Picking Ultrasonic Parts Cleaners for Small Parts and Tools

An ultrasonic parts cleaner is a wise investment that saves you time and effort while delivering superior cleaning results when compared to manual scrubbing with brushes, solvents and sprays. That’s because ultrasonic cleaning energy reaches all surfaces of parts and tools wetted by the cleaning bath.  If you need information on the process itself, please check Ultrasonic Cleaning: an In-Depth Look.

Two Key Points in Choosing an Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner 

1. What are you Cleaning? Are you cleaning complex components such as carburetors, fuel injectors or other small engine parts, or restoring antique hardware or maintaining costly tools? This information will help determine the size of your ultrasonic parts cleaner.
2. What is the Contaminant? Burned-on carbon, grease, varnish, tarnish, rust and old paint are examples. This information will help determine the ultrasonic cleaning solution or formula that best accomplishes the task.

Other Points to Consider when Ultrasonic Cleaning Small Parts

A key descriptor here is “small parts” and the examples provided relate to them.  But in any ultrasonic parts cleaning application, regardless of unit size, additional key points apply:

1. Parts should always be cleaned in baskets. They should not rest on the bottom of the ultrasonic cleaner tank.
2. Parts should be separated in the basket. Crowding them can damage surfaces and yield unsatisfactory results.
3. The correct ultrasonic parts cleaner solution is essential to satisfactory results. Three examples are Elma Tec Clean A4, ideal for greasy engine parts, CLN-SH RS75 for removing shellac and paints, and Elma Tec Clean S1 for rust.  For additional options check Ultrasonic Cleaning Solution Selection Tips.