How Ultrasonic Cleaners Work

Theory of Ultrasonics

Ultrasonic cleaning depends upon cavitation, the rapid formation and violent collapse of minute bubbles or cavities in a cleaning liquid. This agitation by countless small and intense imploding bubbles creates a highly effective scrubbing of both exposed and hidden surfaces of parts immersed in the cleaning solution. As the frequency increases, the number of these cavities also increases but the energy released by each cavity decreases making higher frequencies ideal for small particle removal without substrate damage.

Growth and collapse (implosion) of a cavitation vacuum bubble

Cavitation is produced by introducing high frequency (ultrasonic), high intensity sound waves into a liquid. Consequently, the three essential components of any ultrasonic cleaning system are: a tank to contain the cleaning liquid, a transducer to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, and an ultrasonic generator to produce a high frequency electrical signal.

Why an ultrasonic system?
The recognized advantages of ultrasonic cleaning are:

Theory of Ultrasonics
Selecting A Cleaning Process And Cleaning Solutions
Three Major Factors To Consider