Tuttnauer CSU3BK 3-Gallon Ultrasonic Cleaner with Basket – New
The Tuttnauer CSU3BK Clean & Simple 3-Gallon Ultrasonic Cleaner with Basket is a medium-capacity ultrasonic cleaning system designed for reusable dental instruments, clinical instruments, veterinary tools, laboratory implements, instrument cassettes, and other compatible items requiring effective cleaning before subsequent rinsing, inspection, disinfection, sterilization, or further processing.
With an actual tank capacity of approximately 3.25 gallons / 12.3 L and room for up to three full-size instrument cassettes, the CSU3BK provides substantially greater working capacity than Tuttnauer’s compact 1-gallon systems while maintaining a smaller benchtop footprint than the 6-gallon Clean & Simple family.
The CSU3BK operates at 60 kHz and includes a stainless-steel safety basket for convenient instrument loading and removal. The basket helps keep instruments organized during cleaning and prevents them from resting directly against the bottom of the ultrasonic tank.
Unlike the CSU3H and CSU3HBK configurations, the CSU3BK does not include an integrated heater. This makes it a strong choice for facilities that want convenient basket-based instrument handling but do not require heated cleaning solution.
This Tuttnauer 3-gallon ultrasonic cleaner is sold brand new by American Instrument Exchange and includes the applicable Tuttnauer manufacturer warranty.
Key Features
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Brand-new Tuttnauer Clean & Simple ultrasonic cleaner
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3.25-gallon / 12.3 L actual tank capacity
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Holds up to three full-size instrument cassettes
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60 kHz ultrasonic cleaning frequency
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Stainless-steel safety basket included
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Stainless-steel ultrasonic cleaning tank
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Durable vinyl-clad steel exterior housing
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Medium-capacity benchtop configuration
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Non-heated ultrasonic cleaning
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Suitable for compatible dental, clinical, veterinary, and laboratory instruments
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Compatible with Tuttnauer Clean & Simple ultrasonic enzymatic cleaning tablets
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Manufacturer warranty included
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Available new from American Instrument Exchange
Overview
The Tuttnauer CSU3BK provides an effective balance of instrument capacity, countertop footprint, and convenient instrument handling.
Ultrasonic cleaners use high-frequency sound energy transmitted through a liquid cleaning solution to create microscopic cavitation bubbles. These bubbles repeatedly form and collapse throughout the tank, generating localized cleaning action against submerged surfaces.
Because cavitation occurs throughout the cleaning solution, ultrasonic cleaning can reach many hinges, serrations, joints, grooves, recesses, and other complex instrument surfaces that can be difficult to clean consistently by hand.
The included stainless-steel basket adds convenience to this process by allowing compatible instruments to be loaded and removed as a group while helping prevent direct contact with the bottom of the ultrasonic tank.
Key Specifications
| Specification |
Details |
| Manufacturer |
Tuttnauer |
| Product Line |
Clean & Simple |
| Equipment Type |
Ultrasonic Cleaner with Basket |
| Nominal Size |
3 Gallon |
| Actual Tank Capacity |
3.25 gal. / 12.3 L |
| Ultrasonic Frequency |
60 kHz |
| Cassette Capacity |
Up to 3 Full-Size Cassettes |
| Safety Basket |
Stainless Steel, Included |
| Heater |
No |
| Tank Material |
Stainless Steel |
| Exterior Housing |
Vinyl-Clad Steel |
| Tank Dimensions |
15.5"W × 6"H × 9"D |
| Overall Dimensions |
16.5"W × 12.13"H × 10"D |
| Cleaning Chemistry |
Compatible with appropriate ultrasonic cleaning solutions |
| Condition |
Brand New |
| Warranty |
Tuttnauer Manufacturer Warranty |
Common Applications
The Tuttnauer CSU3BK is designed for cleaning compatible reusable instruments and components before later processing. Common applications include dental instruments, full-size instrument cassettes, reusable clinical tools, veterinary instruments, laboratory implements, stainless-steel components, and other items approved by their manufacturers for ultrasonic cleaning.
