SSI T Series User manual
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL
T-SERIES ULTRASONIC CLEANING TANKS
REVISION REVISION DESCRIPTION DATE
A Released 02/25/2003
B ECN 1296 10/01/2014
C French warnings added 02/02/2016
D U dates 02/21/2017
CAUTION: Failure to install the equipment properly and follow
operations listed in this manual may result in equipment damage and/or
injury.
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 2 of 22.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. S ecial Safety Instructions......................................................................................................4-7
2. Introduction to Ultrasonics......................................................................................................8-9
3. Selection of Cleaning Liquids...................................................................................................10
4. Ultrasonic Cleaning Guidelines................................................................................................11
5. Descri tion................................................................................................................................12
6. S ecifications............................................................................................................................13
7. Initial Ins ection.......................................................................................................................14
8. Pre aration For Use..................................................................................................................15
9. Setu Procedure........................................................................................................................16
10. Ultrasonic Cleaning...................................................................................................................17
11. O tions......................................................................................................................................18
12. General Servicing......................................................................................................................19
13. Safety Summary........................................................................................................................21
14. Contact Information..................................................................................................................22
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 3 of 22.
SPECIAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS SECTION 1
CAUTION: READ BEFORE U ING THE EQUIPMENT.
Failure to respect all of the warnings in this manual could lead to severe and/or
fatal electrical shock.
DO NOT – o erate the unit without ro er electrical grounding.
DO NOT – use ada ter lug or cut off ground terminal of lug.
DO NOT – erform maintenance on the equi ment without un lugging ower cord and disconnecting transducers.
CAUTION: Ignoring any of the warnings in this manual could result in
personal injury and/or property damage.
ALWAYS – Consult ublished safety regulations and manufacturer's data sheet. Inform o erating ersonnel of
toxicity.
ALWAYS – Use ro er eye rotection, gloves, and rotective clothing when using equi ment.
DO NOT – Use flammable solvents in the equi ment.
DO NOT – O erate the equi ment with solvent in a water based cleaning solution. A solvent layer underneath the
water may su er-heat and ex el cleaning solution from the tank when the ultrasonics are first a lied.
DO NOT – Allow cleaning solution to come in contact with the human body. Use a rack, basket, or tongs to insert
or remove arts from the solution. Remove harmful va or/fumes from work area.
DO NOT – Place tank on a flammable or combustible surface.
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 4 of 22.
SPECIAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS SECTION 1
CAUTION: Ignoring any of the warnings in this manual could result in
equipment and/or parts damage.
ALWAYS – Fill a heated tank to ro er working height to minimize burnout or de-bonding.
USE ONLY – Cleaning solutions that are com atible with arts to be cleaned.
DO NOT – Use strong corrosive liquids such as strong acids or owerful caustics directly in the cleaning tank.
Stainless steel is attacked by some agents and the ultrasonics will accelerate corrosive action.
DO NOT – Boil the cleaning solution. Boiling may overheat and damage the transducers.
DO NOT – Dro or lace items to be cleaned directly on the bottom of the tank.
DO NOT – Energize the equi ment while the tank is em ty.
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 5 of 22.
SPECIAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS – FRENCH SECTION 1
PRUDENCE: LIRE AVANT D'UTILI ER L'APPAREIL.
Le non-respect de tous les avertissements dans ce manuel pourrait causer des
chocs électriques graves et/ou fatal.
NE PAS – Utiliser l'a areil sans mise à la terre électrique a ro riée.
NE PAS – Utiliser d'ada tateur ou de cou er la borne de rise de terre.
NE PAS – Effectuer la maintenance sur l'équi ement sans débrancher le cordon d'alimentation et de débrancher les
transducteurs.
PRUDENCE: Ignorer tout les avertissements dans ce manuel pourrait de
provoquer des blessures et/ou des propriété dommages.
