Questions You Should Know about Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaner

A:

Less is not more. Ultrasonic cleaners are fine-tuned for a particular fill level; underfilling the tank will not increase cleaning power. Rather, it can damage the unit and result in less-than-optimal cleaning.

To further your knowledge on this topic, I would recommend reading some great articles that deal with the importance of watts/gallon and how it correlates to ultrasonic cleaning.1

A:

Finding your frequency should be easy. Many units have it labeled. If you cannot find it, just call the manufacturer and ask them for that information on their letterhead for your records.

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Interestingly, ultrasonic units in SPD do have specific range, and it is based on research.

Published literature states, “. . . to cavitate a liquid medium, a frequency of 18 kHz is required. Ultrasonic cleaners are available in frequencies ranging from 18 to 100 kHz.”2 Other articles suggest that for metal cleaning a frequency range of 20–40 kHz is needed for proper cleaning. In an SPD, we clean many different types of metal medical devices. “Ultrasonic cleaning frequency has a significant effect with respect to ultrasonic cleaning capability. Ultrasonic cleaning equipment manufacturers state that low frequency cleaners provide high power cleaning results and that a high-frequency cleaner provides more uniform cleaning results. Our study indicated that ultrasonic cleaners in the range of 40 kHz provide very uniform ultrasonic cleaning fields and a higher cleaning capability.”3 Thus, my observation over the years has shown most ultrasonics in the SPD marketplace to be in that 40 kHz range. Once you know the frequency of your department’s ultrasonic unit, you can then make sure it can be used for your various medical devices (based on their IFU). Thus, what I call the “matching game” begins.

A:

As stated earlier, in an SPD, we clean many different metal medical devices. We purchase ultrasonic cleaners for cavitation, and you want to enhance cavitation any time you can. One way to do this is by using cleaning solutions formulated for ultrasonic cleaners. First, cleaning solutions can lower the surface tension inside the tank or bath solution, which can then increase cavitation within that tank/bath. Second, you want a low-foaming cleaning solution—foaming or bubbles are air, and air can impede or reduce cavitation in that tank/bath.4,5

As a bonus answer, since air impedes or inhibits cavitation, this supports the concept of degassing. Degassing is a process which eliminates air trapped in solution when fresh solution is added to the bath. Degassing conditions your bath for maximum efficiency. Be sure to expel dissolved air bubbles, as these bubbles will affect the cleaning effectiveness.

It’s about ensuring enough cavitation to “keep those instruments clean.” Remember to test your ultrasonic cleaner each day it is used with a clinically relevant, evidence-based product. For example, as stated in a peer-reviewed article, the “SonoCheck is a vial with a solution that changes color within a few minutes due to ultrasound exposure, and can therefore be used as an ultrasonic activity indicator.”6

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