I am looking to pick up and ultrasonic cleaner for use at my range and retail store.  We have a full time gunsmith and we offer cleaning services so I'm interested in offering that with the use of an ultrasonic cleaner.

How well do they clean?  

Is there anything I need to watch out for?  

Is it ok to clean aluminum and polymer?

Is there anything else I should know?

I have a Lyman cleaner and it works very well. I just drop my dirty parts in and hit the longest cycle and the crud floats to the surface. I use the Lyman Turbo Sonic cleaner with it. I haven't tried anything aluminum or poly, but it definitely cuts down on cleaning time. Firing pins, bolts, etc. all come out clean, and I put them in the oven for a few minutes to thoroughly dry them afterwards.

If i have a gun i run suppressed, i do a quick wipe down prior to using the sonic cleaner. It's not a miracle cleaning tool, where you insert gun (in pcs) and it comes out like a new gun, all the time.

How much does your business plan to charge for said cleaning service? That will give you a base line for an investment. They are not cheap and require cleaning, based on use. I suggest you have ventilation over the cleaner, have the person doing the cleaning wear a good fitting N95 or other quality respirator (not those cheap green / blue) multi fold pcs of crap.
Good fitting nitrile or latex gloves for handling items before and after.. Have a place where you can dump the residual from the cleaner. As it will contain lead.

For hand guns i've had good luck using liquid tide. BUT i'm not a business and have a fixed income.


http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/professional-cleaning-systems/ultrasonic-cleaning-kits/turbo-sonic-power-professional-ultrasonic-cleaner-prod56028.aspx

http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/professional-cleaning-systems/ultrasonic-cleaning-kits/f1200ht-ultrasonic-cleaning-system-prod26431.aspx

Some sonic cleaners can damage some finishes, I have a medical grade sonic cleaner that will strip chrome off if left in there too long!

Yup!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE sonic cleaners BUT you ( OP ) must understand that little bitty bubbles are incredibly powerful.  They can beat the paint off of metal pretty quickly.    I have been meaning to experiment with paint into park finishes to see how they hold up...but paint over metal?  No contest...bubbles win.  I also want to see how CeraKote on a properly blasted but otherwise clean finish will hold up.  I CeraKote over park....this is one reason I do....BUT, I still don't know how well it will hold up in a sonic tank in either condition.