Its three-cassette capacity makes it especially useful for moderate-volume facilities that need more throughput than a compact ultrasonic bath can provide but do not require the six-cassette capacity of Tuttnauer’s largest Clean & Simple system.
Ideal Laboratory and Clinical Environments
The CSU3BK is well suited for dental practices, outpatient clinics, medical offices, veterinary practices and hospitals, teaching laboratories, university facilities, research laboratories, biotechnology laboratories, and other environments that routinely clean moderate volumes of reusable instruments.
It can also work well as a dedicated departmental ultrasonic cleaner within a larger facility where instrument volume does not justify a 6-gallon system.
3.25-Gallon / 12.3-Liter Tank Capacity
Tuttnauer markets this platform as its 3-gallon Clean & Simple system, while its published actual tank capacity is approximately 3.25 gallons / 12.3 L.
The stainless-steel tank measures approximately 15.5 inches wide × 6 inches high × 9 inches deep.
This intermediate tank size provides considerably more working room than the compact CSU1 while requiring less counter space and cleaning solution than the CSU6.
For moderate-volume facilities, the CSU3BK can therefore provide an efficient balance between instrument capacity, physical footprint, and daily cleaning-solution requirements.
Holds Up to Three Full-Size Instrument Cassettes
Tuttnauer specifies capacity for up to three full-size instrument cassettes in the 3-gallon Clean & Simple platform.
This makes the CSU3BK particularly useful for practices that already organize reusable instruments into cassette-based sets.
Several instrument sets can be processed during the same ultrasonic cleaning cycle rather than dividing them among multiple smaller batches.
Cassette dimensions and compatibility should be confirmed for the specific cassette system being used.
Stainless-Steel Safety Basket Included
The CSU3BK includes a stainless-steel safety basket as part of its configuration.
The basket helps keep instruments from resting directly against the bottom of the ultrasonic tank and provides a convenient way to load and remove multiple instruments together.
Instead of retrieving individual instruments from the cleaning solution after each cycle, staff can lift the basket and its contents as a group.
For facilities processing multiple instrument sets throughout the day, this can simplify the cleaning workflow and reduce unnecessary instrument handling.
Why Use an Ultrasonic Cleaning Basket?
An ultrasonic basket serves both practical and functional purposes.
It keeps instruments organized during cleaning, facilitates loading and unloading, and helps maintain separation between instruments and the tank bottom.
The basket can also make it easier to drain excess cleaning solution from an instrument load before the items proceed to subsequent rinsing or processing.
For facilities using instrument cassettes or processing several reusable instruments at once, basket-based handling can make ultrasonic cleaning considerably more convenient.
60 kHz Ultrasonic Cleaning
The CSU3BK operates at 60 kHz.
Ultrasonic energy transmitted through the cleaning solution creates microscopic cavitation bubbles throughout the tank. As these bubbles repeatedly form and collapse, they produce localized cleaning action against submerged surfaces.
Because this process occurs throughout the solution, ultrasonic cleaning can reach complex instrument geometry that may be difficult to access through manual cleaning alone.
Tuttnauer describes its 60 kHz Clean & Simple system as providing quieter cleaning power while being less aggressive to instruments than many lower-frequency ultrasonic cleaning systems.
Cleaning Hinges, Serrations and Recessed Surfaces
Reusable instruments frequently contain areas that can retain soils even when the exterior surfaces appear clean.
Hinges, joints, serrations, box locks, grooves, textured areas, and recessed surfaces can be particularly challenging to clean consistently by hand.
Ultrasonic cavitation allows cleaning action to occur throughout the liquid surrounding the instrument, helping loosen contamination from many of these complex surfaces simultaneously.
Ultrasonic cleaning should still be performed according to the instrument manufacturer’s instructions and as part of an appropriate overall cleaning procedure.
Non-Heated Ultrasonic Cleaning
The CSU3BK does not include an integrated heater.
