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Ultrasonic Cleaning Services for Metal Parts

SR MFG offers ultrasonic cleaning as a critical pre-treatment step before surface finishing. Using cavitation-driven micro-scrubbing, ultrasonic cleaning reaches blind holes, tight gaps, and complex geometries to remove machining oils, rust-preventive oils, polishing compound residue, and fine particulates. This creates a cleaner, more stable surface for powder coating, wet paint, plating, anodizing, and other downstream processes—reducing adhesion defects and cosmetic rework caused by contamination. Our process follows a closed-loop “wash–rinse–dry” workflow, with optional rust prevention and scratch-protection packaging configured to your material and cosmetic requirements. It is suitable for general sheet-metal parts, automotive components, and precision metal parts with higher cleanliness standards; for medical-related parts, we can support decontamination cleaning as needed, while sterilization/disinfection must be defined separately on a per-project basis.

What Is Ultrasonic Cleaning?

Ultrasonic cleaning immerses parts in a cleaning solution and uses high-frequency sound waves to generate countless microscopic bubbles. These bubbles form, grow, and collapse rapidly on the surface and inside gaps, acting like invisible micro-brushes that dislodge and remove oil films, polishing compound residue, metal chips, and fine particulates from surfaces, blind holes, and tight crevices. In metal manufacturing, it is commonly used to degrease and decontaminate parts after machining or stamping, and to prepare a clean, reliable substrate before finishing processes such as coating or plating. Note that ultrasonic cleaning targets contaminants—it is not a deburring process; burrs should typically be removed first using dedicated deburring methods.

Why Does Your Metal Project Need Ultrasonic Cleaning?

Many metal parts can look “clean enough,” yet oil films, polishing compound residue, metal chips, and fine particulates often remain trapped in blind holes, cross-drilled passages, deep grooves, internal cavities, and weld transition areas—places that wiping, soaking, or spray washing frequently cannot reach effectively. Ultrasonic cleaning works by generating countless microscopic bubbles in the cleaning solution; when those bubbles collapse, they act like invisible micro-brushes, loosening and carrying away contaminants from tight gaps and complex geometries. More importantly, inadequate cleaning tends to push problems downstream: finishing processes such as powder coating, wet painting, plating, and anodizing are highly sensitive to surface cleanliness, and any oil, dust, rust, or residual particles can compromise adhesion and appearance, leading to rework or even scrap.

What Types of Parts and Geometries Can Ultrasonic Cleaning Handle?

Ultrasonic cleaning is well suited to a wide range of components—especially metal parts—including:

Machined and precision parts: Bearings, gears, valve bodies, hydraulic components, cutting tools, and molds/dies (typical contaminants include cutting oil, coolant residue, and fine metal chips).
Sheet-metal and welded assemblies: Laser-cut/stamped/bent parts, welded subassemblies, enclosures, and panels—commonly cleaned to remove oils, particulates, and process residues prior to finishing.
Pre-cleaning before coating/plating/anodizing: Parts that require removal of grease and polishing-compound residue to create a stable, clean substrate, reducing adhesion and cosmetic defects caused by contamination.
Fine-hole and mesh-like structures: Filters, perforated sheets, and parts with dense hole/slot patterns—where conventional washing often leaves residue and ultrasonic cavitation provides a clear advantage.

SR MFG's production volume range for laser-cut parts 1 piece →100,000+ pieces

Metals Commonly Cleaned with Ultrasonic Cleaning

Carbon steel / alloy steel (including cold-rolled sheet and structural parts)

Primary risk: Flash rust (can appear within minutes to hours), especially with water-based cleaning on warm parts.
Key considerations: Once burrs, chips, and dust are removed, the surface becomes more reactive and flashes more easily. If the next step is coating/E-coat/plating, ionic residues can amplify downstream defects.
Recommended approach: Use a water-based cleaner with corrosion inhibitors; rinse promptly and dry thoroughly (hot air, oven drying, or compressed air). Add short-term rust protection when needed (rust preventive or VCI packaging).

