Large Ultrasonic Cleaner Selection
A large ultrasonic cleaner is a close cousin to an industrial ultrasonic cleaner but is selected to clean (you guessed it!) large parts. Or a large number of parts in the same cycle. An obvious characteristic of large ultrasonic cleaners is cleaning tank dimensions (and therefore cleaning solution capacity) to accommodate the parts, either in size or number, that you need to clean. We invite you to read this post for other important considerations in selecting a large ultrasonic cleaner.
If you’re not familiar with the power and versatility of ultrasonic cleaners, please take a few moments to review the 10 Tips for Selecting the Best Ultrasonic Cleaner.… Read the rest
The Ultimate Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaner Guide: How to Select the Right Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaner
Select Your Topic of Interest
What is Industrial
Two Basic Features to Consider
Other Features
Typical Applications
Industrial ultrasonic cleaners come in many sizes, shapes and features. This guide will help you pick the equipment right for you.
What is an “Industrial” Ultrasonic Cleaner?
You might think an industrial ultrasonic cleaner must be “big” because it is handling industrial products. Not necessarily so. Your industrial parts washer size (or cleaning solution capacity) is governed by the size of parts you are cleaning. They are offered as benchtop and floor mounted models.
Another consideration to keep in mind is the duration of your cleaning cycles. Long-term cleaning cycles (i.e. operating continuously over a work shift) mean your unit should have a heavy-duty tank to prolong service life.
An example is the heavy-duty, Elma xtra TT series benchtop industrial ultrasonic cleaner with tank sizes from 0.79 to … Read the rest
The Ultimate Guide for How Ultrasonic Cleaning Works
Select Your Topic of Interest
The Basics
Sizes and Features
How Transducers Work
Choosing Cleaning Frequency
In Ultrasonic Cleaning, an Historical Perspective, author Timothy J. Mason notes “The development of ultrasonic cleaning dates from the middle of the 20th century and has become a method of choice for a range of surface cleaning operations.” This helps explain why, according to a Fortune Business Insights report, “the global ultrasonic cleaning equipment market was $604.8 million and projected to reach $783.1 million by 2027.”
The Basics of Ultrasonic Cleaning
A way to describe how ultrasonic cleaners work is likening them to an automatic dishwasher, but with some added refinements. An automatic dishwasher, much the same as an ultrasonic cleaner, combines water and a detergent to remove grease, grime and other contaminants from objects being cleaned.
But instead of cleaning pots and pans and … Read the rest
A PDQ explanation of IQ, OQ and PQ
Precision and accuracy are two critical words (but with different meanings*) in pharmaceutical, food processing and other industries that come under continuous scrutiny by the FDA, the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 and other standards. In brief IQ, OQ and PQ mean Installation Qualification, Operational Qualification and Performance (or Process) Qualification. The letter V for verification can be used in place Q.
But we promised a PDQ explanation, so let’s take a quick look at IQ, OQ and PQ.
The Purpose of IQ, OQ and PQ
A purpose of IQ, OQ and PQ is ensuring that sensitive laboratory and processing equipment meet strict standards as those mentioned above. An example of such equipment is an HPLC system, including its pumps. These systems must precisely and accurately analyze pharmaceutical compounds as they proceed from R&D into manufacturing. More simply stated IQ, OQ and PQ mean that equipment performs “as … Read the rest
Lab Applications for Ultrasonic Cleaning Equipment
Elma – the specialists for ultrasonic technology work in close cooperation with the customers to develop new ultrasonic cleaning processes for laboratory applications, such as analyzing, sample processing and cleaning of laboratory instruments. The range of our ultrasonic units is optimized for use in laboratories. The Elma units are indispensable both for research and for the practical use in the lab to find solutions for problems and to get reproducible test results.
Elma offers various different types of ultrasonic cleaners. Each series consists of units of different sizes. They are designed for special applications and meet the requirements of the everyday work in a lab.
Practical accessories facilitate the handling, and specialized additional equipment expand the range of possible applications, e.g. for sieve cleaning.