This makes it appropriate for cleaning procedures where elevated solution temperature is unnecessary or where the selected cleaning chemistry is intended to perform effectively without active heating.
Not every ultrasonic cleaning application benefits from added heat. Appropriate cleaning conditions depend on the instruments, materials, type of soil, and cleaning chemistry involved.
Facilities that specifically require heated ultrasonic cleaning should consider the CSU3H or CSU3HBK configurations.
Moderate-Volume Instrument Processing
The CSU3BK occupies an important middle ground in the Clean & Simple family.
Tuttnauer’s 1-gallon platform is designed for smaller instrument loads, while the 6-gallon platform provides high-volume capacity for up to six full-size cassettes.
The CSU3BK provides room for three full-size cassettes while retaining an overall footprint of approximately 16.5 inches wide × 12.13 inches high × 10 inches deep.
For many dental practices, veterinary facilities, and laboratories, this can provide sufficient daily throughput without unnecessarily dedicating additional counter space to a larger system.
Instrument Cassette Cleaning
The CSU3BK is particularly well suited to facilities that organize reusable instruments in full-size cassettes.
Cassette-based workflows can help keep instrument sets together during portions of cleaning and reprocessing while reducing unnecessary individual handling.
With capacity for three full-size cassettes, the CSU3BK allows several instrument sets to undergo ultrasonic cleaning during the same batch.
This can help streamline workflows in practices where instruments move repeatedly between use, cleaning, inspection, packaging, and sterilization.
Ultrasonic Cleaning Before Sterilization
The CSU3BK is an ultrasonic cleaner, not a sterilizer.
Its role is to help remove soils and debris from compatible instruments before whatever additional processing is required for their intended use.
For reusable instruments requiring steam sterilization, ultrasonic cleaning can be incorporated into the cleaning process before autoclaving.
Following ultrasonic cleaning, instruments may still require rinsing, drying, inspection, lubrication, packaging, disinfection, or sterilization according to manufacturer instructions and facility procedures.
Cleaning and Sterilization Are Different Processes
Cleaning removes soils, residues, and other contamination from instrument surfaces.
Sterilization is a separate process used to destroy viable microorganisms when required for the intended use of the instrument.
The CSU3BK therefore does not replace an autoclave.
Instead, an ultrasonic cleaner and appropriately sized Tuttnauer autoclave can perform complementary roles within a complete reusable-instrument processing workflow.
Why Cleaning Matters Before Autoclaving
Effective cleaning is an important step before sterilization.
Proteins, organic debris, chemicals, and other residues can remain attached to instrument surfaces if cleaning is incomplete and can interfere with subsequent processing.
Ultrasonic cleaning helps remove this material from both exposed surfaces and complex instrument geometry before instruments are inspected, packaged, and sterilized.
Tuttnauer Clean & Simple Enzymatic Cleaning Tablets
Tuttnauer offers Clean & Simple ultrasonic enzymatic cleaning tablets for use with its ultrasonic cleaning systems.
The tablets dissolve in a water-filled ultrasonic tank to create the working cleaning solution. Tuttnauer describes the formulation as non-ionic, non-corrosive, non-toxic, biodegradable, and non-caustic, with enzymatic action designed to help break down protein-containing soils.
The tablet format can simplify storage and solution preparation compared with handling larger containers of liquid concentrate.
Facilities should follow current Tuttnauer instructions for the appropriate tablet quantity, solution volume, exposure time, replacement schedule, and operating conditions.
Stainless-Steel Cleaning Tank
The CSU3BK uses a stainless-steel ultrasonic cleaning tank designed for repeated instrument-processing cycles.
Stainless steel provides a durable, cleanable surface suitable for dental, clinical, veterinary, and laboratory environments.
Only cleaning solutions appropriate for ultrasonic use and compatible with both the tank and instruments should be used.
Flammable liquids, inappropriate solvents, and incompatible chemicals should not be introduced into the ultrasonic cleaner.
Durable Vinyl-Clad Steel Housing
Tuttnauer surrounds the stainless-steel tank with a durable vinyl-clad steel exterior housing.
