When you’re looking for an effective cleaning solution for your workplace, you might be thinking that your only options will include solvent based, offensive smelling and powerful chemicals. However, when you choose ultrasonic cleaning, you’ll be using a powerful cleaning system that is completely solvent free. Because many people are unfamiliar with the process of ultrasonic cleaning, it’s important to learn how this process can be so effective without solvents.
Learn more about solvent free ultrasonic cleaning and find out how you can use this cleaning tool in your workplace:
The Power of Cavitation the Ultrasonic Cleaning Solution
To effectively remove contaminants from your products, there are certain important steps that must be taken. For example, at the microscopic level you need to break the chemical bonds that allow contaminants to attach to a surface. In most cleaning processes, solvents are used to weaken these chemical bonds so that you can easily scrub contamination away.
Ultrasonic cleaners work on a different principle. Instead of weakening the chemical bonds through the use of solvents, ultrasonic cleaners use the power of cavitation.
Cavitation works by directing millions of tiny, high energy bubbles at the surface of a product. When the bubbles collide with the surface, they release their energy and break the chemical bond, which loosens the contaminants and cleans your machine parts.
Surface Tension & Cavitation
At this point, you may be wondering how the bubbles produced during the cavitation process are able to hold together. The answer, simply, is surface tension, which also is what allows water to form droplets and soap bubbles to float.
The key to ultrasonic cleaning solutions is that surface tension is reduced in the cleaning tanks with a cleaning solution. This allows the small bubbles to hold more energy and also makes ultrasonic cleaning more effective.
Since the cleaning solutions, called surfactants, are designed to reduce surface tension instead of break chemical bonds, they are typically very mild and environmentally friendly.
More information on Surface Tension and Cavitation:
- How does ultrasonic cleaner technology clean?
- Lower Surface Tension means More Cavitation
- Why Our Ultrasonic Soap is Better
- 3 Performance Boosters for Your Ultrasonic Cleaner
Disposal of Solutions
Typically, ultrasonic cleaning baths and the solutions that are used in them are water based and environmentally friendly. While this isn’t the case for every cleaning solution, most are very easy to dispose of, as long as you consider the contaminants that are also being disposed.
Depending on the contaminant that you are cleaning, disposing of your cleaning solution may be difficult. Before disposing of your solutions, make sure that you check all of the contaminants so you are properly treating any environmental hazards.
More information on Disposal:
Solution Lifespan
How long can a solution sit on the shelf before it needs replacing? The quick answer is that it depends on the type of solution. Some solutions, like emulsifiers, are very powerful but have a very low lifespan because of quick oil saturation. Other solutions, such as separating detergents, are much longer lived but they are not as effective at cleaning tough products.
As you can see, there is often a tradeoff when selecting what cleaning solution you would like to use. Omegasonic’s staff is very helpful and can work with you to determine the right balance of longevity and cleaning effectiveness.
More information on Lifespan:
Contact our Team of Ultrasonic Cleaning Experts
Have questions regarding ultrasonic cleaning or cleaning solutions? Contact our experts at Omegasonics by calling 888-989-5560, emailing us at , or by filling out our online contact form.