Ultrasonic cleaning basics · 2 min read · Updated 2026-09-25
How ultrasonic cleaning actually works
Transducers turn electrical energy into pressure waves, the waves make cavitation bubbles, the bubbles collapse against the part. Step by step.
Technical guide. Figures are taken from our own spec tables; for your process we confirm the settings with a cleaning trial.
Our ultrasonic cleaning solutions are one of the many ways to clean your equipment. But what makes our ultrasonic cleaners special? In contrast to traditional rinsing and scrubbing, our ultrasonic cleaners clean your equipment through ultrasonic waves. These high frequency vibrations are created by the transducers in our ultrasonic cleaners. The ultrasound itself lies above the range of human hearing, but a running machine is not silent: subharmonics and the hiss of cavitation are audible, more so at 28 kHz than at 40 kHz. By adding water or a water-based cleaning liquid to the tank of the ultrasonic cleaner, the transducers, which are driven by ultrasonic generators emitting high-frequency electrical signals, a cavitation effect is created. The microscopic cavities which are created collapse, resulting in the development of implosions.
In contrast to traditional cleaning methods, such as scrubbing or spraying, this implosion process is what results in a cleaning action. The highly precise cleaning actions during ultrasonic cleaning are able to reach spots that would be hard or even impossible to reach through traditional cleaning methods. This is because mechanical energy is released during the implosion or collapse of cavitation bubbles created by our ultrasonic cleaning machines. Each collapsing bubble creates a very local, very short peak of pressure and temperature right at the surface; the bath as a whole stays at its set temperature. Because cavitation forms wherever the liquid is, it reaches narrow crevices, threads and blind holes, provided the liquid can get in and the air can get out. A closed cavity with no opening is not cleaned inside.
Taking the nature of the ultrasonic cleaning process in mind, our Sonixtek ultrasonic cleaners are ideal for precision cleaning applications. By operating at different frequencies, both delicate and robust surfaces with different levels of contaminants can be successfully cleaned by our Sonixtek ultrasonic cleaners, conjointly with a cleaning detergent matched to the soil.
