Foam Machines - Possible solutions?

[tommylong]

Hello, we run a 1200 capacity student night club and we're hoping to run a foam party in February.

 

Usually we would use a largeish, mobile foam cannon based on wheels (http://www.strong.es/en/11000012.html) but this requires the use of our stage. We would like to come up with a solution that means we can still use our stage.

 

I know there is the option of putting a foam machine outside and using ducting to transport the foam inside but I am more interested in the idea of hanging multiple smallish foam machines from our lighting rig.

 

The solution we go for needs to be relatively cheap (we usually pay around £500 for hire of the big cannon, this solution needs to be around the same or less). I see you can get the foam smallish machines for around £100 (http://www.djkit.co.uk/acatalog/foam_snow_machines.html). Are these any good? Any other ideas?

 

Thanks,

Tommy

[Ike]

I'd stay away from the smaller "cannons" (soundlab etc) for professional foam parties as you'd end up using that many of them it simply wouldn't be cost effective, you'd also have the problems of filling tanks etc.

 

MBN do a number of professional units that are similar to the strong one you mention however are designed to be flown. Have a look at the MBN F-300 and MBN FC-500, the 300 is cheaper and has a slightly higher output while the 500 projects the foam over a longer distance. They are just as common (if not more so) than the Strong units so you shouldn't have any difficulty finding one to hire.

[tommylong]

Well, our rental of a Strong cannon is around £500 and it holds 25 litres of fluid. Each Soundlab machine is around £30-£50 hire and holds 5 litres of fluid.

 

I'm not saying you're wrong about the economic viability I'm just a bit confused as it seems like I'd get more foam for my money with small cannons and it would also solve my issue (and it's also cheaper!). I'd probably get around 10-12 small cannons (I can't see but are they DMX controlled? Would be lovely if they were) and since they give 5 minutes output each use them one by one or in pairs to get an hour's worth of foam (the venue is open for 4 hours).

[Ike]

In the soundlab machines 5 litters of fluid will produce around 3 cubic meters of foam, in the strong cannons it will produce about 40 cubic meters! This is because the strong cannons use a concentrate and the soundlab (and similar) machines use a premix.

 

 

So yeah, my calculation is that 67 soundlab machines = 1 strong machine :P