The cleaning of laboratory glassware and laboratory instruments is a crucial task in any lab. Elma offers a family of chemical cleaners which can be used … Read the rest
Selecting Calibration Weights for Digital Scales
Calibration weights for digital scales are key elements to ensure, in the simplest sense, that you get what you pay for. For many of us this is exemplified by visits to the deli counter in the supermarket. We want assurance that the weight shown on the scale is accurate. The U.S. Government’s Weights and Measures Division sets the guidelines. Here we describe the role of calibration weights for digital scales in keeping scales accurate.
But first….
Why Digital Scale Calibration is Important
Granted, we all want assurances that the weight displayed by a scale is accurate.
But it does not take much to throw off the accuracy of a digital scale. We cover this in our post on weighing accuracy. While that post focuses on analytical balances, the importance of calibrating digital scales is no less important.
It is absolutely … Read the rest
The Ultimate Resource for Ultrasonic Cleaning with Flammable Solvents
Select Your Topic of Interest
How Can I Use?
Example Uses
Select the Cleaner
How Can I Use Flammable Solvents in an Ultrasonic Cleaner?
Examples of a widely used flammable solvents are IPA (Isopropyl alcohol), Acetone, and IMS (Industrial Methylated Spirits). Any time flammable solvents are used for cleaning purposes there is risk of fire or explosion due to ignition of volatile vapors by a flash source. Ignition can occur from any source due to spills or as flammable solvent vapors spread. This guide will explain how you can safely use flammable solvents in an ultrasonic cleaner.
You may not have to use a flammable solvent as your cleaning solution. Watch the video below for details on selection a cleaning solution for your ultrasonic cleaner.
Cleaning with flammable solvents requires extreme caution in any case but ultrasonic cleaning with … Read the rest
Calibrate a Flow Meter for HPLC Pumping Systems
Flow meters are used to measure flow rates in pipelines, for pumps at filling stations, on trucks delivering fuel oil for your furnace and myriad other applications. While important in all cases, accuracy is especially critical when a flow meter is used in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC ) pumping systems. This post focuses on how to calibrate a flow meter used in HPLC pumping systems.
What’s Special about Calibrating a Flow Meter for HPLC Pumping Systems?
The answer in a few words: Instead of measuring flow rates in gallons per minute, flow meters for HPLC pump systems measure rates in fractions of milliliters per minute.
As described in our post on how a digital flow meter works they are used to measure the accuracy of HPLC pumping systems in order to meet FDA and other regulations regarding installation qualification (IQ), operational qualification (OQ) and performance qualification (PQ) of … Read the rest
Ultrasonic Cleaning with Flammable Solvents
Cleaning with flammable solvents requires extreme caution in any case but ultrasonic cleaning with flammable solvents requires specially designed equipment and procedures. That’s because of the real danger of a fire or explosion if spilled solvent or vapors are ignited by sparks from internal electronics or external sources. This post describes equipment to use and precautions to observe for ultrasonic cleaning with low flash point flammable solvents.
But first, some explanations and relevant regulations.
What is a Flash Point?
Flammable solvents have different flashpoints. In brief, the lower the flashpoint the more flammable they are. This is important when cleaning with flammable solvents.
Fortunately there is help.
The American Chemical Society publishes a table of common organic solvents that includes flash points. Examples of low flash point volatile solvents are 1-propanol at 59⁰F (15⁰C), acetone at -4⁰F (-20⁰C) and toluene at 39⁰F (4⁰C).
Cleaning with Flammable Solvent Regulations
As a … Read the rest
HPLC Flow Meter Cleaning Tips
Fast, accurate calibration of flow rates used in HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) pump systems can be compromised if HPLC flow meter cleaning recommendations are not followed. Technicians know that while GLP (good laboratory practices) call for annual flow meter recalibration by the manufacturer, improper use of these precision instruments can soon render them inaccurate if HPLC flow meter cleaning recommendations are not followed.
What HPLC Flow Meters Do
The role and importance of HPLC pump systems is described in a Process Instrumentation article that describes a digital HPLC flow meter, the advantage of this system, and specification recommendations to measure and maintain pump system accuracy. Included are recommendations on flow meter cleaning.
This post focuses on the importance of HPLC flow meter cleaning, how to do it, and the role of flow meter cleaning in maintaining accuracy. We use as an example the FlowCal 5000 flow meter offered by … Read the rest
