Every SKU of pre-cut rubber gasket sitting in inventory is a part that can dry out, warp, or simply go out of stock at the wrong moment. Cured-In-Place Gasket (CIPG) technology replaces that entire shelf with a drum of liquid elastomer dispensed and cured directly on the part.
What Is CIPG?
CIPG dispenses a liquid elastomer onto a sealing surface and fully cures it — typically with UV light or heat — before the parts are assembled. This differs from Form-In-Place Gaskets (FIPG), where the material is still wet when the parts are joined and cures inside the closed joint. Because a CIPG bead is solid before assembly, the seal is created by compression rather than by chemical bonding to the mating surface, which is what makes the joint easy to open again for service.
CIPG vs. FIPG vs. FIPJ
CIPG cures to a solid before assembly and creates a compression seal. FIPG is dispensed and joined while still wet, curing inside the joint and acting as both seal and adhesive. FIPJ is often used interchangeably with FIPG but specifically describes a joint geometry where sealant fills a cavity to bridge a gap.
Material Chemistry
UV-cured acrylates and silicones are the standard for high-volume CIPG lines — photoinitiators trigger a near-instant cure, enabling seconds-long cycle times and formulations that range from soft to rigid depending on required sealing pressure. RTV silicones suit shadowed areas UV light can’t reach, offering strong thermal and chemical resistance but a cure measured in hours rather than seconds. Polyurethanes bring toughness and abrasion resistance to heavy-duty enclosures, at the cost of tighter moisture control during dispensing.
Why Manufacturers Are Shifting to CIPG
Stocking a liquid material instead of hundreds of die-cut shapes collapses SKU count and eliminates the risk of gaskets warping in storage. Dispensing robots can trace complex 3D sealing paths that a die-cut gasket could never match, which matters most in compact electronics and automotive assemblies. Because CIPG is additive, waste drops close to zero compared with the scrap sheet left behind by die-cutting. The liquid also wets microscopic surface irregularities before curing, closing gaps a pre-cut gasket would leave open. And because CIPG doesn’t bond the two halves together, the assembly stays serviceable — a part can be opened for repair without destroying or scraping off the gasket.
The Manufacturing Process
Surfaces must be free of oil, dust, and release agents; plasma or corona treatment is common on plastics like polypropylene to keep the bead from shifting before cure. A robotic dispensing system then applies the bead to tolerances often within ±0.1mm, sometimes using vision guidance to compensate for part-position variation. Curing follows immediately — UV lamp or heat oven — with the goal of a full cure before the part moves to the next station. Automated optical inspection then scans for breaks, bubbles, or thickness deviation before the part is cleared to ship.
Design Considerations
Low compression set is essential, since a gasket that “flattens out” over time loses sealing force, particularly under thermal cycling. Dispensing into a groove — generally sized for 10% to 30% compression of the gasket height — contains the bead and prevents over-compression during assembly. Some designs also need the gasket to adhere firmly on one side while releasing cleanly from the other, achieved through material choice or surface-energy control on the mating face.
Industrial Applications
Automotive ECUs, sensors, and lighting assemblies rely on CIPG, and the shift to electric vehicles has made it critical for battery-enclosure and power-module sealing where moisture ingress is a safety issue. Electronics and telecommunications hardware — from handsets to outdoor 5G equipment — use thin CIPG beads under 1mm to hit IP67/IP68 ratings without adding bulk. In aerospace, replacing mechanical seals with lightweight CIPG beads trims weight while keeping electronic bays pressurized and protected at altitude. Consumer and industrial appliances that need periodic servicing — control panels, dispenser housings — benefit from CIPG’s easy-open design as much as its seal quality.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Air entrapment in the liquid can leave voids that become leak paths; degassed material and quality dispensing valves largely solve this. Deep, narrow channels can “shadow” UV light from reaching the full bead — dual-cure (UV plus moisture) materials or repositioned lamps address this. Ambient temperature swings change viscosity and bead size, which is why temperature-controlled dispensing heads are common on tightly toleranced lines. Email Us if you’re troubleshooting a specific shadowing or cure-consistency issue on your line.
For background on how UV cure equipment integrates into a CIPG or general dispensing line, see Incure’s guides on UV LED flood lamp selection and UV cure chambers, and for the underlying adhesive-versus-gasket-material tradeoffs, UV glue vs. epoxy for heavy-duty repairs.
The Future of CIPG
Industry 4.0 is pushing “smart” dispensing systems that use inline sensors to flag nozzle clogging or material drift before a defect ships, and bio-based UV resins are reducing the carbon footprint of high-volume lines without giving up cure speed or seal performance.
Conclusion
CIPG replaces gasket inventory management with a robotics-and-chemistry problem, and for most serviceable, high-volume assemblies that trade is a clear win. Incure supplies UV-curable and heat-cure elastomer systems engineered for CIPG dispensing lines, and our applications team can help validate bead geometry, cure profile, and material selection before you commit to tooling. Contact Our Team to scope a CIPG conversion for your production line.
Visit www.incurelab.com for more information.