Information & Advice for the foam party operator
Types of Foam Machine
There are three main types of foam machine but all work in basically the same way (see previous). These machines can be grouped by their generic terms, namely;
Foam Generator; Foam Cannon; Snow Machine
A foam generator produces the largest volume of foam, needs to be suspended above the area to be filled, and basically pours masses of foam onto the dance floor effectively flooding it with a sea of foam. The foam from these machines is usually wetter than that of a foam cannon or snow machine and it tends to pour and move, not unlike lava! With outputs up to 250,000 litres per minute, if volume or a fixed installation is what you are looking for, then a foam generator is probably your machine of choice.
A foam cannon typically produces lower volumes of foam than a foam generator and is floor mounted, usually on a movable stand, shooting the foam over the heads of the audience and because of this these machines are obviously easier to set-up than a generator. Due to their easy of installation these machines are favoured by rental companies and foam party operators. Cannons can “blow” the foam from 2 to 8m and produce volumes of foam typically between 20,000 and 80,000 litres per minute.
The final type of machine is commonly known as a snow machine but some have such a large output that they cross over the border between a snow machine and a foam cannon. These machines are either floor mounted on a stand or flown above the audience from standard hanging brackets. The foam is produced in a small cloth sock and this is then blown off the sock by a second fan or wind source creating 1000’s of small “clumps” of foam float and drift like simulated snow flakes. Typically these machines can blow the snow up to 8 or 10 meters.