Manufacturers

Irion

Foam guns and sealant tools

Items: 2
Categories: 4
Headquarters: Hösbach, Germany

What are you looking for?

Construction Foam & PU Foam 2 Foam Guns & Foam Cleaners 2 Tools, Decorating Supplies & Safety Equipment 1 Foam Guns 1

About Irion

Irion from Hösbach near Aschaffenburg builds tools for processing sealants and adhesives. From this range we stock the Metall Lite XL foam gun with a length of 60 centimetres – a tool for places that cannot be reached with a normal gun: high connections, deep joints, cavities behind cladding.

What distinguishes a foam gun from a straw can

With straw foam, the thumb determines the quantity, and the can has to be used up in one go once started. A foam gun instead has a needle valve: the trigger opens it, a dosing screw limits the stroke. This allows the quantity to be set finely, the work to be interrupted at will and the started can to stay screwed on until it is empty.

The length is the real reason for this tool. With a 60 centimetre barrel, the Metall Lite XL reaches overhead connections, deep reveals and cavities without the can itself having to go there. According to the product data, the mechanism sits in a metal housing with galvanised cage, the can adapter is robustly built, and the offset barrel gives the gun stability. Fine dosing is done via a metal screw – a point where plastic threads are the first to give up in everyday building-site use.

Selection guide: the Irion range with us

Irion range at Baustoff-Held
Product	Design	Purpose	Special feature
Metall Lite XL foam gun	Metal housing, 60 cm barrel	high connections, deep joints, cavities	Galvanised cage · metal screw for fine dosing

A foam gun does not die of wear

The most common reason a foam gun becomes unusable is not a defect but cured foam in the valve. It forms when the can is unscrewed and atmospheric moisture reaches the residue in the tool. That is why the rule applies: either leave the can screwed on until it is empty, or flush with cleaner immediately after unscrewing it. There is no in-between.

Cured PU foam can no longer be dissolved chemically, only mechanically – which is why the minute after the last pull of the trigger decides the life of the tool. Cleaner only dissolves fresh foam. PU foam cures through atmospheric moisture, and once cured it is insensitive to solvents – which is the very property for which it is used, and at the same time the one that destroys tools. A gun cleaner therefore only flushes what is still liquid. If you leave the gun overnight with the can screwed on, you have a ready-to-use tool the next morning; if you unscrew it and put the cleaning off until later, you have a spare part.

What tradespeople use the gun for

Foaming window and door connections in a controlled way
Reaching high and hard-to-reach connections
Filling deep reveals and cavities
Setting the amount of foam finely
Using started cans over several days

Products from Irion

Irion Metall Lite XL foam gun with 60 cm barrel — **Metall Lite XL** – 60 cm barrel

Good to know

Based in Hösbach. According to the published product safety information, Irion Vertriebs GmbH is based at Frohnradstraße 17 in 63768 Hösbach.
Metal instead of plastic at the load points. The can adapter, cage and dosing screw are the places where a foam gun fails first – according to the product data, they are made of metal here.
The adapter is standardised. Gun foam cans have a uniform thread; straw foam does not fit a gun and vice versa. When buying the foam, look for the designation “gun foam”.
The foam comes from elsewhere. We stock gun foams in fire classes B1 to B3 from Soudal; application guns for cartridges and foil bags from Soraton.
Shake before attaching. A can that has not been shaken sufficiently delivers uneven foam with a poorer yield – regardless of the tool.

Frequently asked questions about Irion

Why a 60 centimetre barrel?

So that the hand does not have to go where the foam has to go. With high window connections, deep reveals and cavities behind cladding, reach is the limiting factor – a short barrel forces you onto the ladder or to remove the cladding. According to the product data, the offset barrel of the Metall Lite XL also gives additional stability, so that it does not bend while working.

How do I clean the gun properly?

While the foam in the tool is still liquid. The empty can is unscrewed, a can of gun cleaner is attached and flushed through until clear liquid comes out. If you unscrew the can and postpone the cleaning, you will find cured foam in the valve the next day – and it can no longer be dissolved chemically. The alternative is to leave the started can screwed on.

Can I use any foam can?

Only cans marked as gun foam. They have a screw thread that fits the adapter of the gun. Straw foam has an attachment for the supplied straw instead and cannot be screwed on. The fire class and the yield are printed on the respective can and do not depend on the tool.

How do I dose the amount of foam?

Via the dosing screw at the end of the handle: it limits how far the valve can open. For fine work it is almost closed, for generous filling it is opened. The trigger then only regulates within this range. As a general rule when foaming: better too little and top up – PU foam expands as it cures and otherwise pushes frames and linings out of shape.