Products

Ultrasonic generators

The generator turns mains power into the 28 or 40 kHz signal that drives the transducers. How it does that decides how evenly, how strongly and how repeatably a tank cleans.

Discuss your process All options explained

What the generator does

The transducers bonded under the tank only vibrate when they receive a high-frequency signal at the right power. The generator produces that signal: 28 kHz for heavy soil on robust parts, 40 kHz for machined surfaces, threads and softer metals. Each transducer is rated 60 W, so a tank with 30 transducers needs about 1800 W of generator output.

On every Sonixtek industrial machine the generator sits in its own housing outside the tank. It stays away from heat and splashes, can be reached for service, and can be exchanged without draining the bath. Large tanks share the load over several generators.

A digital generator on an industrial machine: power, frequency and the sweep, degas, pulse and dynamic modes on one panel.

Analog or digital

Analog generator

Tuned to the tank's resonance at the factory and set with a few keys or a dial. Few parts, tolerant of dust and heat, the most economical to buy and to repair. It cannot follow the resonance as the bath warms up and the load changes, so its output varies somewhat over a cycle.

When you need it: One part family, one soil, one process.

Digital generator

Controls power and frequency electronically and keeps the output steady as conditions change. Sweep, degas, pulse and dynamic modes are built in, power is set from 0 to 100 %, and the generator can be run from a PLC: that is what makes programmes, touchscreens and remote diagnosis possible on the AL and AU series.

When you need it: Varying loads, several recipes, repeatable and traceable processes.

The functions, explained

Power 0–100 %Full power for castings and carbon; reduced power for polished, coated or thin-walled parts, soft metals and fine electronics, where too much cavitation would mark the surface.
SweepThe frequency moves slightly up and down around 28 or 40 kHz. A fixed frequency builds standing waves with strong and weak zones; sweep keeps the sound field moving, so parts at the edge of the basket are cleaned like those in the middle and no spot is hit over and over.
DegasFresh water and fresh detergent hold dissolved air, which fills the cavitation bubbles and damps them. Degas runs the ultrasound in bursts so the gas gathers into larger bubbles that rise out of the bath. Run it after every new fill; the bath then works at full effect from the first cycle.
PulseShort bursts of higher intensity on top of the normal output. Useful for stubborn, baked-on deposits and for shaking particles out of blind holes and threads, where a steady field takes longer.
DynamicVaries the output while the cycle runs instead of holding one setting, so the cavitation does not settle into one pattern across a full load. Set per programme on machines with PLC control.

What each range has

Range	Generator	Functions
ST industrial ultrasonic tanks	External; analog or digital, chosen with the order	Power 0–100 %, sweep on/off, digital timer
SF cleaners with filtration	External	Adjustable power, sweep
UMX Pro compact industrial cleaners	Digital control	Power 0–100 %, sweep, degas, five programmes
AL ultrasonic cleaners with lift	External, digital, run by a Siemens PLC	Power 0–100 %, sweep, degas, pulse, dynamic, programmable cycles
AU Advanced industrial cleaners	External, digital, run by a Siemens PLC	Power 0–100 %, sweep, degas, pulse, dynamic, eight programmes, remote diagnosis
SD benchtop cleaners (STS)	Built into the benchtop unit	Degas, sweep, digital timer
Sonixtek® SX series	Built into the benchtop unit	Degas, sweep, pulse

Generator power per model

Ultrasonic power and how it is split over the generators, from our specification sheets.

Model	Ultrasonic power	Generators	Transducers	Frequency
ST-40	720 W	1 × 1200 W	12	28 kHz / 40 kHz
ST-65	1080 W	1 × 1200 W	18	28 kHz / 40 kHz
ST-96	1440 W	1 × 1800 W	24	28 kHz / 40 kHz
ST-117	1800 W	1 × 1800 W	30	28 kHz / 40 kHz
ST-157	2160 W	1 × 2400 W	36	28 kHz / 40 kHz
ST-206	2520 W	2 × 1500 W	42	28 kHz / 40 kHz
ST-300	3720 W	3 × 1500 W	62	28 kHz / 40 kHz
ST-400	5760 W	3 × 2400 W	96	28 kHz / 40 kHz
SF-225	2880 W	2 × 1800 W	48	28 kHz / 40 kHz
SF-310	3600 W	2 × 1800 W	60	28 kHz / 40 kHz
SF-360	4320 W	2 × 2400 W	72	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AL-75	1200 W	1 × 1500 W	20	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AL-150	2040 W	1 × 2400 W	34	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AL-300	3600 W	2 × 1800 W	60	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AL-400	5760 W	3 × 2400 W	96	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AL-600	7200 W	4 × 1800 W	120	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AL-1000	12000 W	5 × 2400 W	200	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AL-2000	20400 W	10 × 2400 W	340	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AU-400	5760 W	3 × 2400 W	96	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AU-600	7200 W	4 × 1800 W	120	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AU-800	9600 W	4 × 2400 W	160	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AU-1000	12000 W	5 × 2400 W	200	28 kHz / 40 kHz
AU-2000	20400 W	10 × 2400 W	340	28 kHz / 40 kHz

Which one to specify

One part, one soil, one operator: an analog generator does the job and costs less over its life. Loads that vary, several recipes, or a process that has to be repeatable and traceable: digital. If your plant requires documented electrical testing, ask for the digital version. Because the generator is external, the choice can be revisited later without changing the tank.

Analog or digital: the longer article 28 or 40 kHz, and dual-frequency tanks