Sonixtek® SX series

Every tank runs at 37 kHz on industrial transducers rated 80 W each: two under the 3 L tank, eight under the 28 L.

37 kHz sits between the classic 28 kHz, strong and coarse for heavy soil, and 40 kHz, fine and gentle for delicate parts. It is strong enough for oil, polishing paste and carbon on small parts, and gentle enough for instruments, jewellery and electronics.

Each transducer is bonded under the tank floor and rated 80 W. The count grows with the tank: 2 on the SX-3L, 3 on the SX-6L, 4 on the SX-10L, 6 on the SX-15L and 8 on the SX-28L. That gives between about 23 and 53 W of ultrasound 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

Drives the dissolved air out of a fresh bath. Without it, the air damps the cavitation during the first minutes of every new fill.

Fresh tap water and freshly mixed chemistry hold dissolved air. Under ultrasound that air forms bubbles that cushion the implosions, so the first minutes of a new bath clean poorly and sound loud and hissing.

Degas runs the ultrasound in an on-off rhythm: the bubbles grow, rise and leave the liquid. Use it after every fresh fill or change of chemistry, for a few minutes before the first load. A degassed bath sounds quieter and more even.

Read more in the knowledge base

• Sweep and degas: what the two buttons on a digital generator do

Shifts the frequency slightly around 37 kHz so the sound field keeps moving: no standing waves and no dead spots in the basket.

At one fixed frequency the sound forms standing waves: zones of strong and weak cavitation about 2 cm apart at 37 kHz. Parts in a weak zone clean slower; delicate parts in a strong zone can be marked.

Sweep moves the frequency up and down by a small amount, many times a second, so the zones keep moving and every surface gets the same treatment. Leave it on for mixed loads and for parts with flat or polished surfaces.

Read more in the knowledge base

• Sweep and degas: what the two buttons on a digital generator do
• The foil test: a one-minute check of cavitation

Raises the output to 120 % in bursts for stubborn soil, and drops back to the set power when switched off.

Pulse adds bursts of extra power, up to 120 % of the rated output, on top of the set power. The peaks break off soil that a steady bath only loosens: dried polishing paste, baked-on residue, scale.

Use it for the first minutes of a heavy-soil cycle, then switch back to normal power. Do not use it on soft metals, coated parts or fine electronics.

Three power steps: gentle for plated, polished or delicate parts, full power for castings and tools.

40 % for delicate, plated or polished parts and electronics; 70 % for everyday mixed loads; 100 % for castings, tools and heavy oil. Lower power also means a quieter bath.

On a new kind of part, start low and raise the power only if the result is not clean.

Read more in the knowledge base

• Ultrasonic power density: watts per litre, and why big tanks need fewer

The thermostat holds the set temperature. Heating runs independently of the ultrasound, so the bath can warm up before the cycle starts.

Most cleaners work best warm: oils and greases soften from about 40 to 60 °C, and the chemistry acts faster.

Switch it on early: a full SX-10L takes roughly an hour to go from 20 to 50 °C with its 310 W heater. During long cycles the ultrasound itself also warms the bath a few degrees.

Read more in the knowledge base

• Choosing the cleaning temperature

Time, temperature and power setting are kept from the last cycle: one touch on Start repeats it.

Time, temperature and power setting stay stored when a cycle ends. For routine work, the same instruments or the same parts every day, one touch on Start repeats the cycle exactly, without setting the knobs again.

That keeps results the same from one operator and one shift to the next.

Two knobs for time and temperature, touch-sensitive buttons for the functions, and a display that shows set and actual values side by side.

The display shows set and actual values side by side: time remaining, bath temperature, power percentage and frequency. Indicator lights show when the ultrasound and the heater are active.

Time and temperature are set with two knobs; the functions sit on touch-sensitive buttons that wipe clean.

Models from 10 litres have a ball valve at the back for emptying the bath as standard; on the smaller tanks it is available on request, otherwise they are poured out.

The SX-10L, SX-15L and SX-28L have a stainless ball valve at the back: connect a hose and empty the tank without lifting it. A full SX-28L weighs close to 40 kg with its bath, so draining is the safe way.

The SX-3L and SX-6L are light enough to empty by hand; a valve is available on request.

Tank and housing in SUS304 stainless steel, protected against dust and splashing water (IP54), with carrying handles on both sides.

Tank and housing are SUS304 stainless steel. The housing is rated IP54: protected against dust and against splashing water from any direction, which suits a wet bench. Carrying handles sit on both sides.

Never immerse the unit or spray it with water; wipe the housing with a damp cloth.

A microcontroller controls the generator digitally: it sets the power step, runs sweep, degas and pulse as drive patterns, keeps time and temperature electronically and stores the last cycle. The drive stays clean and regular instead of free-running, and the SX runs noticeably quieter than a conventional benchtop unit, which suits laboratories, service counters, dental and jewellery workshops.

The generator is controlled by a microcontroller instead of a free-running analogue circuit. It sets the power step, produces the sweep, degas and pulse patterns, and keeps time and temperature electronically.

In practice that means a steady, regular drive, a clean sound and noticeably quieter running than a conventional benchtop unit, which matters where people work beside the machine all day.

A stainless steel basket, a stainless steel lid and the power cord come in the box.

Every unit comes with a stainless steel basket, a stainless steel lid and the power cord.

Use the basket: parts must not lie on the tank floor, where they damp the ultrasound and wear the tank. The lid keeps heat and vapour in and lowers the noise.