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HOW DOES IT WORK?… Ultrasonic cleaners
By John | January 11, 2008
We have all heard of ultrasonic cleaners but do we know how they work?Â
They are often employed for cleaning of jewellery, lenses and other optical parts, coins, watches, dental and surgical instruments, fountain pens, industrial parts and electronic equipment. In everyday use such devices may be found in use in most jewelry workshops, watchmakers establishments, or in mobile phone repair workshops (where it could be used for cleaning a phone that has been exposed to enough moisture to hinder its operation).
In an ultrasonic cleaner, the object to be cleaned is placed in a chamber containing a suitable ultrasound conducting fluid (an aqueous or organic solvent, depending on the application). In Aqueous cleaners, the chemical added is a surfactant which breaks down the surface tension of the water base. An ultrasound generating transducer is built into the chamber, or may be lowered into the fluid. It is electronically activated to produce ultrasonic waves in the fluid.
 The main mechanism of cleaning action is by energy released from the creation and collapse of microscopic cavitation bubbles, which break up and lift off dirt and contaminants from the surface to be cleaned. The higher the frequency, the smaller the nodes between the cavitation points which allows for more precise cleaning. The bubbles created can be as hot as 10,000 degrees and 50,000 lbs per square inch, but are so small that cleaning and removal of dirt is the main result
Topics: Jewellery Cleaning |
