No-contact cleaners use high-frequency sound waves to generate millions of imploding bubbles suspended in the cleaning solution. This system is known as cavitation. There’s no abrasion involved, so they’re perfect for cleaning delicate products with tiny components.
How Cavitation Works
A large ultrasonic cleaner can produce millions of microscopic bubbles. As they make contact with other surfaces, they implode, creating strong, localised energy to shift contaminants without damaging the surface. Cavitation’s primary mechanism is produced when high and low pressure waves alternate.
Heat Application
Ultrasonic cleaners such as those provided by https://www.hilsonic.co.uk rely on heated fluid to enhance their efficiency.
Cleaning Solution
Ultrasonic cleaning is a water-based process, so it requires aqueous cleaning solutions such as alkaline degreasers and acidic cleaners. If you’re cleaning water-based dirt, a gentle enzymatic cleaner should do the trick. A non-foaming detergent is preferred, but even diluted dish soap will make a difference. If you need to perform precision cleaning or cut through rust, you might need a stronger solution or even an alcohol-based solvent.
Water
Mineral spots can occur in hard-water areas, so you might need deionised or distilled water to prevent unwanted spots or reactions. If you’re cleaning non-sensitive components, though, ordinary tap water should do the trick.
As the name suggests, ultrasonic cleaning relies on sound waves to generate a cavity that’s trapped inside a bubble of solution. This technology is used in dentistry, the automotive industry, jewellery manufacturing, and electronics. Its gentle yet powerful cleaning action has a core role in cleaning everything from pharmaceutical instruments to precious stones.