Ulyrasonic Cleaning

Hi All

Long time no post

Does anyone have any ideas / experience on constructing an ultrasonic cleaning tank. Looking at commercial specs there are multiple ultrasonic transducers running a 1kw at 38KHz. I'm sure something could be constructed which would work?

I'm about to carry out an engine rebuild and would like to clean baked on carbon etc which I will find (not to mention general degreasing) and was shocked at the prices for commercial units.

Ideally the size would be be for a 'normal' (UK) 4 cylinder head say approx 18"x12" and about 8" deep.

Thanks in advance
Matt

Considering you're talking a 1000W RMS output amplifier at ultrasonic frequencies, and some kind of specialised waterproof high frequency, high power, transducers - it's not going to be cheap, assuming you could even source the parts?.

Commercial units are expensive because it's an expensive thing to do.

Cylinder heads can be cleaned thoroughly using a high pressure water lance.

I've seen them being used at a BMW experimental plant in Germany cleaning the entire engine preparing the parts for x-raying.

Check out "Kärcher" for "Hochdruckreiniger". They supply 3,000PSI water pressure and they are priced about 60€.

Also useful to clean the garden fence.

Thanks for the replies

Yeah" I except 100V RMS etc is going to be expensive - the point of the post was to see if anyone had any idea on how to do it without the expense.

I expect it would cost a kidney and probable half a spleen to copy a commercial unit but are there other ways (and I can leave it there for ages). Oh! I dunno put a tweeter in - touch with an oil drum and hit it with a square wave to get some harmonics going or an under water speaker suspended on a bungy cord in fairy liquid and a squirt of gunk - at this rate (I'm going to get an old dishwasher (now theres a thought..............)_

Come on guys where's your creative brains?????

MAtt

The place I used had a washing machine for engine parts. I think they used tide detergent with very hot water. If you are only doing the one engine you can have all the parts cleaned for less then building most any cleaning ditty. I think I paid about $50 a load/engine way back when.

The local high schoool added a heater to an oil drum, it did not work as well. There was no pump.