Comparing Ultrasonic Cleaning to other cleaning methods

When it comes to cleaning parts surfaces, manufacturers and consumers have many options. Let’s take a look at the most common options, and compare them with ultrasonic cleaning:

Air blow-off

Uses high pressure air outtake to push away particles

Generally ineffective on blowing away heavy or affixed contaminants

Extremely limited use for blowing away contaminants inside long or complex objects

Cannot suitably remove liquid-based contaminants

Can cause debris redistribution problems

Generally requires worker(s) to remain at cleaning station

Propelled airborne debris can cause worker injury or health issues

Vacuuming

Uses high pressure air intake to pull in particles

Generally ineffective on pulling in heavy or affixed contaminants

Extremely limited use for pulling in contaminants inside long or complex objects

Cannot suitably remove liquid-based contaminants

Generally requires worker(s) to remain at cleaning station

Generally requires worker(s) to remain at cleaning station

Non-sonic Immersion

Uses air injection, submerged jets, agitation, or undulation to remove/dissolve contaminants from/on surfaces

Poorly suited for removing fine particles

Extremely limited use for pulling in contaminants inside long or complex objects

Cannot suitably remove liquid-based contaminants

Can cause parts damage

Can require large amounts of power

Spraying

Uses kinetic energy of propelled liquid droplets to remove particles

Extremely limited use for removing contaminants inside long or complex objects

Cannot suitably remove liquid-based contaminants

Can cause parts damage

Can require large amounts of power

Can cause debris distribution problems

Can cause worker injury, including fatalities depending upon spray density and velocity

Brushing/Wiping

Uses mechanical action to remove various particles

Poorly suited for removing many liquid-based contaminants

Extremely limited use for removing contaminants inside long or complex objects

Poorly suited for removing firmly affixed contaminants

Can cause parts damage

Can cause debris distribution problems

CO2 "Snow Cleaning"

Uses controlled expansion of liquid or gaseous carbon dioxide

Extremely limited use for removing contaminants inside long or complex objects

Poorly suited for cleaning large or heavy-duty parts

Ultrasonic Cleaning

Uses transducers immersed in various solvents to create imploding bubbles that lift surface contaminants

The most effective way to precision-clean a wide range of contaminants, surfaces, and parts shapes and sizes...inside and out!

Ultrasonic waves generate evenly distributed implosions in a liquid medium, releasing energies that reach and penetrate into crevices, blind holes (as fine as a human hair), and similar areas that are inaccessible by other cleaning methods

Contaminant removal is consistent and uniform, regardless of the complexity and geometry of the substrates

Can remove tough, bonded contaminants as well as minutely fine organic, inorganic, and particulate matter

No need to disassemble parts before cleaning, which saves time and money

Gentle yet powerful cleaning makes it virtually impossible to damage parts

Eco-friendly, with all cleaning debris contained in tanks for easy disposal

Very safe when handled responsibly

Increases technician productivity due to minimal training and oversight required during cleaning, rinsing, and drying

Higher cleanliness levels are in higher demand today

Rapid advancements in various current technologies and a constant drive to miniaturize components have created a need for higher cleanliness levels.

Contamination in the level of monolayers can drastically alter surface properties such as wettability, adhesion, optical or electrical characteristics. Particles in the range of few microns down to submicron levels, trace contaminants such as nonvolatile residues (NVR) in the range of micrograms/cm2 and pictogram/cm2, ionics in the same range or traces of corrosion have become part of the daily concerns of the manufacturing engineers in major industries such as semiconductors, automotive, disk drive, optics, ophthalmic, glass, medical, aerospace, pharmaceuticals and tool coatings, among others.

The specifications on trace contaminants and particle sizes are being tightened periodically to reflect the new technology trends. Every industry has its own set of cleanliness specifications and the focus differs. For example, while NVR has not been an automotive industry issue until now, it has been crucial for the semiconductor and the disk drive industries for years. Trace contaminants are not acceptable in the carbide, optics and ophthalmic industries, as they may cause adhesion failures in a multi-coating process that follows cleaning.

For obvious reasons, absolutely clean surfaces are an extremely critical requirement in cleaning medical devices. Concern about particles has become a common denominator among all industries.