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I'd be very scared of IPA in an ultrasonic cleaner. Sounds like a recipe for a fire. Or is your machine perhaps designed for safe IPA cleaning?

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jdietrich 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

A few companies do make ultrasonic cleaners that are designed for flammable solvents, but they aren't common.

The easiest option is to just fill a plastic food bag with solvent, throw your part in, seal it with a clip and float it in your ultrasonic bath. The bag contains the vapour for safety, and it's easy to switch between different solvents and solutions.

	▲	0_____0 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		That's a quite elegant solution I hadn't considered before.
	▲	adolph 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		That is next generation sous vide. Just controlling temperature is ho-hum. Getting it to just the right ultrasonic vibration to "cross-modulate the adipose frequency" is next level. And someone is already doing it: https://besservacuum.com/en/ultrasonic-food-treatment-machin...

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benjijay 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I'm scrolling before coffee and initially took your acronym as India Pale Ale, which would certainly be a different cleaning experience...

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hilbert42 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I've used both EtOH and propan-2-ol (IPA) for decades in ultrasonic cleaners both at room temperature and heated (quite warm to feel but not boiling hot) and never had a problem with fire.

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Retr0id 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Do ultrasonic cleaners get hot?

	▲	adlpz 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		I've run isopropyl alcohol in an ultrasonic cleaner. It did get significantly hot after a while. And smelly, so it was surely aerosoling (is that a word?) somewhat. I did it outdoors and away from anything that could catch fire because it felt rightly sketchy.
	▲	numpad0 2 days ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		It's basically an industrial ultrasonic humidifier attached to the bottom of a buffet tray. And it does get warm.
	▲	bradyd a day ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		A lot of ultrasonic cleaners have a heating element.
	▲	actionfromafar 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Typically not (though some have heaters you can apply) but they atomize the fluid pretty well. The tiniest spark (static electricity) and some bad luck and you have the lid shooting into the roof and then a fire. As with everything, if you know what you are doing, go ahead.

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nullc 20 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Even more spicy is vapor phase cleaning... evaporate the solvent, condense on the part to be cleaned suspended above it. Very effective since the impurities are constantly distilled out.

Also kinda explody.

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lightedman a day ago | parent | prev [-]

The machine doesn't get hotter than 50C. IPA isnt igniting at that temp.