TOUJOURS – Consulter les règlements de sécurité ubliés et la fiche technique du fabricant. Informer le ersonnel
d'ex loitation de la toxicité.
TOUJOURS – Utiliser une rotection oculaire a ro riée, des gants et des vêtements de rotection lors de
l'utilisation du matériel.
NE PAS – Utiliser de solvants inflammables dans l'équi ement.
NE PAS – Faire fonctionner l'équi ement avec un solvant dans une solution de nettoyage à base d'eau. Une couche
de solvant au-dessous de l'eau eut su er chaleur et d'ex ulser la solution de nettoyage à artir du réservoir lorsque
les ultrasons sont tout d'abord a liqués.
NE PAS – Laisser la solution de nettoyage à venir en contact avec le cor s humain. Utilisez un rack, anier, ou des
inces our insérer ou retirer des arties de la solution. Retirer nuisibles va eurs / fumées de la zone de travail.
NE PAS – Placer le réservoir sur une surface inflammable ou combustible.
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 6 of 22.
SPECIAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS – FRENCH SECTION 1
PRUDENCE: Ignorer toute les avertissements dans ce manuel pourrait causer
des équipements et/ou des pièces dommage
TOUJOURS – Rem lir un réservoir chauffé à la hauteur de travail adéquate our minimiser l'é uisement
rofessionnel ou décollement de chauffe.
UTILISATION SEULEMENT – Nettoyage solutions qui sont com atibles avec les ièces à nettoyer.
NE PAS – Utiliser de solides liquides corrosifs tels que des acides forts ou caustiques uissants directement dans le
réservoir de nettoyage. L'acier inoxydable est attaqué ar certains agents et les ultrasons va accélérer l'action
corrosive.
NE PAS – Faire bouillir la solution de nettoyage. Ébullition eut surchauffer et endommager les transducteurs.
NE PAS – Articles de chute ou de lacer à nettoyer directement sur le fond de la cuve
NE PAS – Dynamiser l'équi ement alors que le réservoir est vide.
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 7 of 22.
INTRODUCTION TO ULTRASONIC CLEANING SECTION 2
In recent years, ultrasonic energy has been harnessed to erform many tasks including cleaning for industry.
"Ultrasonic cleaning" is actually ultrasonic scrubbing. The rocess uses the cavitation of shock waves to create a
scrubbing action on any art introduced into a cleaning chamber.
An ultrasonic cleaning system consists of an electronic generator utilizing 60 cycles of alternating current and
transforming it into a higher frequency (HF) alternating current in the ultrasonic range. The generator is cou led to
one or several transducers in the cleaning chamber. The HF electrical energy from the generator out ut is converted
into mechanical energy inside the transducer elements. An ultrasonic transducer is a device that ex ands and
contracts when fed HF alternating current. The ex ansion-contraction frequency of the transducer element
corres onds to the alternating HF from the generator out ut current. The transducers are fastened to the chamber and
transfer ultrasonic motion to the tank walls and the liquid.
A sound wave in liquid has high ressure ahead and low ressure behind it. As the sound wave asses, the ressure
can reach a value below the liquid cohesive forces. This roduces numerous small em ty cavities in the liquid. Some
of these small cavities, or micro-bubbles, enter into resonance with the frequency of the sound. They start to wildly
oscillate and finally colla se, releasing strong shock waves. In a high-intensity cavitation field, bubbles im lode
millions of times er minute releasing owerful shock waves. The waves im inge against any submerged object in
the liquid. Cavitation shock waves are the tools behind the scrubbing action observed in ultrasonic cleaners.
