TICAP Foam

What Titanium Cleaning Foam is and does

INASMET’s Titanium Cleaning and Passivation Foam (TICAP Foam) is a proven product with unique patented attributes that deliver unprecedented titanium restoration, cleaning and passivation performance, especially when applied in-situ. 

TICAP Foam is applicable to a wide range of applications -architectural, aerospace, household, medical, sport gear, etc-. Shown below, is its restoration application to the complex Titanium curtain wall covering the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain.

Applying the product

Collecting the foam by aspiration

Progress after the application of the foam is clear

Benefits of using Metal Cleaning Foam

TICAP Foam is the only safe, effective, efficient, economical and environmentally friendly product available today for restoring and cleaning titanium surfaces without altering their surface appearance or characteristics. It is especially easy to apply in situ, with minimal site intrusion and clean up. 

1. Safe & Effective: TICAP preserves titanium's appeal. Without modifying the corrosion resistance, finish or brightness of the base surface, it restores the original luster and beauty marred by dirtiness or oxidation. It is equally suitable for polished surfaces with esthetic requirements and/or delicate finished parts.
2. Efficient: TICAP is quick and reaches hard to access places with ease. It is applied rapidly in situ by spray gun over wide areas of simple or complex shapes. Its foam sticks to the surface to avoid the waste as well as uncontrolled splatter, dribble and/or streaking of other treatments. In just one to five minutes the foam is removed and the surface water-rinsed, leaving a fully restored surface with minimal site intrusion.
3. Economical: TICAP’s core cost elements are very low. Its ingredients are readily available and inexpensive, costing pennies/sq ft. Its associated labor costs are low, requiring a single person with minimal training. Its greatly reduces the high waste levels of liquid sprays or dump baths.
4. Environmentally friendly: TICAP has minimal environmental impact. Its patented process immediately and automatically neutralizes the ingredients in situ.

An interesting origin for TICAP Foam

TICAP Foam was originally developed jointly with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, to maintain the natural beauty of its 42,875 titanium sheets in situ. Few can doubt that the building of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has marked a before and after in terms of the image of this Basque city.

One of the elements making a powerful contribution to its original appearance is the material used to face it. This was done with titanium which, in the form of thin rectangular sheets applied in a “fish-scale” manner, covers most of the external surface of the building. Its use in this project, designed by Frank Gehry, was a novelty in itself but, for this very reason, nobody knew what lay in store for it or what would be the appropriate process for cleaning it.

When it started to become clear that the external appearance of the museum was changing, help was sought from INASMET-Tecnalia, a Technological Center of excellence in the subject of materials and their processing. The color of the superb titanium sheets had darkened and the rain had left its mark on them in the form of red and brown stains showing the trail of the rainwater as it trickled down the walls of the building.

The analyses carried out by INASMET-Tecnalia showed that, owing to the action of atmospheric agents, a modification had occurred in the natural film of titanium oxide to a depth of just a few nanometers.

Mechanical methods could not be applied for restoring the coating to its original appearance. It was also not considered advisable to dismantle the parts and send them for treatment elsewhere, or to install scaffolding, since in both cases this would have drastically altered the image of a building which attracts thousands of visitors daily. The suitable treatment seemed to be what it is known as selective passive stripping, by the application of acid, followed of rinsing with water spray. The question was, how to apply acid in a controlled and non-hazardous way?

The solution provided by INASMET-Tecnalia was the development of an innovative process based on stable foams which act as a vehicle for the active agents, in this case acid, and which make it possible to restore the original appearance of the sheets in a jiffy, just one to three minutes at the most.

In areas of difficult access, the foam is applied by professional climbers who use pressure containers and spray guns. When it has done its job, the product is removed through suction, thus precluding any undesirable environmental impacts.

Protected Technology

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has included this solution in its maintenance routine which has been patented by this cultural organization in association with INASMET-Tecnalia. This technology -product and process- is now available for metal restoration, cleaning and passivation applications through license or purchase agreements.

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