Oct 9, 2026Ultrasonic Cleaning Solutions
The Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaner RFQ Checklist: What to Prepare Before Requesting a Quote
A practical RFQ checklist for buyers preparing an industrial ultrasonic cleaner inquiry, including part details, contamination, throughput, filtration, rinsing, drying, and photos.
Requesting a quote for an industrial ultrasonic cleaner is not like buying a standard catalog product off the shelf.
A supplier cannot recommend a suitable tank size, ultrasonic frequency, generator power, filtration, rinsing, drying, or automation setup from a single sentence like:
“Please quote a 200L industrial ultrasonic cleaner.”
Industrial ultrasonic cleaning is process-based equipment. The right configuration depends on your part geometry, contamination level, daily throughput, required cleaning result, and workshop constraints.
Providing the right information upfront helps the engineering team evaluate your application more accurately, reduce unnecessary back-and-forth, and recommend a realistic system configuration for your cleaning process.
This checklist explains what to prepare before sending a Request for Quote (RFQ) to an industrial ultrasonic cleaner manufacturer.
The Tank Capacity Trap: Why Vague RFQs Fail
Many buyers start the procurement process by asking for a quote based only on tank volume, such as 100L, 300L, or 800L.
Tank capacity matters, but quoting by volume alone can create misleading comparisons.
Without detailed application data, two suppliers may quote very different systems for the same inquiry:
- Supplier A may quote a basic single-tank ultrasonic cleaner.
- Supplier B may quote a multi-stage system with filtration, rinsing, drying, lifting, or automation.
The result is an apples-to-oranges comparison. The lowest price may not match the real cleaning requirement, while the more complete system may look expensive because it includes process steps the buyer did not clearly define.
A useful RFQ defines the cleaning process first, then confirms tank size and configuration.
1. Describe the Parts: Geometry and Material
Start with the most important question:
What exactly is going into the tank?
Please provide:
- Largest part dimensions: length, width, and height.
- Weight: weight per part and weight per batch.
- Material: steel, cast iron, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, glass, plastic, or other material.
- Geometry: blind holes, internal passages, fine threads, deep grooves, polished surfaces, or precision-machined areas.
- Surface sensitivity: coating, mirror finish, soft metal, thin wall, or critical tolerance.
Engineering impact: Material and surface sensitivity influence ultrasonic frequency, cleaning chemistry, temperature, and process safety. Geometry affects usable tank size, basket design, part loading, and whether ultrasonic cleaning can reach the critical areas.
2. Explain the Contamination
The next question is:
What are you trying to remove?
Common industrial contamination includes:
- machining oil and cutting fluid
- stamping lubricant
- heavy grease
- carbon
- polishing compound or wax
- lapping paste
- chips
- dust
- particles
- flux
- adhesive residue
- production residue
Engineering impact: Contamination affects cleaning chemistry, temperature, cleaning time, filtration, and whether pre-cleaning is needed. Heavy oil or chips may make filtration useful. Carbon or baked-on residue may require process testing. Delicate polishing compounds on soft metals may require a gentler cleaning approach.
For a comparison of pre-cleaning and detailed cleaning methods, see Parts Washer vs. Ultrasonic Cleaner.
3. Define “Clean”: Your Quality Standard
“Clean” means different things in different industries.
A supplier needs to understand how your team judges the final result. Common cleaning goals include:
- visually clean
- oil-free
- ready for assembly
- ready for welding
- ready for coating, plating, or painting
- residue-controlled
- particle-controlled
- ready for inspection
If you have a formal standard, share it. If not, explain the next step after cleaning.
For example:
- “Parts go directly to powder coating.”
- “Parts must be dry before packaging.”
- “Oil remains inside blind holes.”
- “Current cleaning is visually clean but fails wipe test.”
- “Residue affects assembly.”
Photos of accepted and rejected parts are also useful.
4. Provide Batch Quantity and Throughput
A simple single-tank cleaner may be enough for a maintenance shop with low-volume batch cleaning. It may not be suitable for a production line with frequent batches and strict cycle time.
Please provide:
- pieces per batch
- batches per hour or day
- working hours per shift
- manual or automatic loading preference
- required cycle time if known
- whether lifting is needed
Engineering impact: Throughput influences tank size, heating recovery, filtration flow, rinsing, drying, operator handling, and whether a multi-stage or automated system should be considered.
5. Clarify Process Steps: Filtration, Rinsing, and Drying
Industrial ultrasonic cleaning may require more than one wash tank.