Cast iron / porous materials

Primary risk: Trapped liquid plus flash rust.
Key considerations: Cast iron and powder-metal parts can “hold” liquid; incomplete drying leads to re-rusting and weeping.
Recommended approach: Add rinse stages and extend drying time; for porous or blind-hole geometries, prioritize spin-off/blow-off and hot-air drying, plus rust protection.

Stainless steel (304/316, etc.)

Primary risks: Chlorides causing pitting; dissimilar-metal contamination leading to rust spots.
Key considerations: Avoid high-chloride water/chemistries; prevent cross-contamination from carbon-steel dust or iron chips; do not use practices that compromise the passive film.
Recommended approach: Use a mild cleaner and heat (as appropriate) to improve degreasing; rinse with cleaner water (DI water if needed). For high-cleanliness or corrosion-critical applications, follow with passivation or a defined surface-treatment step as required.

Aluminum / aluminum alloys (5xxx/6xxx, etc.)

Primary risks: Staining/mottling, loss of luster, corrosion/pitting; strong alkalis can attack aluminum; cavitation can exacerbate surface damage.
Key considerations: Avoid strong alkalinity (e.g., pH > 11), sodium-hydroxide boosters, and chlorine/bleach-type chemistries. Excess time or temperature increases the chance of visible change.
Recommended approach: Favor neutral to mildly alkaline formulations (commonly pH 8–10.5) with inhibitors; use short cycles—clean only as long as needed; rinse promptly and dry under controlled conditions.

Anodized aluminum (including dyed parts)

Primary risks: Damage to dye or sealing layers leading to fading or spotting; excessive ultrasonic intensity can harm the coating.
Key considerations: Avoid strongly alkaline cleaners; overly aggressive power/time settings may be incompatible with anodic films.
Recommended approach: Use a mild, near-neutral cleaner; shorten cycles and validate with a small sample first. For cosmetic parts, define allowable appearance change as part of acceptance criteria.

Copper / brass / bronze

Primary risks: Oxidation and darkening (“haze”); certain chemistries can cause discoloration or corrosion.
Key considerations: In practice, copper/brass requires tight control of time and temperature to avoid darkening or etching.
Recommended approach: Use gentle formulations intended for nonferrous metals; control temperature (often kept at or below ~50–60°C) and start with short cycles (minutes). Rinse and dry quickly; add anti-tarnish protection or isolated packaging when needed.

Galvanized steel / zinc alloys / zinc die cast

Primary risks: Higher sensitivity to cleaning chemistry; spotting/pitting; damage to zinc reduces corrosion resistance.
Key considerations: Avoid strong acids and strong alkalis; zinc is generally treated as an easily etched/corroded material.
Recommended approach: Use neutral to mildly alkaline chemistry with inhibitors; validate on samples first. For zinc die cast in particular, keep the window conservative to avoid surface attack.

Magnesium alloys

Primary risks: High reactivity; easy to corrode/etch—strong acids/alkalis are especially risky.
Key considerations: Chemistry selection is critical and the process window should be conservative.
Recommended approach: Use neutral to mildly alkaline cleaners (pH 8–10.5) with inhibitors; short cycles, thorough rinsing, and complete drying; always validate with sample parts.

Titanium / titanium alloys

Primary risks: Generally stable, but chemical compatibility and residues still matter (especially before finishing or bonding).
Key considerations: Avoid chemistries that leave hard-to-remove residues; set rinse quality based on downstream requirements.
Recommended approach: Mild water-based cleaning is usually sufficient; for high-cleanliness requirements, add rinse stages and implement controlled clean drying/handling.

Standardized Ultrasonic Cleaning Process

Ultrasonic Cleaning Process (Video Walkthrough)

Drawing/specification review → Incoming condition verification → Fixturing and part protection → Pre-clean (as required) → Bath make-up and degassing → Primary ultrasonic wash → Rinsing (graded/multi-stage recommended) → Drying → Visual inspection → Cleanliness measurement and documentation (as required) → Rust-prevention / anti-scratch packaging and shipment

Are you ready to get started on your metal fabrication project?

