Precision and efficiency drive every modern production line, and sealing against moisture, dust, and chemicals is one of the places where both get tested constantly. Form-in-Place Gasket technology, or FIPG, has become the standard answer for engineers who need a reliable, automatable seal without the overhead of traditional die-cut gaskets.

What FIPG Actually Is

FIPG refers to a process where a liquid or semi-liquid sealant is dispensed directly onto a flange or groove using an automated system, then cures — through air exposure, heat, or UV light — into a solid elastomeric seal that conforms exactly to the mating surface. Unlike a pre-cut gasket stamped from a sheet of rubber, cork, or paper, an FIPG seal is custom-shaped at the moment of application, eliminating tooling costs and the material waste that comes from die-cutting shapes out of larger sheets.

A complete FIPG system has four parts: the material itself (usually silicone, polyurethane, or a UV-curable resin), a dispensing system (a robotic arm or CNC machine with a precision valve), the substrate being sealed, and the curing mechanism that triggers the liquid-to-solid transition.

How the Process Runs

Surface preparation comes first — parts must be clean and free of oil, dust, or moisture, with plasma or corona treatment used in high-spec applications to raise surface energy before dispensing. Automated dispensing follows a pre-programmed CAD path, laying a consistent bead whose thickness and width are controlled by speed, pressure, and valve size, removing the variability of manual gasket placement. From there, assembly happens one of two ways: wet compression, where the mating part joins while the sealant is still liquid and cures in place to form both a chemical bond and a physical seal, or cure-in-place, where the bead cures fully first and then behaves like a traditional gasket under compression. Curing itself depends on the material — moisture cure for RTV silicones, heat cure in an oven, or UV cure in seconds, the last of which is especially popular in high-volume electronics because it allows immediate testing and packaging.

Why Manufacturers Move to FIPG

Traditional gaskets require a distinct SKU for every part shape, creating inventory overhead and obsolescence risk. FIPG needs only the raw sealant material — the same drum can produce thousands of different gasket geometries just by reprogramming the dispensing robot. Sealing performance also improves: pre-cut gaskets have seams where the ends meet, a common leak point, while FIPG lays a continuous bead that flows into surface irregularities for a tighter seal than a rigid pre-cut material can achieve. Design flexibility follows naturally — engineers aren’t limited to what a die-cutter can punch, and a design change updates in software in minutes rather than waiting weeks for new tooling. And because FIPG is additive rather than subtractive, it uses only the material required for the seal, cutting the scrap waste inherent to die-cutting.

Common FIPG Materials

Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) silicones are the most common choice, offering strong temperature resistance from roughly -50°C to over 200°C and good UV and weathering resistance, frequently used in automotive engine sealing. Polyurethane FIPG materials add toughness and abrasion resistance, common in industrial enclosures and outdoor electrical boxes needing a specific IP rating. UV-curable acrylates cure in seconds under the right wavelength, enabling rapid assembly of cameras, sensors, and handheld devices — a process Incure’s L9000™ UV LED spot lamp and B/C-Series™ UV cure chambers are built to support at different production volumes and part sizes. Conductive FIPG loaded with silver, nickel, or graphite fillers can provide EMI/RFI shielding alongside the environmental seal. Email Us if you’re evaluating a UV-cure FIPG line and need help matching lamp output to your cycle time.

Key Advantages and Where FIPG Shows Up

FIPG is inherently automation-friendly, applying beads as small as 0.5mm with the kind of precision that miniaturized electronics demand, and high-quality formulations resist compression set well enough to hold their shape for years under load. Automotive manufacturing was an early adopter for oil pans, transmission covers, and water pumps, and it’s now expanding into battery pack and power electronics sealing for electric vehicles. Electronics and telecommunications rely on FIPG for micro-gasketing that achieves IP67/68 ratings in smartphones and wearables, as well as weatherproofing for outdoor telecom equipment. Aerospace applications seal fuel tanks and electronic housings against extreme pressure and temperature swings, and lighting and appliance manufacturers use it to keep moisture away from LEDs and internal components.

Implementation Considerations

Valve selection depends on material viscosity — needle, diaphragm, or volumetric screw pump — and choosing wrong leads to tailing or inconsistent bead width. Rheology matters too: FIPG materials should be thixotropic, flowing easily under dispensing pressure but staying put once applied rather than sagging. Curing time needs to match your cycle-time requirements, and vision-based inspection systems mounted on the dispensing robot help catch short shots or gaps before they become field failures.

FIPG has become a cornerstone of modern sealing because it solves several problems at once — inventory, sealing performance, and design flexibility — that traditional gaskets never could. Contact Our Team to discuss dispensing equipment and material selection for your specific sealing application.

Visit www.incurelab.com for more information.