Ultrasonics Direct

What Ultrasonics Direct does

Ultrasonics Direct is the consumer-facing brand of SharperTek, a privately held manufacturer of ultrasonic cleaning systems headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan. The company designs and builds benchtop, industrial, medical, firearms, jewelry, automotive, and specialty ultrasonic cleaners, plus vapor degreasers, ultrasonic plastic welders, conveyor parts washers, high-pressure robotic deburring and ceramic de-shelling machines, immersion transducers, and a line of cleaning chemicals. Underlying technology centers on high-frequency acoustic cavitation enhanced by proprietary Ultrasonic Sweep Technology, piezoelectric transducers (e.g., 20 units with a 1000W generator at 40/135 kHz on the STM1500), programmable logic controllers with color-touchscreen HMI, and, in medical units, automatic lumen irrigation with closed-loop pressure feedback validated to AAMI TIR 30:2011 and ANSI/AAMI ST81:2004:2010 for DaVinci SI/XI surgical instruments.

The business is direct-to-consumer e-commerce first: the website carries a full product catalog with shopping-cart checkout for standard units ($236-$665 tabletop, $6,600-$10,580 industrial) and email-driven quotes for custom-built equipment ($137,500 automated multi-tank up to $850,000 robotic ceramic de-shelling systems). Recurring revenue comes from specialty cleaning chemicals (SC20 degreaser, SC31 scale remover, SC52 oxide stripper, SC75 paint remover, Shellac-Buster, gun lubricant) sold by the gallon. No distributor or reseller network is documented beyond an "Approved Distributors" page, and social-media, paid-ad, and content-marketing channels are absent from the data set.

Customers span industrial manufacturing and medical/healthcare as primary verticals (the latter anchored to validated surgical-instrument cleaning), with secondary segments in firearms, jewelry/consumer, and automotive and small-engine repair. Documented end-users are predominantly SMBs and individual professionals (e.g., Manx Motors, a carburetor-cleaning auto shop) rather than named enterprise accounts. The firm operates at 11-50 employees, holds no disclosed outside investment, and reports its operating geography solely as the United States despite "premier global manufacturer" marketing language.

Name

Ultrasonics Direct

Legal name

Ultrasonics Direct

Website

https://ultrasonicsdirect.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ultrasonics Direct, operating as SharperTek, is a privately held Michigan-based manufacturer and direct-to-consumer seller of ultrasonic cleaning systems, vapor degreasers, ultrasonic welders, high-pressure robotic deburring machines, and cleaning chemicals serving industrial, medical, firearms, automotive, and jewelry customers primarily in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaning Equipment

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842)

akta.pro primary industry

Parts Washing & Degreasing Equipment (IMAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Surface Preparation Equipment (Shot Blasting, Scarifiers, Grinders) (IMAHALAL)

Keywords

• Ultrasonic cleaning systems
• Industrial parts washers
• Medical instrument cleaners
• Ultrasonic plastic welders
• Vapor degreasing equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Pontiac

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ultrasonic Cleaning Equipment Sales: One-time hardware sales of ultrasonic cleaners ranging from small tabletop units ($236-$665) to large industrial systems ($10,580-$285,000). Includes medical, industrial, gun cleaning, jewelry, and carburetor cleaning systems.
2. Custom Machine Manufacturing: Bespoke custom-made ultrasonic cleaning systems manufactured to customer specifications. Quote-based pricing through email inquiry.
3. Cleaning Chemical Solutions: Specialty cleaning chemicals including SC20 degreaser, SC31 scale remover, SC52 oxide stripper, SC75 paint/coating remover, Shellac-Buster, and jewelry cleaning solutions sold in gallon quantities.
4. Accessories and Components: Replacement parts, baskets, ultrasonic horns, transducers, generators, and welding components. Includes ultrasonic horns in various sizes ($850-$1,102) and gun cleaning solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Ultrasonics Direct (operating as SharperTek) designs, manufactures, and sells ultrasonic cleaning systems for industrial, medical, firearms, jewelry, and automotive applications, ranging from small tabletop cleaners ($236–$665) to large automated multi-tank industrial systems ($137,500–$850,000). The portfolio also includes ultrasonic plastic welders, vapor degreasers, conveyorized tunnel parts washers, cabinet spray washers, high-pressure deburring machines, immersion transducers, and specialty cleaners for blinds, golf clubs, optics, silicon wafers, and stencils, complemented by a line of cleaning chemicals and custom machine fabrication services.

Product overview

Ultrasonics Direct operates as the consumer-facing brand for SharperTek, a premier global manufacturer of custom ultrasonic cleaning systems headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The product portfolio centers on industrial ultrasonic cleaners (ranging from compact tabletop units to large multi-tank automated systems), ultrasonic gun and weapons cleaners, medical ultrasonic cleaners (including SteraClean, SteraTek, and Sterasonic lines for surgical and dental instruments), vapor degreasers, ultrasonic plastic welders, conveyorized tunnel parts washers, cabinet spray washers, high-pressure deburring machines, and specialized equipment for blind cleaning, golf club cleaning, optical/silicon wafer cleaning, and cell disruption. The company also offers a comprehensive range of ultrasonic cleaning chemicals, immersion transducers, horns, and custom machine fabrication services. Products are manufactured primarily in Michigan, USA, with many featuring sweep technology for enhanced cleaning performance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SharperTek®: The primary brand name and manufacturer identity for ultrasonic cleaning systems, ultrasonic parts degreasers, plastic welding systems, and related equipment.