Not sure which material is ideal for your project? Feel free to contact us.Our engineering team will recommend suitable material grades and sheet thicknesses based on strength, weight, corrosion resistance and overall cost.

We’ll provide you with a free quote

Who We Serve

SR MFG | Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutions for Metal Parts

In sheet-metal projects, rework and assembly risk are often caused by thin oil films, polishing compound residue, and fine metal chips or particles trapped in blind holes, internal cavities, tight gaps, and weld transition areas. SR MFG’s ultrasonic cleaning solution is designed for high-end manufacturing sectors such as automotive components, aerospace, semiconductor packaging, precision machining, and medical devices, delivering an end-to-end cleaning program—from process engineering and equipment selection to detergent chemistry and digital process management. The goal is simple: reliably remove hard-to-reach contamination so your parts move into coating, plating, anodizing, or assembly with a consistently clean, verifiable surface.

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Metal Ultrasonic Cleaning FAQs

Can blind holes and internal cavities be cleaned thoroughly? How do you evaluate “reachability”?

Yes—but the deciding factor isn’t “how strong the ultrasonics are.” It’s whether the cleaning solution can actually enter the feature and whether the loosened contaminants can be flushed out. Ultrasonic cleaning works through cavitation: microscopic bubbles form and collapse, creating a fine “micro-scrubbing” action that helps lift oils, wax residues, fines, and particles from tight gaps.
A practical reachability check comes down to three inputs: the smallest opening size, the depth/flow path length (including L/D), and the part orientation (whether trapped air can vent and fresh solution can exchange). For high-risk geometries, the most reliable approach is a pilot wash on real parts (or representative coupons) and a sealed “golden sample” approval—locking down where the part must be clean and how it will be verified.

Will ultrasonic cleaning cause etching, staining, discoloration, or surface attack? (Material sensitivity + process window)

It can—depending primarily on the chemistry, temperature/time window, and how sensitive the material and finish are. Ultrasonics are not inherently “material-damaging,” but they act like an amplifier: they boost cleaning performance and can also magnify the downsides of an unsuitable formulation.
Best practice is to classify materials and finishes by sensitivity first (e.g., cosmetic aluminum, copper/brass, zinc coatings are typically more conservative), then set a controlled process window, and validate with a small-batch trial for both appearance and functional requirements before scaling.

Do parts have to be dried after cleaning? Why?

In most projects, yes. Water-based cleaning removes the protective oil film, leaving the metal more vulnerable to moisture and oxygen—steel parts in particular can flash-rust quickly. Residual water can also leave water spots, carry dissolved ions, and introduce secondary contamination.
Rule of thumb: rinse, then dry promptly using the method that matches the geometry (hot air, oven, or filtered compressed air), and apply rust prevention and moisture-barrier packaging as needed for ferrous parts.

Can you provide water-break and particle cleanliness records?

Yes—and it’s worth treating this as an “acceptance menu.”

Water-break / water film test (ASTM F22): a fast, non-destructive check commonly used for process control. If water beads up or won’t wet the surface uniformly, it often indicates residual oils or hydrophobic contamination that can compromise downstream coating, conversion, anodizing, plating, or bonding.
Particle cleanliness: for automotive/fluids applications, the ISO 16232 / VDA 19.1 framework is commonly used for particle extraction and analysis, producing documented results aligned to the defined cleanliness class.

How do you prevent secondary scratches on cosmetic parts?

Most cosmetic failures happen after cleaning—during handling, staging, or packing—when parts rub each other, packaging sheds lint, or particles re-contaminate the surface.
Three controls address most issues: avoid metal-to-metal contact (fixtures/baskets with separation), protect A-surfaces early (protective film or clean interleaves), and use low-shedding, clean packaging materials—otherwise, “cleaning well” is wasted downstream.

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