The housing is designed to resist routine scratching while providing a surface that is easy to maintain.
Combined with the relatively compact footprint, this makes the CSU3BK practical for busy benchtop instrument-processing areas where equipment is used and cleaned frequently.
Quiet Operation
Tuttnauer emphasizes quieter operation as a benefit of its 60 kHz Clean & Simple ultrasonic systems.
This can be particularly useful in dental offices, medical practices, veterinary facilities, laboratories, and teaching environments where the cleaner is located near occupied work areas.
For equipment that may run several times throughout the day, operating noise can become an important practical consideration.
CSU3BK vs. CSU3HBK
Both configurations include the stainless-steel safety basket.
The CSU3HBK additionally includes an integrated heater, while the CSU3BK is the non-heated basket configuration.
Facilities requiring both heated cleaning and basket-based handling should choose the CSU3HBK. Facilities that do not require active heating may prefer the simpler CSU3BK.
CSU3BK vs. CSU3H
The CSU3BK and CSU3H emphasize different features.
The CSU3BK includes the stainless-steel safety basket without an integrated heater.
The CSU3H provides the heater without the included basket.
The appropriate configuration depends on whether convenient basket-based handling or heated cleaning is more important to the facility’s established workflow.
CSU3BK vs. Standard CSU3
The standard CSU3 provides the same basic tank capacity, three-cassette capability, and 60 kHz ultrasonic cleaning platform without the included basket.
The CSU3BK adds the stainless-steel safety basket.
For customers who know they want basket-based instrument handling from the beginning, the CSU3BK provides a more complete ready-to-use configuration.
CSU3BK vs. Tuttnauer CSU1
The compact CSU1 has approximately 0.85 gallon / 3.2 L of actual tank capacity and is designed for smaller loads and up to two half-size cassettes.
The CSU3 platform provides 3.25 gallons / 12.3 L of capacity and room for up to three full-size cassettes.
For facilities that process full-size cassettes or have outgrown small-batch ultrasonic cleaning, the CSU3BK provides a significant increase in usable capacity.
CSU3BK vs. Tuttnauer CSU6
The CSU6 platform provides approximately 6.5 gallons / 24.6 L of actual tank capacity and holds up to six full-size cassettes.
The CSU3BK provides half the cassette capacity in a substantially smaller system.
High-volume centralized instrument-processing areas may benefit from the CSU6, while moderate-volume practices and laboratories may find the CSU3BK provides a better balance of throughput, footprint, and cleaning-solution volume.
Choosing the Right Tuttnauer Ultrasonic Cleaner
Selecting the right Tuttnauer Clean & Simple system depends primarily on expected instrument volume, cassette size, available counter space, and accessory requirements.
The 1-gallon family is designed for smaller instrument loads and half-size cassettes. The 3-gallon family provides room for three full-size cassettes and fills the middle-capacity range. The 6-gallon family provides high-capacity processing for up to six full-size cassettes.
Within the 3-gallon family, customers can choose the basic configuration, a basket-equipped version, a heater-equipped version, or the complete basket-and-heater configuration.
Brand-New Tuttnauer Equipment from American Instrument Exchange
American Instrument Exchange supplies this Tuttnauer 3-gallon ultrasonic cleaner brand new with the applicable Tuttnauer manufacturer warranty.
Purchasing new Tuttnauer equipment through AIE allows dental practices, veterinary facilities, clinics, research laboratories, universities, and other organizations to source ultrasonic cleaning equipment alongside Tuttnauer autoclaves and other laboratory equipment through a single supplier.
Customers building or upgrading an instrument-processing area can also compare the complete 1-, 3-, and 6-gallon Clean & Simple families to select a system with the appropriate combination of capacity and accessories.
Pairing the CSU3BK with a Tuttnauer Autoclave
The CSU3BK can serve as the cleaning stage in a broader reusable-instrument processing workflow.