Products and services

• Table Top Ultrasonic Cleaners Compact benchtop ultrasonic cleaning units in tank lengths from 3" to 24", including heated and unheated models with sweep technology, high-frequency 80KHZ/120KHZ versions, and dedicated carburetor cleaning systems. Designed for small parts, jewelry, and light-duty cleaning in shops and homes.
• Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaners Heavy-duty ultrasonic cleaning systems for industrial parts washing, including automatic cleaners with weir and spray jets (e.g., 40-gallon), power-lift models with agitation, economy units, multi-tank configurations, and automated multi-tank systems with gantry. Built for machine shops and manufacturing facilities.
• Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner Specialized ultrasonic cleaners for firearms, available in dual-tank and single-tank configurations with tank sizes from 27" to 78". Used by gun shops, armorers, shooting ranges, and individual firearm owners for cleaning handguns, pistols, and rifles.
• Medical Ultrasonic Cleaners Ultrasonic cleaning systems for medical and surgical instrument reprocessing, including cannulated instruments, DaVinci SI/XI robotic surgical tools, dental instruments, and lumen instruments. Designed for hospitals, surgical centers, and medical device reprocessing departments.
• SteraClean Medical Ultrasonic Cleaner Medical ultrasonic cleaner with lumen instrument irrigation system, automatic enzymatic pump, and touchscreen color control for adjustable concentration. Targeted at hospitals and surgical centers needing validated cleaning of cannulated instruments (STM1100 priced at $28,175; STM1500 at $33,500).
• SteraTek Medical Ultrasonic Cleaner Medical ultrasonic cleaning system for surgical instruments, part of the SteraClean/SteraTek/Sterasonic medical family, designed for sterile processing departments and surgical centers.
• Sterasonic Medical Ultrasonic Cleaner Medical ultrasonic cleaning system for surgical and laboratory instruments, completing the Steraclean/SteraTek/Sterasonic medical product family used in sterile processing and lab environments.
• Ultrasonic and Vapor Degreasers Two-stage vapor degreaser systems with refrigerated cooling (RC and US-RC models) in capacities from 7 to 85 gallons for industrial parts degreasing applications.
• Ultrasonic Plastic Welders

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% or more of ceramic shell removed in single operation with waterjet de-shelling system
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Crest Ultrasonics: Crest manufactures a broad line of ultrasonic cleaning equipment for industrial, medical, dental, and laboratory applications, including validated cleaners for surgical instruments. Closely overlaps SharperTek's product architecture and customer segments, and is one of the longest-standing direct competitors.
• Tovatech: Tovatech distributes and supplies benchtop and industrial ultrasonic cleaners, including medical/lab-grade systems, plus cleaning chemistries. Closely comparable to SharperTek's tabletop-through-industrial portfolio and chemicals business.
• BlueWave Ultrasonics: BlueWave designs and builds ultrasonic cleaning systems for industrial, medical, and precision manufacturing markets in the United States. Comparable custom-engineered approach and similar positioning to SharperTek's industrial and medical lines.
• International Cleaning Equipment (ICE): ICE manufactures industrial parts washing systems, including aqueous and ultrasonic-based cabinet, conveyor, and custom washers. Directly comparable to SharperTek's industrial, conveyorized tunnel, and cabinet spray washer product lines.
• Branson Ultrasonics (Emerson): Branson is the largest ultrasonic cleaning and ultrasonic welding equipment manufacturer globally, part of Emerson's automation portfolio. Directly competes with SharperTek across industrial parts cleaning, medical/surgical instrument cleaning, and ultrasonic plastics welding, serving the same OEM and industrial customer base.
• Jenfab Cleaning Solutions: Jenfab builds aqueous and ultrasonic industrial parts washing equipment, including conveyor and cabinet systems, for U.S. manufacturers. Overlaps SharperTek's industrial parts washer SKUs and competes for the same machining and metal-finishing customers.
• L&R Manufacturing: L&R (L&R Ultrasonics) supplies ultrasonic cleaning equipment and solutions for jewelry, dental, medical, and industrial customers, including consumable cleaning chemistries. Overlaps SharperTek's jewelry-cleaner and medical/ultrasonic lines and competes for similar SMB and specialty customers.

Broad incumbents

• STERIS: STERIS is a large medical and life-sciences sterilization and cleaning equipment provider with hospital-focused sales, service, and validation infrastructure. Competes with SharperTek in medical/surgical instrument cleaning, but as part of a far broader infection-prevention portfolio.
• Mettler-Toledo: Mettler-Toledo is a global precision instruments company that supplies laboratory ultrasonic cleaners and homogenizers (e.g., Sonics series). Competes in the laboratory cell-disruption/cleaner niche of SharperTek's catalog, but as one product within a much larger analytical and lab-instrument portfolio.

Regional players

• Ultrawave: UK-based manufacturer of ultrasonic cleaning equipment for laboratory, medical, dental, and industrial applications. Comparable product portfolio to SharperTek, but primarily serving EMEA rather than the U.S. market where SharperTek operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ultrasonics-direct

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ultrasonics Direct