The optical lenses of stereomicroscopes are the most core precision components, and cleaning is a crucial and indispensable step during the production process. Any tiny dust, grease, fingerprints, particles or residual polishing compounds can seriously affect the final imaging quality, causing blurred and unclear images, glare, ghostiness, reduced contrast, and scratches on the coating or lens surface (if the contaminants are hard particles). Therefore, from the grinding, polishing, coating of raw glass to the final assembly, different levels and requirements of cleaning may be needed after almost every step to ensure that defects are minimized.

Ultrasonic cleaning machines are suitable for cleaning stereomicroscopes：

Cleaning principle: By using high-frequency ultrasonic waves to generate countless tiny vacuum bubbles (cavitation effect) in the liquid, the impact force generated when the bubbles burst can peel off contaminants adhering to the surface of the lens.

Advantages: It has an excellent cleaning effect on complex geometries and blind holes, and can effectively remove particulate matter.

Note: Frequency and power must be precisely controlled. If the frequency is too high, the cleaning power may be insufficient. If the frequency is too low or too strong, it may cause "cavitation corrosion" to the precision coating. Appropriate cleaning agents need to be used.

Applicable scenarios: It is highly suitable for cleaning raw lenses and polished lenses, and is used to remove grinding powder and large particle contaminants. It is usually a multi-tank (cleaning, rinsing, drying) assembly line operation.

The VGT-509FH ultrasonic cleaner from Weigute follows a strict linear process, with each tank performing its own duties:

Process：

Lenses to be cleaned (with grease and particles) - Chemical and physical synergy (heating system activates the cleaning agent) - Ultrasonic cavitation effect removes contaminants - Special cleaning agent decomposes grease.

Second tank ultrasonic rinse (first rinse) - High-standard rinse (maintaining water quality through a circulating filtration system) - Overflow port design for removing stains;

Contactless drying (uniform lifting by the mechanical arm) - Moisture is evenly retained due to surface tension - Evaporation assisted by the heating system;

Final effect: Clean, dry lenses free of any water stains.

Separate tank treatment to prevent cross-contamination：

Advantages: Each tank has independent functions and is dedicated to specific liquids. Dirty liquid containing cleaning agents will not contaminate the subsequent rinsing tank, and the pure water after rinsing will not be contaminated by the dirty liquid in the front.

Why is it suitable for stereo binocular microscopes: Lenses in the optical industry are extremely sensitive to residues. Any trace residue of any cleaning agent will cause defects after coating. The slot design is a structural guarantee for thoroughly removing residues.

Fully automatic mechanical arm transmission：

Advantage: Under the control of the preset program, the cleaning basket is automatically lifted, moved and lowered by the mechanical arm, completing the entire process. There was no human contact throughout the entire process.

Why is it suitable for stereomicroscopes：

Avoiding scratches: It eliminates the possibility of bumps and scratches caused by manual handling.

Ensure consistency: The cleaning time, speed and Angle of each batch of lenses are exactly the same, ensuring an extremely high product yield rate.

Improve efficiency: Save labor, can operate continuously for 24 hours, and is suitable for large-scale production.

Integrated slow-pull drying tank：

Advantage: This is the "soul" of the entire device. The robotic arm lifts the cleaning basket extremely slowly and uniformly to the liquid surface in the drying tank at a low speed.

Why is it suitable for stereomicroscopes：

No water stains: When lifted slowly, relying on the surface tension of water, the liquid film will contract evenly and slide off the lens surface instead of suddenly breaking and leaving irregular water stains.

Contactless: Relying on physical principles for drying, there is no need to blow with gas or wipe with cloth, completely avoiding the risk of secondary pollution and scratches.

Large-sized tank body and heating system：

Advantages: Large size (such as 500mm wide) allows for the use of large cleaning baskets, enabling large-scale cleaning. The heating system (usually adjustable from room temperature to 80°C) can effectively enhance the activity of the cleaning agent, accelerate chemical reactions and the drying process.

Why suitable for stereomicroscopes: Significantly enhance production efficiency and reduce unit costs. Heating can more effectively remove stubborn grease and ensure that moisture evaporates quickly during slow-pull drying.

Overflow and circulation filtration system：

Advantage: The rinsing tank is usually equipped with an overflow outlet, and the light contaminants floating on the surface will overflow with the water flow. Meanwhile, the liquid in the tank is continuously purified through a circulating pump and a precision filter (such as a 0.2μm pore size).

