The operating principle of an ultrasonic bath - how to choose and use it in production or at home

What is an ultrasonic bath

Ultrasound is sound in a higher range than the human ear can perceive. Its use in modern science has led to a number of fantastic discoveries. One of them is an ultrasonic bath that magically turns dirty things into clean ones. This occurs as a result of the process of cavitation - the formation and collapse of many small air bubbles on the surface being treated. The micro-explosion of each balloon is strong; the bubble is capable of tearing off a piece of dirt from a part or product even in the most inaccessible places for physical impact.

The main parts of the device are a container with a volume of 0.5 to 30 liters and an emitter for an ultrasonic bath, operating in the range of 20–40 kHz. It is located under the bottom of the working tank and is controlled electronically. The principle of operation of the unit is simple: fill the bath with water, alcohol, or other active chemical liquid, immerse the item that needs cleaning into it, turn on the emitter for just 2-3 minutes. You won't believe your eyes: as a result of ultrasonic vibrations, the part will become cleaner than new.

What is it for?

The scope of application of the bath is wider than you might imagine. Larger ultrasonic units are used in enterprises to clean large parts, tools, and workpieces. There are ultrasonic baths even for washing clothes, washing dishes, and processing vegetables. An ultrasonic emitter is built into many models of modern washing machines. Household bathtubs are often purchased to wash parts, circuit boards, jets and jewelry.

For cleaning injectors

An injector is a mechanism that is a simple electromagnetic valve that meters the supply and atomization of fuel (it must do this as accurately as possible). It is difficult to clean clogged nozzles, but an ultrasonic bath copes with this task. If necessary, the injector with nozzles is removed and washed with waves at a gentle frequency, repeating the procedure several times.

For phones

A phone that has fallen into water can be saved by washing the motherboard with ultrasound of a certain frequency. For this procedure, technical services also use a household cleaning bath. The technician will remove the board, remove parts from it that are harmful from contact with water (camera, speaker, microphone), lower it inside the bath, fill it with a special solution and turn on the device to operate at a given frequency. The board will be cleaned by air bubbles, and the functioning of the phone will be restored.

For washing parts

An ultrasonic bath can be used to clean optics, metal, and other solid parts from dirt, foreign components, traces of soldering or grinding. The device is used for cleaning components and parts of office equipment (excellent for washing printer heads, increasing their service life). Jewelry makers really appreciate a bath with ultrasound. Even items that are heavily soiled during wear become absolutely clean after a few minutes of treatment.

Application area

In medicine, such devices are used to clean surgical instruments from biological contaminants, preparing them for subsequent treatment by prolonged boiling. They are used in dental clinics and laboratories of various profiles.

Ultrasonic cleaners are actively used in many areas:

1. In mechanical engineering, they play the role of a unit that removes contaminants from pipes and especially large parts after their final grinding and polishing.
2. They are widely used in jewelry, when it is necessary to clean jewelry that has lost its presentable appearance, for example, silver becomes tarnished over the years.
3. In printing houses, parts of printers and other devices responsible for printing are cleaned in such baths.
4. Production of electronic devices - for cleaning quartz and silicon wafers.
5. In service stations they are used to clean nozzles, injectors and fine filters.

A mobile phone that has fallen into water can be restored by washing the electronic board in an ultrasonic cleaner, which is what they do at service centers. The technician removes from it all parts that do not want contact with the aqueous solution, lowers the board into the bath and sets the desired frequency. After ten minutes, all functions of your mobile device will be restored.

Advantages

Ultrasonic cleaning of products may be preferable to mechanical cleaning. Sometimes it becomes the only opportunity to clean up a dirty part with traces of corrosion. Here are the main advantages of using an ultrasonic bath:

• Processing the item being washed does not take much time.
• There is no need to make physical efforts to mechanically remove dirt and rust.
• An excellent effect is achieved in the most inaccessible places (waves know no barriers).
• Ultrasound cleans objects carefully, without leaving scratches or other defects on the surface.
• The procedure can replace not only washing, but also light polishing.

How to use

An obvious but extremely important recommendation: before using an ultrasonic bath, be sure to read the instructions for it! To clean a part or product from dirt, traces of corrosion, and limescale, use tap water, well water, distilled water, alcohol, soap solution, and some types of solvents. During operation of the bath, a buzzing sound can be clearly heard, and many bubbles appear on the surface of immersed objects. Your steps to maintain the unit are simple:

• Open the lid and fill the working container with the selected liquid.
• Place parts or products so that they are completely covered with water.
• Check the fluid level; it should not rise above the special mark.
• Close the lid and connect the device to an electrical power source.
• Press the “start” button; in most bath models, the standard operating time will be 180 seconds.
• If necessary, turn on the device again. To ensure even cleaning, the parts inside the bathtub must be turned over.
• If required, you can start by increasing the operating time or range of the ultrasonic emitter.
• When the process is completed, unplug the bath and drain the water. Don't forget to dry the container and then store the device.
• Treat the device with care; repairing an ultrasonic bath is a troublesome task and not always possible.

Additional functions

The use of accessories and special features simplifies and facilitates the operation of the device, and in some cases increases efficiency.

Most common functions:

• Multi-mode. The simplest household ultrasonic baths operate with 1-2 modes. Semi-professional allows you to configure up to 5 modes. The variety is related to the nature of the work and purpose of the cleaning.
• A timer measures operating time and automatically turns off the device; it is provided on almost all models, except for the simplest and most budget home options.
• Almost all models have heating; it increases efficiency and speeds up the process. The liquid is heated to a maximum of 70°C, which is even higher than the required values. The optimal heating temperature is 50°-60°C.
• Protection - will turn off the device without liquid and save it from overheating.
• Antistatic is a useful property when repairing cell phones and office equipment; it is also achieved by using specific cleaners.
• Electronic control panels, light indicators. Of course, these are mark-ups that increase the price of an ultrasound bath, but it’s difficult to do without them.
• Accessories help make work simple and easy. These are meshes and baskets for placing and washing parts; they will protect the steel container from contact with objects, damage and scratches. This will significantly extend the life of the device. Accessories include transparent lids. This is very convenient, especially when cleaning several small items at the same time.

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How to clean coins in an ultrasonic bath, see the following video.

DIY ultrasonic bath

Based on their own needs, skilled craftsmen often make a cleansing bath themselves. On the Internet pages of their blogs and video channels, they generously share their schemes and developments. Having basic skills in working with a soldering iron, you can make your own board - the brain center of the cleaning device, assemble an electrical circuit according to the diagram, including an emitter in it. This way you will receive an ultrasonic bath that meets your needs. Here's what you'll need for this:

• board made according to a proven design;
• light stainless steel container (saucepan, bowl, basin) with a capacity of 0.5-1 l;
• stand for the container (you can use a piece of plastic sewer pipe);
• 12 Volt power supply;
• ferrite rod;
• ultrasonic wave emitter;
• epoxy glue for mounting the emitter.

To ensure that ultrasonic waves pass into the container, glue the emitter to the bowl strictly in the center, using epoxy glue. A ferrite rod is needed to make a choke. Wind two dozen turns of copper wire (1 mm thick) around it. According to the diagram, assemble the electronic and electrical parts of the device. Place the structure on the stand, strengthening the electronic “stuffing” inside. Test your homemade bath using chocolate foil. Under the influence of ultrasound, the foil in the bath is destroyed literally before our eyes.

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Liquid for ultrasonic bath

Distilled water is the best liquid for gentle processing of objects. But in the presence of severe contamination, or when a quick result is needed, active additives and even aggressive chemical compounds are used. To clean silver, gold, and optics, add up to 10% window cleaner to the water. The circuit boards of telephones that have been in water are “bathed” in ethyl alcohol or “galosh” gasoline. Each master has his own favorite recipe, any option is a subject of debate and personal preference.

It is important to understand that even though flammable liquids are used in ultrasonic baths, they are dangerous. When the ultrasonic emitter is operating, the unit may have an unsafe temperature, and vapors of solvents, gasoline, and alcohol, when operating without a hood, concentrate near the hot device. Therefore, manufacturers categorically do not recommend using flammable mixtures as a working solution. This rule is very often violated by masters. Be careful!

How to do it yourself?

Creative and capable technicians can create the “ultrasonic bath of their dreams” themselves. To do this, you will need a little experience in electromechanics, ingenuity and simple devices: a durable, durable, deep stainless steel bowl, a dielectric bath (for example, porcelain or glass), smaller in size than the bowl. A magnetic coil, a flat magnet for radio engineering, a non-conducting rod, a pulse converter and a pump will be useful.

The transformer will act as a generator, the containers form the working volume of the bath, and the emitter is made from the remaining spare parts: you need to rewind the wire from the reel onto the prepared dielectric stick, and thread a magnet onto the ferrite tail.

Having made the emitter blank, connect the bowls, leaving the porcelain inside the metal. You need to make a hole at the bottom for contact with the emitter, and in the ceramic dish there are two opposing “passages” for liquid. If you connect a pump to them, the fluid renewal process can be automated. Here the emitter is located at the bottom; there can be several of them; they can also be placed on the sides of the bathtub. Having connected the emitter and the generator, you need to fill the containers with a cleaning liquid and only then plug it into the network. The converter must be strong and compensate for possible voltage surges. A device for sensitive equipment used in television and computer repair is suitable for this purpose.

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You can watch the use of an ultrasonic bath to clean objects in the following video.

How to choose an ultrasonic bath

If homemade devices are not your thing and you decide to buy an ultrasonic bath for home use, you have an important choice to make. In the catalogs of online stores you can find dozens of units of different sizes, power, and costs. Before ordering a cleaning bath, decide how big it should be. If you have to process small objects, small parts, circuit boards, a volume of up to one liter is enough. For automotive injectors, medical instruments, larger parts and assemblies, the capacity should be 1.5-2 liters.

The material of the working container of the device is stainless steel. Only it allows ultrasonic waves to freely enter the liquid and affect the object being cleaned. It is better to take a unit with a deeper bowl than one with a shallow but wide one. However, consider the size of the items that will be washed. They should be completely submerged in the bath. A container that is not the right size may require more liquid, which is uneconomical.

When selling by mail, carefully read the technical specifications of the device and ask questions to the seller. Since the operation of the device is difficult to evaluate “by eye” in a few seconds, you will not be able to check its full serviceability at the point of issue. You should be especially wary of promotions, discounts and sales on the Internet. If a bathtub is sold too cheaply, there is definitely something wrong with it.

Kinds

Bathtubs are in demand in many industries, the difference lies in the size of the parts requiring cleaning, frequency of use and volume of work:

• Portable – neat devices with a capacity of up to 1 liter, used for private or commercial cleaning of small parts. Simplified models have a simple design and a minimum number of functions. For craftsmen, they make semi-professional devices with additional options, electronic controls, and a stainless steel tank of excellent quality.
• Industrial ultrasonic baths differ in size: their working volume can be over 10 liters, the minimum is from 4 liters. Almost all of them have a heating function, timers and additional cleaning options.

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Price

It is better to purchase a good device for ultrasonic cleaning in online stores that have already established a reputation as conscientious sellers. High-quality household baths are presented in the Yandex market. Cleanliness will not cost you much, and a high-quality unit will last a long time without interruption. Here are the approximate prices for ultrasonic baths for Moscow and St. Petersburg: