not the first point in selecting an ultrasonic cleaner is the ultrasonic cleaner capacity. By capacity we mean not the size of the ultrasonic cleaner itself but the size, or dimensions, of the cleaning tank. That’s where cleaning action takes place. If the parts you want to clean can’t be completely immersed in the ultrasonic cleaning solution, you have a problem. This post helps you calculate your ultrasonic cleaner capacity.
Two Basic Approaches to Ultrasonic Cleaner Capacity
You can specify an ultrasonic cleaner in terms of cleaning solution capacity or its ability to completely immerse parts being cleaned. A simple illustration: There’s not much depth to a gallon of water in an 8 quart baking pan. Contrast that depth to a gallon of water in a gallon water jug.
With that in mind, let’s proceed.
Fortunately, ultrasonic cleaners are manufactured in a tremendous variety of sizes. And as suggested, there are two approaches to sizes when speaking in terms of ultrasonic cleaner capacity.
First, “size” can be defined in terms of the tank’s cleaning solution capacity. Second, “size” can be defined in terms of tank dimensions, or its ability to accommodate parts being cleaned.
As you can see by checking our page on the Elmasonic E Plus series, there is a selection 9 tank capacities from 0.25 to 7.5 gallons, all with differing tank dimensions, offered in this series. Industrial-sized units such as the xtra ST series can hold up to 67.4 gallons. Larger-capacity units are also available.
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Ultrasonic Cleaning Plastic Injection Molds
The global plastic injection molding machine market was valued at $10.4 billion in 2022 and projected to grow to $12.4 billion by 2027 according to a Markets and Markets report. Unrecognized in such reports are the importance and costs of plastic injection molds that support this growth and the role of ultrasonic cleaning in plastic injection mold maintenance.
Ultrasonic Cleaning and Injection Mold Maintenance
According to Rex Plastics, “A small and simple single cavity plastic injection mold usually costs between $1,000 and $5,000. Very large or complex molds may cost as much as $80,000 or more. On average, a typical mold that produces a relatively simple part small enough to hold in your hand costs around $12,000.”
For cost reasons alone injection mold maintenance should figure high on a list of priorities for companies involved in producing injection-molded parts. Here you’ll learn how ultrasonic cleaning plastic injection molds preserves investments without causing wear or the use of harsh chemicals.
Read moreUltrasonic Cleaner Capacity Selection Tips
One of the first if not the first point in selecting an ultrasonic cleaner is the ultrasonic cleaner capacity. By capacity we mean not the size of the ultrasonic cleaner itself but the size, or dimensions, of the cleaning tank. That’s where cleaning action takes place. If the parts you want to clean can’t be completely immersed in the ultrasonic cleaning solution, you have a problem. This post helps you calculate your ultrasonic cleaner capacity.
Two Basic Approaches to Ultrasonic Cleaner Capacity
You can specify an ultrasonic cleaner in terms of cleaning solution capacity or its ability to completely immerse parts being cleaned. A simple illustration: There’s not much depth to a gallon of water in an 8 quart baking pan. Contrast that depth to a gallon of water in a gallon water jug.
With that in mind, let’s proceed.
Fortunately, ultrasonic cleaners are manufactured in a tremendous variety of sizes. And as suggested, there are two approaches to sizes when speaking in terms of ultrasonic cleaner capacity.
First, “size” can be defined in terms of the tank’s cleaning solution capacity. Second, “size” can be defined in terms of tank dimensions, or its ability to accommodate parts being cleaned.
As you can see by checking our page on the Elmasonic E Plus series, there is a selection 9 tank capacities from 0.25 to 7.5 gallons, all with differing tank dimensions, offered in this series. Industrial-sized units such as the xtra ST series can hold up to 67.4 gallons. Larger-capacity units are also available.
Read moreUltrasonic Dental Instrument Cleaner
An ultrasonic cleaner is one of options recommended by the CDC to clean reusable dental instruments prior to sterilizing. Uniform sonication in an ultrasonic dental instrument cleaner provides added assurances that blood and tissues are thoroughly removed before sterilization. More on this below but first,
How Uniform Sonication Cleans Dental Instruments
Uniform sonication assures technicians in the central processing area that their dental instruments receive “equal treatment” regardless of their position in the ultrasonic cleaning bath. An example of a dental instrument cleaner providing this advantage is the Elmasonic P30SE available from Elma.
Research at Elma disclosed that key impediment to uniform sonication is interference due to the tank drain duct found on most benchtop ultrasonic cleaners. This was visually demonstrated in a drain-equipped unit: ultrasonic cleaning action on the drain side of the tank was not nearly as vigorous as on the opposite side.
Based on this, the 0.75 gallon P30SE has no drain assuring that powerful cleaning action on reusable dental instruments is uniform during the cleaning cycle. The process is called homogeneous sonication.
Read moreRestore Mobile Devices with Ultrasonic Cleaners
The consumer electronics market size was valued at over USD 1 trillion in 2020 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of more than 8% from 2021 to 2027, according to a Global Market Insights report. It defines electronics as computers, laptops, mobile devices, smart wearables, TVs, appliances, etc. Ultrasonic electronics cleaners contribute to reliable operation from manufacturing through servicing these products.
