Bursting Bubbles: How Silicone Foam Control Products Help Improve Manufacturing Efficiency
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Perched on a cup of cappuccino or a glass of beer, foam can be pleasing. But in a manufacturing process, foam can cause vessels to overflow, increasing maintenance costs and processing time, and reducing production efficiency.
“Controlling foam promotes smooth, efficient operations, maximizes return on investment in processing equipment and raw materials, and helps in the production of consistent, high-quality products, ”said Don Buchalski, global product market manager for the XIAMETER® brand from Dow Corning.
There are two ways to control foam: destroy it with a defoamer, or prevent it with an antifoam product.
In either case, products such as XIAMETER® silicone foam control agents penetrate a foam bubble wall, spreading the liquid-gas interface, and causing the bubble wall to become unstable and collapse.
This can reduce production costs and improve overall efficiency in many industries around the world - from food processing to general industrial manufacturing.
“Antifoam products should be formulated to have minimal impact - other than foam suppression. Generally, the smaller the amount of antifoam required, the less impact there will be on the product,” Buchalski said.
Buchalski continued, “This is one reason why silicone products are frequently the first choice for combating foam in industrial processes. They are efficient, long-lasting, and can be used as defoamers and antifoams.”
XIAMETER brand silicone foam control agents are available as fluids, compounds and emulsions, and powders, and are suitable for use in both aqueous and non-aqueous systems.
Check out XIAMETER® AFE-1510 and AFE-1520 Antifoams for food processing applications (available globally) or XIAMETER® AFE-1410 and AFE-1430 Antifoams for general industrial manufacturing (available globally except for Europe, where XIAMETER® AFE-0110 and AFE-0310 Antifoams are available).
