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Things To Consider Before Purchasing A Branson Ultrasonic Cleaner
Branson ultrasonic cleaners feature a variety of different models for all kinds of applications whether in scientific, medical or dental laboratories, for the cleaning of glasses, watches, and jewelry, or for industrial applications like removing flux and other contaminants from electronics and grease and dirt from switches assemblies and gears.
The Branson line of ultrasonic cleaners includes an assortment of table top models and industrial models of tank sizes from 5-80 gallon capacity. Additionally, Branson builds custom- sized ultrasonic cleaning equipment of different sizes available either with mechanical or digital timers and with or without a heating system. Branson has more than 60 years of experience in ultrasound technology. All cleaners use industrial grade transducers and the capacity to use sweep frequency (a frequency modulation that maximizes cleaning power uniformity). The cleaners enjoy a good reputation and are covered by a two-year warranty from the manufacturer. Branson ultrasonic cleaners are the most popular brand on the market, but are they worth it?
Other manufacturers of ultrasonic cleaners include Crest Ultrasonic, Elma Ultrasonic, L&R Ultrasonic, and SharperTek Ultrasonic. Here are brief descriptions of these manufacturers’ products and a summary comparison between the Branson line and ultrasonic cleaners of these companies.
Crest Ultrasonic:
Crest offers seven different sizes of bench top ultrasonic cleaners that come either with a mechanical or a digital timer and heater. The digital models come with a degas function that is used for degassing new cleaning solutions and HPLC solvents. Degassing cleaning solutions increases the cleaning capacity as gas bubbles interfere with cavitations. The heater is optional in the analog models. All models have sweep frequency capacity and are covered by a two year manufacturer warranty. Crest’s product line also includes large industrial ultrasonic cleaners and submersible ultrasonic transducers. Crest ultrasonic cleaners employ a new patented sweeping technology that the company claims eliminates hot spots and improves cleaning efficiency.
Elma Ultrasonic:
Elmasonic S ultrasonic cleaners are available in a range of models, sizes and capacities. Bench top units range from 0.2 gallon to approximately 24 gallon tanks. These units, all with a 2-year warranty, are employed across a broad spectrum of laboratory and industrial cleaning and degreasing applications. Elma S-line ultrasonic cleaners all have a sweep feature for improved cleaning results and a degas function. They also have a “normal” setting for standard laboratory applications like dissolving, dispersing and blending. Models are available with heated ultrasonic tanks that work from room temperature to 80 C (176 F); all feature digital timers. Accessories include baskets with plastic coated handles, cooling coils, clamps for Erlenmeyer flasks, acid-proof tanks, and holders for 1 liter HPLC solvent flasks for HPLC solvent degassing. Noise-reducing covers can be flipped over and used as a tray and drip-off basin. Collected cleaning liquid can be emptied back into the tank. Large capacity industrial ultrasonic cleaners are also available.
L&R Ultrasonic:
L&R Ultrasonics offers two different lines of bench top ultrasonic cleaners: Quantrex and SweepZone Technology. Quantrex is optimized for its economic value and SweepZone Technology promises uniform cleaning power while eliminating hot spots and weak areas. There are six different sizes of Quantrex models available, all featuring mechanical timers and optional heaters. The more expensive SweepZone Technology models use an electronic component called “Smart Circuit” to optimize the cleaning cycle. It uses pulse width modulation to sense cleaning loads, solution level and voltage fluctuations. This information is used to automatically adjust to different conditions and to create a constant power output and uniform cleaning power without hot spots or weak areas throughout the entire tank volume. L&R Ultrasonics also provides industrial size ultrasonic cleaners with the SweepZone Technology. These come in six sizes from 5-42 gallons tank capacity. The products are covered by different warranty options ranging from 1 to 2.5 years.
SharperTek Ultrasonic:
SharperTek offers six different sizes of bench top ultrasonic cleaners for a variety of different applications. Unlike the other providers, SharperTek’s website showing the bench top cleaners includes a telephone number that can be called for assistance with deciding which cleaner is the most suitable for a given application. Four of the six models come with a mechanical timer; the other two are digitally controlled. Five are heated. Industrial cleaners with tank capacities of 10 liters and more are also available. Warranty duration is 2 years.
Conclusions on Branson Ultrasonic Cleaners:
Economy models that do not feature sweep technologies are significantly less costly, and might be a good alternative for certain applications where a very even ultrasonic power field throughout the entire tank area is not that important. Examples include cleaning jewelry and watches or degassing, dissolving, and dispersing applications. Some manufacturers offer features that are not available in Branson models. Ultimately a buying decision depends on the application and the budget, and determining which ultrasonic cleaning system is the most suitable. The point is, there are many viable alternatives to a Branson system on the market, and it is very well worth the effort to compare their prices and features before deciding which brand and model to buy. If the application requires a sweep system, it might be best to request a demo-model to be able to directly compare cleaning power and suitability of the system for one’s own application, before investing in a high-end ultrasonic cleaner that eventually falls short of expectations.
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