Common to most if not all consumer electronics products is the ubiquitous printed circuit board or PCB. That’s why PCB fabricators or those who sell or service equipment incorporating PCBs and other delicate electronic components include an ultrasonic electronics cleaner in their equipment inventory.
Read moreIntroducing the Elmasonic Select Line: Programmable Cleaning, Five Ultrasonic Modes
Elmasonic Select ultrasonic cleaners available from Elmaultrasonic feature 5 ultrasonic modes to simplify task setting and supervision for parts cleaning and maintenance, sample prep, and solvent degassing plus up to 4 commonly used programs for quick call up and reproducible results.
An Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaner Specification Guide
The ultrasonic cleaning equipment market is expected to exhibit a 3.3% CAGR by 2027 backed by increasing global adoption of industry 4.0 (the 4th Industrial Revolution), according to a report in Fortune Business Insights™ “Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaning Machine Market” 2022 focuses on short-term and long-term trends affecting the market landscape. Industrial ultrasonic cleaners play an important role in the economy. This post will help you pick a unit that best meets your requirements.
What is an “Industrial” Ultrasonic Cleaner?
Industrial ultrasonic cleaners are defined by task, not size. Industrial sonic cleaners include bench and tabletop units all the way up to multi-gallon floor mounted units.
It’s what these units must do vs. their size that’s important. So let’s begin our specification guide.
When to Specify an Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaner
To start with, the best industrial ultrasonic cleaners are employed for tough and often long-term cleaning cycles. These units may be required to continuously operate for hours and must be designed to meet these rigorous operating conditions.
Here’s a start on points to consider:
- Type of contamination to be removed. There’s a big difference, as you can imagine, between removing coolant from machined parts and baked on residues on costly plastic injection molds.
- There are also different requirements for removing varnish deposits from a carburetor and solder residues or other contaminants from delicate printed circuit boards.
- The composition of products being cleaned. Different parameters apply to cleaning aircraft engine components and PCBs. You’ll need compatible cleaning solution and ultrasonic cleaning frequency.
- A particularly tough requirement is cleaning adhesive guns and spray paint components.
Read moreUse Ultrasonic Energy to Remove 3D Printing Mold Support
Ultrasonic cleaning is fast and safe way to remove mold support and other surface contaminants from simple and complex 3-D printed parts. Results are far superior to time-consuming water soaking and the risk of possibly damaging part geometries if manually cleaned using brushes. Here you’ll learn how 3-D printed parts are made, then how ultrasonic energy is used to remove 3D printing mold support from your parts.
How 3-D Printed Parts are Made
3D part printing techniques use a variety of plastics and resins. Examples include ABS, PLA, polyamide (nylon), glass filled polyamide, stereolithography materials (epoxy resins), silver, titanium, steel, wax, photopolymers and polycarbonate.
A popular technique combines two moldable thermoplastic formulations such as ABS for the part itself and PLA for removable mold support. This is a quick means to produce highly complex configurations.
In this instance a key to the efficiency of the process is fast, safe removal of the PLA mold support without risking damage to the ABS part. An ultrasonic cleaner is proven far faster, safer and more effective than water sprays or manual scrubbing.
Other techniques called SLA (stereolithography) and LFS (low force stereolithography) use lasers to build the part without the need of mold support. In these cases uncured resin on the finished product requires removal best accomplished by ultrasonic energy.
Read moreHow Can I Use Flammable Solvents in an Ultrasonic Cleaner?
First, let us congratulate you for asking this question. Any time flammable solvents are used for cleaning purposes there is risk of fire or explosion due to ignition of volatile vapors by a flash source. Ignition can occur from any source due to spills or as flammable solvent vapors spread. This post explains how you can safely use flammable solvents in an ultrasonic cleaner.
An example of a widely used flammable solvent is isopropyl alcohol (IPA). References to its use are presented in this post.
Things to Know about Flammable Solvents and Ultrasonic Cleaners
Before you select and use an ultrasonic cleaner for your application(s) you should be familiar with options available as well as other factors that go into the decision process. Here you will learn about
- the definition of “flash points”
- flash points of commonly used flammable solvents
- where ultrasonic cleaners are used with flammable solvents
- ultrasonic equipment options when cleaning with flammable solvents
- other safety precautions when using flammable solvents in an ultrasonic cleaner
Read moreHow to Clean Hot Melt Adhesive Guns and Spray Paint Nozzles
Firms using hot melt adhesives and spray painting as part of daily routines know that cleaning their equipment after use can be more cost effective than constantly replacing precision components. A cursory Google search discloses common cleaning recommendations include soaking in solvents and running wires through openings. Here we describe how ultrasonic energy can clean hot melt adhesive guns and spray paint nozzles in minutes and more thoroughly than manual methods.
Read moreHow Ultrasonic Cleaning Speeds Aircraft Engine Maintenance
Rigorous procedures are spelled out in maintenance manuals for aircraft engine parts, whether jet, turbine or piston. Ultrasonic energy plays an important role both for cleaning and nondestructive testing (NDT) operations by aviation maintenance technicians (AMT), aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organizations and airlines’ own maintenance facilities. Here are examples of how ultrasonic cleaning speeds aircraft engine maintenance.
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