Ultrasonic cleaning tanks suitable for soft metals

Guyson International's range of industrial quality Kerry ultrasonic tanks provides speedy cleaning for welded metal joints on a variety of materials including aluminium and copper.

The company said this is particularly important where the raw metal material is being used without paint or other coating to mask any discolouration on the components.

A recent Guyson customer, who manufactures electrical non-tension joints and anchor components made from aluminium and copper, selected a Pulsatron UCR1500 (ultra clean and rinse) tank to rid the components of weld discolouration.

A combination of ultrasonic washing and a mild acidic detergent returned the components to pristine condition.

Ultrasonic cleaning is brought about by the introduction of high-frequency sound waves (usually between 20-80 kHz) into a liquid by transducers attached to the bottom of the tank.

The resulting action is called 'cavitation'.

Cavitation is created by high and low pressure areas produced in the solution as the sound waves pass through it.

In low-pressure areas, microscopic 'bubbles' form.

The pressure rises rapidly as the next sound wave passes through the solution, imploding the millions of tiny bubbles and creating a highly effective 'scrubbing' action on any immersed component surface.

At the standard 38 kHz, happens 38,000 times per second.

The aluminium and copper components come out of the tank without a trace of weld contamination and are instantly ready for drying, packing and distribution.

Pulsatron KS and UCR tanks allow the user to pre-set exact cleaning times and temperatures, ensuring consistent levels of cleanliness from batch to batch and providing an affordable way to improve cleaning quality.

All functions are controlled by a simple four-button membrane keypad.

An LCD panel displays the temperature and time set by the user, the time elapsed since the start of the cleaning process, and the status of the power supply, heater and ultrasonics.

Each unit works within operating temperatures from 20 to 80C, which can be set in one-degree increments, allowing the optimum temperature to be selected for a particular combination of component material, cleaning solution and contaminant.

Sonics time may be set in the range 0.1 up to 99.9mins in 0.1min increments, or to constant when sonics may be switched on and off manually.

KS ultrasonic tanks and UCR ultrasonic clean and rinse systems come in a range of sizes: standard KS tanks up to 248 litre capacity, UCRs to 117 litres.

Larger sizes are available for special order.

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