ST-117

Each tank runs at 28 or 40 kHz, chosen with the order, on transducers rated 60 W each: 12 under the ST-40, 96 under the ST-400.

28 kHz makes larger, more energetic cavitation bubbles for robust parts and heavy soil: engine parts, carburettors, tools and moulds. 40 kHz makes smaller, more numerous bubbles that clean fine detail more gently: small machined parts, circuit board assemblies and printheads.

The transducer count grows with the tank: 12 on the ST-40, 18 on the ST-65, 24 on the ST-96, 30 on the ST-117, 36 on the ST-157, 42 on the ST-206, 62 on the ST-300 and 96 on the ST-400. That gives 720 to 5760 W of ultrasound, about 12 to 18 W per litre of bath.

Read more in the knowledge base

• 28 kHz or 40 kHz: which frequency cleans your part?
• Ultrasonic power density: watts per litre, and why big tanks need fewer

The generator sits in its own housing outside the tank, away from heat and splashes, and can be exchanged without draining the bath.

Electronics and a hot, wet tank do not mix well. Outside the tank the generator stays cool, and if it ever needs service it is exchanged as a unit while the tank stays full. The ultrasonic power is adjustable.

The larger tanks share the load between several generators: one up to the ST-157, two on the ST-206, three on the ST-300 and ST-400.

Read more in the knowledge base

• Analog or digital generator?
• Transducers and generators: what drives the tank

Built-in heating from 2 kW on the ST-40 to 10 kW on the ST-400, with a thermostat that holds the set bath temperature.

Most cleaners work best warm: oils and greases soften from about 40 to 60 °C, and the chemistry acts faster. Match the temperature to the cleaner's data sheet and keep it lower for soft or glued parts.

Switch the heating on early: a full ST-96 needs at least an hour to go from 20 to 60 °C with its 4 kW. The lid shortens the warm-up, and during long cycles the ultrasound itself adds a few degrees.

Read more in the knowledge base

• Choosing the cleaning temperature
• Energy and running costs of an ultrasonic cleaning tank

A thermostat, an analog timer on the generator and a power setting: few controls, and a tank built for 24-hour operation.

Set the temperature, set the time, start. The timer ends the ultrasonic cycle; there are no programmes to set up and little to train. That suits a workshop where the same kind of part goes in every day.

The ST is industrial grade and suited to 24-hour operation. If different operators need stored programmes and a digital display, compare the UMX Pro.

Read more in the knowledge base

• UMX Pro or ST series: two ways to build a 100-litre cleaner

Eight standard sizes from 40 to 400 litres; other sizes, up to 2000 litres, are built to your specification.

The standard steps are 40, 65, 96, 117, 157, 206, 300 and 400 litres. Size the tank from the largest part and the basket, not from the litre figure: the part must sit fully in the liquid with room around it.

When a part does not fit a standard tank, or the tank has to fit an existing line, length, width and depth are made to measure.

Read more in the knowledge base

• How to size an ultrasonic tank
• Custom-built ultrasonic cleaning units

A stainless steel basket and lid come with every tank; the basket carries 75 to 150 kg of parts.

The basket covers almost the full length and width of the tank but not its depth: it is 200 mm deep on the ST-40 to ST-117 and 260 mm on the ST-157 to ST-400. Take that, not the tank depth, as the useful height for your parts; a taller part needs a deeper basket.

Load: 75 kg on the ST-40 and ST-65, 100 kg on the ST-96 to ST-206, 125 kg on the ST-300 and 150 kg on the ST-400. The lid keeps heat and vapour in; thermal and acoustic insulation is available as an option.

Read more in the knowledge base

• Loading the basket: shadowing, orientation and how much is too much

Built entirely in stainless steel; the tank is AISI 304 with a 2 mm wall, corrosion-resistant with alkaline and neutral cleaning chemistry; for acidic chemistry, check the tank material with us before ordering.

Cavitation wears the tank floor over the years, and alkaline or mildly acidic cleaners attack thin or low-grade steel. A 2 mm AISI 304 tank stands up to daily industrial use with aqueous cleaners.

Never run the tank empty, and do not let parts lie on the tank floor: use the basket.

Read more in the knowledge base

• Tank material and wall thickness

A 1" drain valve empties the bath without lifting or tipping the tank; lockable castors move it.

Connect a hose and drain the used bath into a container. A full ST-400 holds 400 litres of hot liquid: never tip a tank to empty it.

The castors turn in every direction and lock; levelling feet set the tank level on an uneven floor. When oil and swarf shorten the bath life, a tank with its own filtration loop, the SF series, is the next step.

Read more in the knowledge base

• ST or SF: when the bath needs its own filtration
• Filtration and bath life