Foams are quite commonly observed during the manufacturing stage since their recipe includes the use of different types of liquids and binders, many of which are types of surfactants. These surfactants reduce the surface tension, which enables the trapping of gas bubbles in the liquid blend at the interface. 

Broadly, these chemicals are divided into antifoam and defoam depending on their mechanisms to control foaming. Antifoams prevent the ‘foam formation’ while defoamers eliminate the existing foams in the system. Antifoams are typically added into the system before pigment grinding in order to prevent the generation of foams and typically have lower surface tension than other additives present in order to prevent the generation of foams. Defoamers have high surface activity and low surface tension, enabling them to enter foam lamellae and disrupt them. They eliminate the existing foam in the system and need to be added as and when foam gets generated into the system.