Compatible instruments can first undergo ultrasonic cleaning to remove soils and debris. After appropriate rinsing, drying, inspection, and packaging, instruments requiring sterilization can then be processed in a properly sized Tuttnauer autoclave.
For facilities processing instruments throughout the day, matching cleaning and sterilization capacity can help prevent bottlenecks and improve overall instrument turnaround.
Related Equipment
Facilities purchasing the Tuttnauer CSU3BK may also require Tuttnauer Clean & Simple cleaning tablets, instrument cassettes, tabletop autoclaves, water purification equipment, laboratory glassware washers, and other instrument-processing accessories.
American Instrument Exchange also supplies new and refurbished laboratory equipment for sterilization, sample preparation, centrifugation, cell culture, cold storage, and general laboratory applications.
Tuttnauer CSU3BK 3-Gallon Ultrasonic Cleaner FAQs
What is the Tuttnauer CSU3BK?
The CSU3BK is the basket-equipped configuration of Tuttnauer’s 3-gallon Clean & Simple ultrasonic cleaning system.
What is the actual tank capacity?
Tuttnauer specifies approximately 3.25 gallons / 12.3 L of actual tank capacity.
What ultrasonic frequency does it use?
The Clean & Simple system operates at 60 kHz.
How many instrument cassettes does it hold?
The 3-gallon platform accommodates up to three full-size instrument cassettes.
Does the CSU3BK include a basket?
Yes. This configuration includes a stainless-steel safety basket.
Does it include a heater?
No. The CSU3BK is the basket-equipped, non-heated configuration.
What are the tank dimensions?
The tank measures approximately 15.5"W × 6"H × 9"D.
What are the overall dimensions?
The unit measures approximately 16.5"W × 12.13"H × 10"D.
Why is the ultrasonic basket useful?
The basket helps organize instruments, prevents direct placement against the tank bottom, and makes loading and removal more convenient.
Can the CSU3BK hold full-size cassettes?
Yes. Tuttnauer specifies capacity for up to three full-size cassettes.
Can it clean dental instruments?
Yes. Dental instrument cleaning is one of the primary applications for the Clean & Simple ultrasonic cleaner family.
Can laboratories use the CSU3BK?
Yes. It can be used for compatible laboratory instruments, tools, stainless-steel components, and other items suitable for ultrasonic cleaning.
Is it suitable for veterinary instruments?
Yes, provided the instruments and cleaning procedures are compatible with ultrasonic cleaning.
Does the CSU3BK sterilize instruments?
No. It is a cleaning system and does not replace an autoclave or another required sterilization process.
Can it be used before autoclaving?
Yes. When appropriate for the instruments involved, ultrasonic cleaning can be part of the cleaning process before steam sterilization.
Can Tuttnauer Clean & Simple tablets be used?
Yes. Tuttnauer offers Clean & Simple enzymatic tablets for use with its ultrasonic cleaning systems.
Is heat required for ultrasonic cleaning?
No. Many ultrasonic cleaning procedures can be performed without active heating. The correct conditions depend on the cleaning chemistry and instruments involved.
What is the difference between the CSU3BK and CSU3HBK?
Both include a basket, but the CSU3HBK additionally includes an integrated heater.
What is the difference between the CSU3BK and CSU3H?
The CSU3BK includes a basket without heat, while the CSU3H provides heat without the included basket.
What is the difference between the CSU3BK and standard CSU3?
The CSU3BK includes the stainless-steel safety basket, while the standard CSU3 is the basic configuration.
How does the CSU3 compare with the CSU1?
The CSU3 accommodates up to three full-size cassettes, while the CSU1 is designed for smaller instrument loads and up to two half-size cassettes.
How does the CSU3 compare with the CSU6?
The CSU3 holds up to three full-size cassettes, while the CSU6 holds up to six.
Is this Tuttnauer ultrasonic cleaner brand new?
Yes. American Instrument Exchange sells this unit as brand-new equipment.
Does it include a warranty?
Yes. It includes the applicable Tuttnauer manufacturer warranty.
