Knowledge Centre — Ultrasonic Cleaning Explained

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Explainers, how-to guides, case studies, reference tables and the dosage calculator. Filter by page type, or pick a topic below.

Basics of cavitation10 Life sciences, medical & dental6 Ultrasonic welding5 Safety4 Operation & function testing3 Practical operation9 Chemistry7 Verification & standards5

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Basics of cavitation

How ultrasonic cleaning works — the key physics that influence machine selection, performance and results.

ExplainersInside a cavitation bubbleThe one event the whole process rests on — and the five things that decide whether it happens.ExplainersHow does ultrasonic cleaning actually work?Cavitation from first principles, and why it reaches where a brush cannot.ExplainersChoosing the right ultrasonic frequency25, 40, 80 kHz — what each does to soil and to your surface finish.ExplainersDual and multi-frequency ultrasonicsWhen one frequency is not enough: demolish the carbon, then finish gently.ExplainersWhat power do you actually need?Watts, watts per litre, and why the headline number rarely predicts cleaning.How-to guidesSweep, pulse and degas: what the settings doThe three controls people leave on default, and what each one is for.ExplainersCavitation erosion — when cleaning damages the partNewSoft metals, thin sections, coatings and polished surfaces. How to recognise it and avoid it.How-to guidesHow to compare ultrasonic cleaners honestlyNewPeak power, watts per litre, transducer counts — which specifications mislead.ExplainersThe 360° rod resonator — and why it mattersPutting the sonics into a vessel you already own.ExplainersUltrasonics vs everything elseAn honest comparison against solvent, spray, blast and hand cleaning.

Life sciences, medical & dental

Instrument reprocessing, enzymatic chemistry and laboratory sonochemistry.

How-to guidesInstrument reprocessing and AS 5369:2023NewThe standard that replaced AS/NZS 4187 — and now reaches dental, veterinary, beauty and tattoo.ExplainersEnzymatic cleaning: the chemistry that eats bioburdenNewProtease, amylase, lipase — and the 38–54 °C window that destroys them if you exceed it.ExplainersUltrasonic processing & sonochemistryNewExtraction, cell disruption, emulsifying, degassing and dissolution in the laboratory.ReferenceLife sciences — the industry pageWhere our machines sit in medical, dental, veterinary and laboratory work.Case studiesCase study: PCBs, flux off and ionic test passedCoating-ready boards, with the ionic contamination result documented.Case studiesCase study: a meat plant wash-room at audit standardImmersion cleaning where the audit is the whole point.

Ultrasonic welding

Joining plastics and non-ferrous metals — the design decisions that decide whether it works.

How-to guidesJoint design and energy directorsNewEnergy director dimensions, the four joint types, near-field vs far-field — before the mould tool is cut.ExplainersWhich plastics weld, and which fight youNewA weldability table by resin, plus moisture, regrind, filler and mould release limits.How-to guidesTroubleshooting welds that will not holdNewTen symptoms, their usual causes, and what to change — in the order worth checking.ExplainersWhat actually gets weldedNewSix industries, and an honest comparison against spin, vibration, hot plate and laser.ReferenceUltrasonic welding FAQNewFifteen questions answered plainly — speed, materials, seals, tooling and cost.

Safety

The hazards that injure people and destroy machines. Written for Australian workplaces.

How-to guidesOperator safety around industrial ultrasonic tanksNewHands, hearing, heat, chemistry and electrical — four hazards and the controls for each.How-to guidesWhy flammable solvents and ultrasonic tanks do not mixNewIPA, acetone and petrol in a standard tank is an ignition event. Two safe alternatives.ReferenceTemperature and substrate toleranceBest chemical temperature, moderated by what the substrate can actually take.How-to guidesSurface preparation for painting & coatingNewThe AS 1627 map, Sa grades, and why degreasing is step one of every standard.

Operation & function testing

Verifying machine performance against specification, and detecting degradation before it shows up in the parts.

How-to guidesWhy a fresh bath cleans badly: degassing explainedNewDissolved gas cushions cavitation. Five to ten minutes fixes it.How-to guidesThe foil test: is your cleaner actually working?Five minutes and a roll of foil shows you the sound field with your own eyes.How-to guidesWhy your parts are not coming out cleanThe diagnostic guide — work through it in order before you call anyone.

Practical operation

The operating decisions that decide whether a good machine performs.

How-to guidesWhat to fill the tank with: water qualityNewTap, DI and RO — and using conductivity as a measurable rinse endpoint.How-to guidesCleaning blind holes, galleries and passagesWhere cavitation reaches, where it does not, and what to do about it.ExplainersMulti-stage cleaning: spray, ultrasonics, rinse, dryWhy the stages exist and what each one is actually for.ExplainersYour ultrasonic tank is a stage, not a dumping groundThe single most common process mistake we see.How-to guidesFiltration: what you need and whyKeeping the soil you removed from going back on the next part.How-to guidesOil removal: weirs, interceptors and coalescersGetting oil out of the bath instead of dumping the bath.ExplainersFrom manual tanks to full production linesThe automation spectrum, and where your volume puts you on it.Case studiesCase study: engine blocks in one cycleJackets, galleries and faces stripped without dismantling further.Case studiesCase study: DPFs and the ash regeneration leavesThe second bath that does what regeneration cannot.

Chemistry

Chemistry selection, dosing and bath management — the other half of the cleaning process.

ExplainersUltrasonic cleaning chemistry: the complete guideSeven kinds of chemistry and a method for choosing between them.How-to guidesEmulsifying or demulsifying: the bath-life decisionNewTwo detergents clean the same. Only one lets you get the oil back out.ReferenceHow chemistry and machine are specified togetherNeither one is chosen in isolation.ToolsChemical dosage calculatorWork out concentration, make-up and top-up volumes for your tank.ReferenceThe chemical range36 products, grouped by the job — with material cautions stated up front.How-to guidesCleaning hot melt filter discsA worked example of chemistry, temperature and cycle on a hard soil.Case studiesCase study: passivation without the nitricThe certificate, by the citric route.

Verification & standards

Turning "it looks clean" into a number you can put on a certificate.

How-to guidesHow do you prove a part is actually clean?NewWater break, gravimetric, Millipore, ionic, UV and swab — and the standards behind them.ExplainersContaminant scienceWhat is actually on the part, and why that decides the method.ReferenceQuality & complianceHow we document a process so it survives an audit.ReferenceFrequently asked questionsThe questions we are asked every week, answered plainly.Case studiesAll 13 case studiesDocumented jobs with the process card — soil, cycle, machine and measured result.

Looking for the articles in publication order? The Insights index lists the launch series chronologically.

Process validation through cleaning trials

Where the application needs to be proven, we run a controlled cleaning trial using the machine and chemistry we would specify, document the cycle and return the parts with the result.

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