Foam cannon
A foam cannon attaches to a pressure washer and lays a thick layer of cleaning foam over a car so dirt is loosened before any contact washing.
What it means
A foam cannon is a bottle-and-nozzle attachment that connects to a pressure washer. Inside it, the high-pressure water stream is mixed with a measured dose of snow-foam shampoo and forced through a mesh screen, which aerates the mix into a thick, clinging foam. The cannon then sprays that foam over the whole car. Because the foam holds its position on vertical panels rather than running straight off, it dwells on the surface for several minutes and gives the shampoo time to soften and release road grime and dust. A foam cannon should not be confused with a foam gun, which works off a normal garden hose at low pressure and produces a thinner, wetter foam. The cannon needs the pressure washer to do its job. The thickness and dwell time of the foam are adjustable through the nozzle dial and the dilution ratio, which lets the detailer match the foam to how dirty the car is.
Why it matters in Singapore
Singapore's heat and frequent rain mean a car picks up film and grit fast, and dragging that grit across paint by hand is what causes swirl marks. A foam cannon lets the grime be lifted chemically first, so the contact wash that follows touches a far cleaner surface, which protects coated and darker-coloured paint that shows defects easily.
How Revol Carz handles this
Revol Carz uses a foam cannon on its detailed grooming and wash work, applying a thick foam layer before any mitt touches the paint. The foam dwells, the surface is pressure-rinsed, and only the residual contamination is left for the contact wash.