Everyone has heard the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” This adage has never gone out of style, and never stopped being true. This is especially the case when it comes to choosing between ultrasonic cleaning systems.
If you skimp on cost when purchasing an ultrasonic cleaning system for your business, you may find that while you save money up front, you will end up spending more money down the road on such things as electricity, detergent, replacement parts, time and energy
In today’s video, Frank shares characteristics that vary between makers of ultrasonic cleaning systems, which can result in higher costs if you decide to go with a less expensive system.
A Wide Variety of Ultrasonic Cleaning Systems
Remember that in today’s market, there are hundreds of different ultrasonic cleaning systems that are made and sold by dozens of different manufacturers and at wildly varying cost points. Here are some of the important factors to keep in mind when choosing an ultrasonic system.
Tank Size
Smaller capacity units cost less than those with bigger tanks, but may crowd parts and be less efficient at cleaning, which can result in dirty parts, or longer running times to get parts clean.
Wall Thickness.
Most cleaning systems are constructed of stainless steel, which is very expensive. Going with a cheaper, thinner wall tank, however, will result in the walls being more susceptible to the high frequency vibrations used in the cleaning process, and eventually will erode, crack, and leak.
Ultrasonic Transducers
In an ultrasonic system, the more transducers acting on the fluid, the more clean the parts will be. Lower cost cleaners use fewer transducers which requires a longer run time, or results in parts that aren’t fully cleaned.
Temperature Control
Ultrasonic cleaning systems work best when the detergent solution is maintained at an even 110-150 degrees. Cheaper systems may use lower-quality thermostats which don’t maintain a consistent temperature, so heating and run time will vary from batch to batch. As with other aspects of less expensive units, this can result in longer run times, or even possibly damaging parts if the temperature runs too hot.
Circulating Filtration Systems
When an ultrasonic cleaning system cleans, the removed contaminants fall to the bottom of the tank as sludge, or float to the top if oil and grease. These contaminants can interfere with the cleaning process. Higher end cleaners are usually fitted with filtration systems that can remove contaminants. Cheaper ones don’t always have built-in filtration, and will cost extra money in draining and detergent.
Accessories for Ultrasonic Cleaning Systems
Finally, higher-end systems have accessories included that usually have to be purchased separately with less expensive units. These accessories include baskets and trays, which are essential for keeping parts elevated during cleaning, and tank covers, which help keep the solution at a constant temperature and prevent evaporation.
When deciding between different ultrasonic cleaning systems, you don’t have to go with the most expensive one on the market, but if you go with the cheapest option available, you may find yourself spending more money in the long run.
