Global Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) Market Research Report 2024-Competitive Analysis, Status and Outlook by Type, Downstream Industry, and Geography, Forecast to 2030

Global Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) Market Research Report 2024-Competitive Analysis, Status and Outlook by Type, Downstream Industry, and Geography, Forecast to 2030

‘Formed In Place Foam Gaskets’ (FIPFG) refers to the process by which liquid or thixotropic sealing foams is applied to a component, after which it expands and adheres to the component to form the desired gasket. The solution is characterized by advanced technological precision and high repetition precision. The component receives a strong gasket that keeps its shape over time – even with very complex dimensions. The method also makes it possible to automate the production of gaskets, so that they adhere to a component without any manual handling. The main advantage compared to conventional sealing types is the way the application works, or more precisely, the automation of the sealing process, which can be realized with the help of a robot. Compared to FIPG, the sealing systems at FIPFG are foamed. FIPFG technology is widely used in the automotive industry, electronic industry, electricity, and lightning where required to reach high sealing properties.

Market Overview:

The latest research study on the global Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) market finds that the global Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) market reached a value of USD 240.44 million in 2023. It’s expected that the market will achieve USD 357.69 million by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.84% during the forecast period.

Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) Industry Trends

Mankind has been capable of sealing of joints and gaps for many centuries, e.g., when caulking ships’ planks. Beeswax, tree resin or tar was used. The story of modern sealants starts with polymer chemistry in the 1930s and the development of synthetic plastics and sealants. And the history is still being written. Today a multitude of different materials and technologies is available for sealing components. For modern industrial production, another crucial requirement has been set: the sealing process must ideally be fully automated.

Traditionally, components are sealed with pre-punched sponge rubber seals or by bonding sealing cords. Today, as the degree of automation increases, liquid or thixotropic sealing foams are applied directly to the components on-site using dosing equipment. The processing of highly reactive materials requires a high level of accuracy, reliability, and precision. Material manufacturers are also adapting to the increasing digitization and automation of production processes. Sealing foams, adhesives and casting compounds need to be processed more and more quickly today. The overall cycle times for handling, metering, and application are continuously optimized. This places special demands on metering and mixing technology. They need to offer solutions that are future-proof, efficient, and flexible. New production concepts, therefore, need to be implemented and appropriate systems technology used.

The automated sealing process for the application of foam gaskets is generally known as FIPFG technology (Formed-In-Place-Foam-Gasket). The FIPFG technology has established itself as the industry standard for a wide variety of component applications. Decisive factors for the FIPFG process are the interaction of material system and machine technology as well as the application-specific understanding of the process.

Drivers

Powerful functions and benefits
Seals are used everywhere, in vehicles, electronics production or lights. In many cases, the seals are still inserted manually. However, automated application, the Formed-In-Place-Foam-Gasketing (FIPFG), offers many advantages. In the case of a formed-in-place foam gasket (FIPFG), a highly reactive material is applied to a component automatically. The material, a polyurethane or a silicone, is metered and mixed using a dynamic mixing system and then applied along a contour. Following a reaction time defined by the material formulation, the material foams up and adheres to the component. The dynamic mixing head processes the highly reactive material reliably and reproducibly, and a linear robot is then used to apply the seal. Compared to manually inserted seals, there are numerous advantages, including time and cost savings as well as lower material consumption.

Challenges

Availability of other substitutes
Although FIPFG is a useful sealing technology, it has multiple substitutes. For instance, conventional insert seals (EPDM, TPE, NBR). and so on. In addition, the use of pre-formed conventional compression gaskets is widespread and is normally the first port of call for a customer looking for an instant pressure seal. In a word, because there are plenty of substitutes, it accordingly has an adverse effect on the development of the FIPFG industry.

Region Overview:

In 2022, the share of the Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) market in North America stood at 36.26%.

Company Overview:

Henkel / Sonderhoff
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Henkel, is a German multinational chemical and consumer goods company headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. With the acquisition of the Sonderhoff Group in 2017, Henkel further expanded its expertise in sealants. After completion of the integration phase, the former Sonderhoff companies have been assigned to the Henkel Adhesive Technologies division at the beginning of 2020. The former Sonderhoff locations in Germany, Austria, Italy, China and the USA now operate under Henkel.

BASF

BASF SE, an initialism And Portmanteau for its original name Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik, is a European multinational company and the largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters are located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF SE engages in the provision of chemical products. It operates through the following segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface.

Henkel / Sonderhoff is one of the major players operating in the Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) market, holding a share of 11.64% in 2023.

Segmentation Overview:

As for product types, the Polyurethane segment held the largest market share in 2022.

Application Overview:

By application, the Automotive segment occupied the biggest share from 2018 to 2022.

Key Companies in the global Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) market covered in Chapter 3:

Wacker Chemie
DAFA Polska
Frechem
Zelu
SIBILS
DOPAG
Ceracon
Dow
Nystein
H.B. Fuller
Sunstar
Rampf Group
BASF
Henkel / Sonderhoff

In Chapter 4 and Chapter 14.2, on the basis of types, the Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) market from 2019 to 2030 is primarily split into:

Silicone
Polyurethane

In Chapter 5 and Chapter 14.3, on the basis of Downstream Industry, the Formed in Place Foam Gaskets (FIPFG) market from 2019 to 2030 covers:

Automotive
Electronics
HVAC
eMobility
Fuel Cell
Lighting
Electrical Cabinets
Packaging
Filters
White goods

Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate, historic and forecast (2019-2030) of the following regions are covered in Chapter 8 to Chapter 14:

North America (United States, Canada)
Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden)
Asia Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia)
Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina)
Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa)