Ultrasonic Cleaners

[Scott Shepherd]

I have a job I do frequently that requires cutting small parts on our laser from a modified acrylic. It's more flexible than normal acrylic. After they are cut, the edges are sticky and we have to clean them to make the edges not sticky. That requires two chemicals we use, both very friendly chemicals, but the issue is that it just takes more time than I'd like it to, and I often cut a large quantity of these. I've been eyeballing ultrasonic cleaners but I don't know if they would work or not and I'm looking for some input from those that might know.

Can you put various things in it, like different chemicals? I'd probably have two, one for each chemical we use (one's an adhesive remover and the other is the neutralizer for that). I'd like to be able to put a bunch of them into a small basket, dip them, let them sit for a few seconds and then take them to the other basket. If you let them sit too long in the adhesive remover, it'll actually eat at the material.

Just dipping them in the solutions doesn't work, it doesn't clean them. I'm hoping the ultrasonic part does help remove some of what we're trying to remove. Does that sound like it'll work or am I way off base on what those things will do? Does it happen fact, or is it a slow process? Will 30 seconds do anything or is that one of those "come back in 15 minutes" type processes?

Thanks!

[Greg R Bradley]

Based on my experience with ultrasonic cleaners, I would guess it would speed things up dramatically. The commercial units clean as well in 30 seconds as soaking for an hour.

The ultrasonic basically agitates the item in the solution. I wonder if you would need the ultrasonic for the second step. Are there lots of little crevices that the neutralizer needs to penetrate?

[John Kali]

I use ultrasonic cleaners a lot for my work. We use them mostly to get the oils from our skin and any small dust or debris off of the things we work with. It works well, but depending on the amount of "stuff" your trying to remove it can be a quick 30sec to one minute dip or throw it in there and come back in 15 minutes. For your intended use tough, I would guess it wouldn't take long.

I don't know how large the pieces are that you need to clean, but you could just get one ultrasonic cleaner fill it with water, then have two separate beakers filled with your chemicals inside the ultrasonic.

[Scott Shepherd]

I don't know how large the pieces are that you need to clean, but you could just get one ultrasonic cleaner fill it with water, then have two separate beakers filled with your chemicals inside the ultrasonic.

They pieces are less than 2" square, about 1/8" thick. I don't understand your statement about filling it with water and then having two beakers with different chemicals. The one's I have seen that are small look like small fryers. They seem to have a little basket that you fill up, then lower down into the liquid, and then you just lift the basket out. Is that a different type than you're talking about? If so, can you point me to one like you're talking about? I'm confused :)

Thanks for the help to both of you!

[Dan Friedrichs]

I don't understand your statement about filling it with water and then having two beakers with different chemicals.

You don't actually need to fill the "fryer"-looking portion with the chemical you intend to use - you can fill it with water, which then just acts as a power transmission fluid.

It's quite common to place a part to be cleaned in a beaker full of the cleaning solution, then sit the beaker into an ultrasonic bath filled with plain water. The ultrasonic energy is transferred through the water, through the beaker, through the cleaning solution, to the part. This way, you don't have to expose the ultrasonic bath to whatever chemicals that you want to use, it's much easier to switch between chemicals, it's much easier to dispose of the chemical, etc.

[Greg R Bradley]

Putting water in the cleaner and then putting different chemicals in beakers that are then placed into the water is common when you want to use several different chemicals. That doesn't seem like your desire here. I'm thinking you need lots of ultrasonic agitation with the adhesive remover and then the second is a neutralizer that may need little agitation to be effective. You will have to experiment.

I would be concerned with using beakers and flat parts that may not be fully exposed to the chemicals. One of them may sit flat on the bottom of the beaker. Also, 2" square parts is pretty large to be using beakers. My experience has been mostly with production stuff where you are continually using one cleaner.

[Scott Shepherd]

Interesting. I didn't realize your items didn't have to actually be "in" the liquid in the tank. That helps a lot. I think it's worth the money to try out a small one.

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks again! I bought one today, it works like a champ. It works so well, I'm going back to get another bigger one!

Thanks!