Ultrasonic Cleaning vs. Agitation Cleaning: Which is Better?

Ultrasonic cleaning is a powerful tool with benefits in efficiency and preservation of fine parts that far outcompete agitation cleaning. The power of ultrasonic cleaning is often misunderstood: Most people assume that the ultrasonic vibrations are helping to shake the soil from parts whereas the actual mechanism of ultrasonic cleaning is far more interesting.

How Does Ultrasonic Cleaning Work?

Ultrasonic cleaning creates a phenomena called cavitation. Cavitation is the physical effect of creating small cavities (also known as bubbles) underwater. Ultrasonic cleaners use a transducer to push high frequency sound waves, known as ultrasonic waves, into the cleaning solution. These ultrasonic waves are so close to each other that they create tiny voids in the water, these voids are the tiny bubbles that supply the cleaning mechanism for ultrasonic cleaning.

As these tiny bubbles collapse, they create a concentrated, localized force and increase in temperature - which creates the perfect condition for removing the most tenacious soils. Now, picture these tiny bubbles forming and collapsing in the most intricate, hard-to-reach places within a part that is being cleaned. The force and temperature isn’t great enough to damage the part, but packs the punch that allows the cleaning solution to lift the soil with incredible efficiency.

What Happens in Agitation Cleaning?

Agitation cleaning is quite simple. A prime example is a washing machine. The water, detergent, and clothes are cycled in hopes that the movement and heat will encourage the detergent to pick up the soils by increasing the amount of contact between the soil and detergent. Agitation processes use a lot of energy, lack efficiency, and can damage fine parts.

Cleaning Solutions for Ultrasonic Cleaning

NuGenTec believes in the efficiency of ultrasonic cleaning and, as such, has created a range of products that cut cleaning time and costs when used with an ultrasonic cleaner. Visit the following to see if these ultrasonic cleaning solutions could be right for you:

AquaKlean SUS
- AquaKlean SUS is right for amphoteric metals, such as Aluminium, Tin, Zinc and their alloys such as Brass and Bronze.
AquaKlean EF105MF
- AquaKlean EF105MF is the moderate-foaming multi-metal cleaner that contains no silicates - perfect for jobs that require mild alkalinity.
CitraKlean Clear
- CitraKlean Clear is the all-around cleaner that removes tenacious soils using a natural cleaning product derived from orange peels.

NuGenTec: Redefining Chemistry

If you are seeking healthier, more environmentally responsible, and less costly alternatives for your industrial processes, contact NuGenTec today.