Ultrasonic sound energy is widely used for cleaning in the jewelry industry at various stages of the manufacturing process. Factors that influence cleaning time include ultrasonic wave energy, frequency, the chemistry and concentration of the cleaning solution, thermal energy, and the type of contaminant on the jewelry surface. In researching the optimization of these factors for cleaning jewelry at Nventa, Inc., we found an unexpected result - a dramatic, quantum decrease in cleaning time and superior localized cleaning effectiveness without increasing the ultrasonic sound energy that could damage more delicate jewelry. Even more interesting, the cleaning acceleration persisted only as long as solid contaminants were present on the jewelry surface. In this paper we explore the various factors of ultrasonic cleaning performance, give helpful insight into testing ultrasonic machines, provide illumination on the black art of ultrasonic cleaner optimization, and reveal the secrets to decreasing ultrasonic cleaning time by up to 60%.

Author: Oliver Passe