Converting a sink into an ultrasonic cleaner

While ultrasonic cleaning may sound a bit like the "sonic shower" from Star Trek, this is actually a case where the futuristic-sounding technology predates its use in science fiction. Ultrasonic cleaners have been around since the 1950s and are used to clean all kinds of irregularly shaped or specialized objects by creating a cavitation in a liquid that allows the surface of the object to be scoured. With the right equipment, these cleaning devices are also quite simple to build.

This ultrasonic cleaner from [Branchus Creations] started out as a standard stainless steel laundry sink, but with the addition of a few transducers it really turns up the volume. They are attached to the underside of the sink with a combination of a bolt and hard epoxy so that the sound is transmitted efficiently to the sink, but they are not very useful without control boards to power them. These drivers take the AC power and convert it to the DC power required to generate the ultrasonic frequencies, and this version uses one driver for each of the transducers, all wired to a common control board for easy operation.

The results speak for themselves; a test is carried out on a sheet of aluminum foil which quickly takes on the appearance of Swiss cheese after only a few minutes in the cleaner. He is also shown cleaning rusty nails and a few other things. For other non-traditional cleaning methods, be sure to check out this wet media blast cabinet built from a 55 gallon drum.

Thanks to [Zane] for the tip!