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How does ultrasonic cleaning work?

Most people will have heard of ultrasonic in terms of sound waves but fewer people are aware that it is actually possible to clean items with a Large Ultrasonic Cleaner like the ones you can find from companies such as https://www.hilsonic.co.uk/. These cleaners are revolutionising the way that some industries such as medical, manufacturing and the jewellery industry can clean a larger quantity of items very effectively.

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Here is how it works.

Ultrasonic waves of somewhere between 20 to 40 kHz are used in order to move fluids. The ultrasonic waves are used along with either a jet of water or a cleaning solution. This will depend very much on the type of item that is to be cleaned, the business industry using the items and the complexity of the surface of the item. It can take anywhere from just three minutes right up to over twenty minute to clean an item. Again this will depend on a number of different factors including the item size, design and its use. As the ultrasonic waves can move around any surface regardless of whether they contain small cracks or lesions, a deeper more effective clean can be achieved than by using a standard cleaning process such as a dishwasher or steam cleaner. Jewellery items in particular are very intricate and will contain lots of small indentations that will naturally collect small dust and dirt particles. Cleaning delicate items like this in a traditional way can lead to problems with any embedded stones become loose and a tarnishing of the precious metal that is used. Ultrasonic cleaning removes all of these risk factors when it comes to cleaning precious items.

These types of equipment have been around since the 1950s when the first commercial ultrasonic equipment first appeared and it was more widely spread both commercially and domestically during the 1970s.

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The cleaning process involves cavitation bubbles being produced by the ultrasonic waves and these then agitate the liquid that is used within the system which then uses high force to penetrate any dirt, contaminants and other items that are adhering to and embedded in the surface of the item that is being cleaned. All kinds of items can be successfully removed including dirt, dust, oil, grease, fungus, various bacteria, bodily fluids, fingerprints and much, much more.

In order to ensure that the items are thoroughly cleaned they are often suspended on a tray or in isolation above the base of the cleaner. This prevents only three sides of an item from being cleaned, improving both efficiency and effectiveness.