What Are the Main Components of an Ultrasonic Cleaner?

Ultrasonic cleaners are widely used across many industries. To help you better understand their construction, GTKCLEAN has put together a list of eight common components and consumable parts used in ultrasonic cleaning systems.

1. Ultrasonic Transducers

A transducer consists of a housing, matching layer, piezoelectric ceramic disc, backing material, connecting cable, and Cymbal array receiver.The piezoelectric disc is made from PZT-5 piezoceramic material polarized through its thickness. The Cymbal array receiver typically includes 8 to 16 Cymbal transducers, two metal rings, and rubber gaskets.

2. Thermostats

Two types of thermostats are commonly used: mechanical thermostats and digital temperature controllers.These are automatic control devices that respond to temperature changes in the working environment by producing physical deformation, which triggers switching actions such as opening or closing a circuit. They are also referred to as thermal switches, temperature protectors, or simply temperature controllers.

3. Ultrasonic Generators

Also known as ultrasonic power supplies, ultrasonic cabinets, or ultrasonic drive units, their function is to convert mains power into high-frequency alternating current matched to the ultrasonic transducers.They are available with analog or digital displays, with drive power ranging from 300W up to 3KW. The output frequency is matched to the specific transducers used.

4. Electrical Components

Typical electrical parts used in ultrasonic cleaning equipment include: PLCs, variable frequency drives (VFDs), touch panels, circuit breakers, AC contactors, intermediate relays, thermal relays, indicator lights, selector switches, pushbuttons, limit switches, and switching power supplies.

5. Cleaning Baskets

Two styles of cleaning baskets are standard:

Standard baskets, designed for use with general-purpose ultrasonic cleaners.
Custom baskets, manufactured to suit the customer’s parts and application.Custom baskets can be made from metal or non-metal materials and shaped as rectangular, square, round, diamond, or other custom forms.

6. Filters

Two common filter types are used:

Stainless steel cartridge filters: Featuring a stainless steel housing, they use interchangeable filter cartridges to achieve the required filtration efficiency.
Stainless steel bag filters: Available in single-bag, double-bag, and multi-bag configurations, these closed pressure filters use filter bags of various specifications.

7. Heating Tubes

Two main types are used:

Stainless steel liquid heating tubes, for heating cleaning solutions.
Air heating tubes, used for drying parts within the system.

A stainless steel heating tube uses a metal outer sheath, with a helical heating alloy (nichrome or iron-chromium alloy) running axially through the center. The space is compacted with magnesium oxide powder for high insulation and thermal conductivity, and the ends are sealed with silicone or ceramic.

8. Heating Plates

Two types of heating plates are commonly installed:

Stainless steel heating plates, typically used in water-based ultrasonic cleaning systems.
Aluminum heating plates, preferred in solvent-based cleaning systems due to their non-flashpoint design.

A stainless steel heating plate consists of resistance heating wires wound around a rigid mica base, forming a durable surface heating element.