Why it is suitable for stereomicroscopes: It can always maintain the ultra-high cleanliness of the rinsing water. Even if a large number of lenses are cleaned, the rinse water at the back end remains clean, ensuring that the lenses are in the cleanest state when they leave the last rinse tank.

Five major technical advantages of the VGT-509FH ultrasonic cleaner：

1. Multi-band and adjustable power ultrasonic technology：

Technical details: Ordinary cleaning machines only have a single frequency (such as 40kHz). Professional equipment usually offers multiple frequency bands to choose from (such as 25kHz,40kHz,80kHz,120kHz or even megabit) or sweep/mix technology. The power can be adjusted steplessly or precisely.

Targeted cleaning: The low-frequency (25-40kHz) cavitation bubbles are large and have strong energy, making it suitable for removing stubborn grinding powder (Al₂O₃, CeO₂) from polished lenses. High-frequency (above 80kHz) cavitation bubbles are small and dense, with a gentle effect. It is suitable for precise cleaning after coating and can effectively remove slight grease and dust without damaging the coating at all.

No cleaning dead corners: The sweep frequency technology enables the ultrasonic frequency to change continuously within a certain range, avoiding the formation of standing wave nodes on the workpiece surface, thereby eliminating cleaning dead corners and ensuring that every lens surface is evenly covered.

2. Precision temperature control and automatic liquid level compensation system：

Technical details: Equipped with a high-precision PT100 temperature sensor and PID closed-loop control algorithm, the temperature control accuracy can reach ±1℃. Equipped with a liquid level sensor, it automatically replenishes pure water when the liquid level drops due to evaporation.

Persuasiveness：

Optimal chemical reaction window: Different cleaning agents all have their optimal active temperature range (usually 40℃-60℃). Precise temperature control ensures that the chemical efficiency of the cleaning agent is always at its peak, and the cleaning effect is stable and repeatable.

Process consistency: Avoid the attenuation of ultrasonic energy and the deterioration of cleaning effect due to the drop in liquid level or temperature fluctuations, ensuring that the quality of lens cleaning is exactly the same from morning till night and from the previous batch to the next.

3. Intelligent control system based on PLC or industrial control computer：

Technical details: Industrial-grade programmable logic controllers (PLCS) or embedded industrial control computers are adopted as the brain, rather than simple single-chip microcomputers. Equipped with a human-machine interface (HNI) touch screen.

Persuasiveness：

Process formulation: Different cleaning processes (such as "rough cleaning after polishing" and cleaning after coating) can be saved as one-click invoked formulas. Operators cannot arbitrarily change key parameters such as time and temperature, fundamentally eliminating the risk of the entire batch of products being scrapped due to manual operation.

Data traceability and communication: The system can record equipment operation logs, output, fault information, etc., and supports network connection to the factory's MES system, meeting the modern intelligent factory's demand for production data traceability.

4. Materials and Processes: 316 stainless steel, passivation and sealing：

Technical details: The tank body, cover shell and pipes are all made of 316 stainless steel (with better corrosion resistance than 304). All weld seams have undergone polishing and passivation treatment. Use corrosion-resistant and high-temperature resistant sealing materials.

Persuasiveness：

Extra-long service life and purity guarantee: 316L stainless steel can resist the long-term corrosion of various acid and alkali cleaning agents, preventing the tank from rusting and contaminating the cleaning solution. Polishing and passivation treatment eliminate the microscopic gaps at the weld seams, prevent the residue of impurities and the growth of bacteria, and ensure the purity of the cleaning medium.

5. Water-based cleaning agent compatibility and fluid dynamics design:

Technical details: Professional equipment manufacturers will test and adapt to the mainstream water-based cleaning agents in the industry. The structure inside the tank, the nozzle Angle, and the layout of the ultrasonic transducer have all been optimized through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation.

Persuasiveness：

Optimal cleaning efficiency: The optimized fluid design ensures that the cleaning liquid can form an effective circulation convection in the tank, allowing fresh cleaning liquid to fully reach the surface of the workpiece and promptly remove contaminants. This works in synergy with ultrasonic waves to achieve a cleaning effect of "1+1>2".

Environmental protection and safety: Professional equipment is designed for water-based cleaning, helping enterprises phase out outdated ODS (ozone-depleting substances) solvents, making it more environmentally friendly, safer and less costly.