Cleaning Threaded Holes with Small Openings


Cleaning such substances as machining coolants and metal fines from threaded holes that have small openings is easy when you use an ultrasonic cleaner. When you try to manually clean configurations like these, both blind and through holes, it can be extremely hard when parts washers that are solvent-based are used. However, when you use ultrasonic solution that is biodegradable in the cavitation process of these powerful cleaners, it is easy to get to all the surfaces that are immersed. The trick is to make certain the appropriate positioning for the parts and ultrasonic frequency is used.

There are transducers that are powered by a generator that is located beneath the tank of these units, and they are what produces ultrasonic frequency. The way this is measured is by kilohertz (kHz), or by the thousands of cycles that take place in a second’s time and is done during the process of cleaning. This is what regulates the thousands of imploding bubbles that are produced during cavitation, constantly working to clean and remove all contaminants that are on equipment and parts being cleaned.


While it’s not something that can be noticed with the naked eye, larger bubbles that have an imploding action that is much more vigorous are produced when lower frequencies are used, like 25 kHz. When higher frequencies are used, like 80 kHz or higher, the imploding action of the bubbles are not nearly as vigorous. It is best to use a higher frequency when using an ultrasonic cleaner to remove contaminants from crevices, joints, and cracks. When machining operations are carried out, all sorts of particles can stick to the inside surfaces of threaded holes. In order to make sure all particles are dislodged and removed, and the threaded holes are left as clean as possible, it is best to use a frequency of 25 kHz.

Positioning Parts in an Ultrasonic Cleaner

In order for the cleaning solution to thoroughly reach deep into holes and penetrate all the threads and other interior surfaces, it is essential for parts to be positioned properly in the tank. It can be especially difficult to make sure all air pockets that become trapped in blind holes be swiftly removed. You will first want to place then rotate parts that have been placed into the bath. This is the best way to be assured the cleaning solution fills all cavities. As you do so, you will also want to make sure that none of the parts are touching each other. This simply makes sure that during the cavitation process any metal fines that are present will be able to easily fall out of those hard to reach places.

Another tip for aiding the cleaning process is to pick the basket up out of the solution and then lower it right back down. This can be done several times. There are ultrasonic cleaners that come featured with automatic agitation and rotation, for operations that are large scale.

One of the key things you should keep in mind when positioning parts into the cleaning basket is to make sure it is never overloaded.

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