Filtration may be needed when:
- parts release heavy oil, chips, or particles
- the bath becomes dirty quickly
- the process runs frequently
- you want to reduce frequent solution replacement
Rinsing may be needed when:
- detergent residue must be removed
- parts go to coating, plating, assembly, or inspection
- residue affects the next process
Drying may be needed when:
- parts cannot remain wet
- water spots are a concern
- flash rust is a risk
- parts go directly to packaging or assembly
If your process requires cleaning, rinsing, and drying, see Multi-Stage Ultrasonic Cleaning Systems.
6. Share Workshop Utilities and Constraints
A suitable system also needs to fit your facility.
Provide available details about:
- available footprint: maximum length, width, and height
- power supply: voltage, phase, and frequency
- water supply and drainage
- compressed air
- ventilation or exhaust needs
- forklift, crane, or hoist access
- operator access and loading height
This is especially important for large tanks, multi-stage systems, and automated ultrasonic cleaning lines.
7. Send Photos, Drawings, or Sample Parts
Text descriptions are helpful, but visuals reduce misunderstanding.
If possible, attach:
- photos of dirty parts
- photos of accepted clean parts
- close-up photos of hard-to-clean areas
- part drawings
- current cleaning setup photos
- factory layout photos
- videos of the loading or cleaning process
- sample part availability
If confidentiality is a concern, simplified drawings or cropped photos may still help the supplier understand the application.
The Master RFQ Checklist Table
Review this checklist before sending your inquiry.
RFQ Item | What to Provide | Why the Supplier Needs It |
|---|---|---|
Part specs | Dimensions, weight, material | Helps define tank size, basket design, loading method, and process risk |
Geometry | Holes, threads, grooves, polished surfaces | Affects ultrasonic access, loading method, and frequency direction |
Contamination | Oil, carbon, chips, wax, flux, particles | Affects chemistry, temperature, cleaning time, and filtration |
Throughput | Batches per day, pieces per hour, cycle time | Determines whether manual, multi-stage, or automated systems should be considered |
Clean result | Visual, oil-free, coating-ready, residue-controlled, particle-controlled | Defines the cleaning target |
Current process | Current method and current bottleneck | Helps identify what needs to be improved |
Process steps | Filtration, rinsing, drying, lifting, automation | Defines the overall system layout |
Utilities | Power, water, drainage, air, footprint | Confirms installation feasibility |
Visuals | Photos, drawings, videos, samples | Reduces guesswork and quoting errors |
Additional Configuration Questions
For larger or customized ultrasonic cleaning systems, the supplier may ask a few additional configuration questions.
You do not need to know all the answers before the first inquiry, but these details can help during technical discussion:
- Ultrasonic frequency: 28kHz is often used for heavier cleaning on durable parts, while 40kHz is usually a gentler starting point for precision parts, soft metals, and fine gaps.
- Transducer structure: bonded bottom transducers are usually more compact and cost-efficient; immersible transducer boxes may be easier to remove or replace during maintenance.
- Ultrasonic direction: bottom ultrasonics may be enough for many open parts; bottom + side ultrasonics may be considered for larger parts or more uniform cleaning needs.
- Agitation and lifting: agitation can move the basket during cleaning or rinsing; lifting can help operators load, unload, or transfer heavy baskets more safely.
- Filtration circulation: filtration can help remove oil, chips, sludge, or particles from the cleaning liquid and reduce frequent solution replacement.
- Basket and liquid level: basket size, loaded basket weight, inner tank size, and working liquid level help evaluate ultrasonic power, heating power, lifting, and agitation.
- Overflow design: single-side overflow may meet basic needs; four-side overflow may be considered for higher cleanliness or better surface oil removal.
- Air knife before drying: if drying is required, an air-knife stage can help remove free surface water before hot-air drying.
If you are unsure, simply mark these items as “unsure” in your RFQ. The supplier can help evaluate which options are necessary for your application.
Copy-and-Paste RFQ Information Template
Use this format when contacting Sonixmax or another ultrasonic cleaner supplier.
What Sonixmax Can Help Evaluate
After receiving your application details, Sonixmax can help evaluate:
- suitable tank dimensions
- ultrasonic frequency direction
- whether filtration is needed
- whether rinsing or drying should be included
- whether a single-tank or multi-stage system is more suitable
- whether lifting or automation is needed
- possible product direction
- whether sample testing should be considered
For oily parts or repeated cleaning cycles, an Industrial Single Tank Ultrasonic Cleaner with Filtration System may be more suitable.
If you are not sure what tank size, frequency, filtration, rinsing, drying, or automation level your application needs, send Sonixmax your cleaning requirements, including part details, contamination type, batch quantity, current cleaning method, required cleaning result, and photos or drawings if available.