Although many frequencies are roduced in an ultrasonic cleaning tank, there is a basic frequency corres onding to
the fundamental resonance between the generator and the transducer. The most common fundamental frequency for
ultrasonic cleaning falls between 20kHz and 60kHz. Frequencies below 20kHz may be more efficient cleaners due
to lower frequencies creating greater scrubbing effects. The roblem with frequencies below 20kHz are the annoying
audible subharmonics. Frequencies above 50kHz are generally used for cleaning small objects and orifices. Due to
shorter wave lengths, frequencies above 50kHz enable better enetration of acoustic energy in small o enings and
crevices. Higher frequencies, above 100kHz, have greater wave enetration. The issue with frequencies above
100kHz is the small resonant cavitation bubbles release far less energy at colla se time.
U er harmonics and subharmonics of the transducer main emission are always resent. In oorly designed
cleaners, subharmonics in the audible range can create environmental noise. Below are hysical and chemical
factors that influence the intensity of ultrasonic cavitation in liquids:
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 8 of 22.
INTRODUCTION TO ULTRASONIC CLEANING SECTION 2
TEMPERATURE
Increasing the tem erature increases the cavitation intensity until it reaches a maximum and then decreases. For
water, maximum cavitation is observed between 115°F and 140°F.
NATURE OF LIQUID
Water and aqueous solutions deliver more cavitational energy than organic solvents at equal acoustic energy density.
SURFACE TENSION
Liquids with a high surface tension (IE: water) deliver more cavitational energy than low surface tension solutions
(IE: organic solvents). Adding traces of soa to cavitating water could momentarily kill the cavitatonal energy more
than low surface tension solutions.
VISCOSITY
If everything else is equal, it is more difficult to cavitate high viscosity liquids or solutions.
VAPOR PRESSURE
Chemicals and liquids with high va or ressure (IE: at room tem erature) are more difficult to cavitate than low
va or ressure liquids (IE: mercury).
HYDROSTATIC-PRESSURE
It is easier to cavitate a liquid when reducing the hydrostatic ressure above the liquid surface. Reversely, an
increase in gas ressure ( ressurization) can momentarily decrease the cavitation intensity.
DISSOLVED GASES
The threshold of cavitation in a liquid de ends u on the small traces of dust or dissolved gases always resent. More
energy is needed to cavitate degassed than aerated water. Ultrasonics first degas (noiseless large air bubbles come to
the liquid surface) then roduce small cavitation bubbles oscillating in resonance before colla se (energy releasing
hase called va orous cavitation).
EXPOSURE TIME TO ULTRASOUND
Some transducers are driven to roduce short ulsed ultrasonic emissions. Measurements with ulses of varying
length revealed a time delay between the a lication of ultrasonic ower and the onset of cavitation. The longer a
liquid is ex osed to intense sound, the lower the threshold ressure at which cavitation occurs.
For the best ultrasonic cavitation, an a ro riate chemical is needed. Chemicals can range from standard alkaline to
a so histicated surface active com ound. Sonic Systems, Inc. has develo ed a number of such chemical additives.
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 9 of 22.
SELECTION OF CLEANING LIQUIDS SECTION 3
The selection of cleaning liquids is generally determined by the kind of soil to be removed and the material to be
cleaned. The cleaning solution used should act on the soil without attacking the art to be cleaned. Physical and
chemical ro erties of a cleaning solution are im ortant because the liquid transmitting the energy from the
transducers also artici ates in the cleaning rocess.
The cleaning solution aids in cleaning in two ways:
1. Mechanical action (cavitation).
2. Solvent action, hysical wetting or chemical attack on surface soil.
Recommendations for the most satisfactory solution in a articular ultrasonic a lication cannot safely be made
without considering the s ecific soil to be removed, the ty e of metal or material to be cleaned, and the subsequent
rocessing of the art following the cleaning stage. Other im ortant considerations in selecting a cleaning solution
include fire and health hazards, cost, and availability.
In selecting a s ecific ultrasonic cleaning solution, it is frequently quickest to begin with a solution that has roved
most satisfactory without ultrasonics. Generally, ultrasonics increase the cleaning effectiveness of the solution
ermitting a faster and more thorough cleaning.
T-Series Manual. Rev D. Page 10 of 22.
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