Adhesion Matters
Adhesion Matters pulls back the curtain on the remarkable world of adhesives—the invisible technologies quietly revolutionizing everything from smartphones and EVs to Hollywood effects and wind turbines. We guide listeners on a deep-entangled journey through innovation, sustainability, and the surprising human stories behind the products that hold our modern life together.
Adhesion Matters isn’t just about chemistry—it’s a storytelling lens on how sticky stuff shapes our world. Every episode reveals that adhesives do more than bind—they enable durability, safety, and innovation across industries. Tune in if you’re curious about the overlooked tech that really holds things together.
Adhesion Matters
Seamless Sealing: Henkel’s Sonderhoff FIPFG Foam Gasket Technology
What if seals could be created directly on your part—no cutting, no insertion, no seams? In this episode of Adhesion Matters, we dive into Henkel’s Sonderhoff Formed-in-Place Foam Gasket (FIPFG) technology, a system that applies liquid foam directly onto components where it cures into seamless, precise, and highly resilient gaskets. We explore how polyurethane systems like FERMAPOR K31 and silicone foams like FERMASIL are transforming sealing in industries ranging from electronics enclosures and automotive modules to household appliances and e-mobility charging stations.
Beyond technical performance, we highlight how FIPFG advances sustainability—eliminating waste from punched gaskets, reducing energy with room-temperature curing, and offering long service life through exceptional compression recovery. We also examine the role of automation and robotics in enabling consistent, scalable application.
Whether you’re an engineer, product designer, or operations manager, this episode shows why the future of gasketing is being shaped—in place.
You know that really satisfying sound, that sort of solid thud when you close a car door?
Lucas Adheron:Yeah, or like when your dishwasher's running and it's just humming away quietly.
Elena Bondwell:Exactly. We kind of just expect that reliability, right? But there's some serious engineering going on behind the scenes, stuff we don't usually see.
Lucas Adheron:A lot of hidden tech.
Elena Bondwell:Right. Okay, let's unpack this then. Today we're doing a deep dive into, well, advanced sealing technology, specifically something called formed-in-place foam gaskets. FIPFG
Lucas Adheron:for short. FIPFG, yeah.
Elena Bondwell:It might sound a bit, you know, technical, but honestly, this stuff is impacting everything. Your car, appliances in your kitchen, even green energy setups.
Lucas Adheron:And for this dive, yeah, we've gathered quite a bit of insight from Henkel. They're real pioneers with their Sonderhof FIPFG technology.
Elena Bondwell:Okay.
Lucas Adheron:We're looking at... New material properties designed for car parts, how it applies to sustainable manufacturing, which is huge right now, and even some real-world examples like in power distribution systems.
Elena Bondwell:So what's the mission here?
Lucas Adheron:Well, the mission is really to figure out how this approach, this 50FG, is changing the game. how it's redefining precision, boosting efficiency, and surprisingly, sustainability in manufacturing.
Elena Bondwell:OK, so if you've ever wondered about that invisible tech that keeps your gadgets working or your car sealed up tight.
Lucas Adheron:Or how manufacturers are actually managing to cut costs and their carbon footprint at the same time.
Elena Bondwell:Then yeah, you're probably in for some real aha moments today. We're going to see how a tiny component can make a massive difference. It's quite fascinating, actually. So before 50FG really took off, what was the Standard. The old way of sealing things.
Lucas Adheron:Right. The traditional methods. Mostly you're looking at pre-cut seals, like pieces punched out of sheets of material, maybe EPDM, TPE, that kind of thing.
Elena Bondwell:Okay. So like pre-formed shapes.
Lucas Adheron:Exactly. And then picture this. Someone on the assembly line literally peeling off a backing and sticking the seal into place inside an appliance maybe or a car door frame.
Elena Bondwell:That sounds fiddly. And slow?
Lucas Adheron:It was. And, you know, while those seals did a job, they had weaknesses built right in. Think about where two pieces of a pre-cut gasket meet or where the ends join up. Those seams.
Elena Bondwell:Potential leak points?
Lucas Adheron:Absolutely. Weak spots for water, for dust, even for noise and vibrations to get through. And the manual part, applying them by hand, it's not just slow, it's inconsistent, prone to errors.
Elena Bondwell:Especially when you're trying to make... Thousands of units a day.
Lucas Adheron:Right, exactly. As production scales up and products get more complex, that old method just struggles. It can lead to a rework, warranty issues, basically a less reliable product for the end user.
Elena Bondwell:Yeah, I can see that. If you're a manufacturer trying to grow or just someone buying, say, a dishwasher, you want it to last. You don't want leaks caused by a tiny gap in a seal.
Lucas Adheron:Those small inconsistencies become big problems. Costs go up, quality suffers.
Elena Bondwell:Okay, so the old way had issues. What was the Burke through then? What makes Henkel's IPFG so different, so revolutionary?
Lucas Adheron:It's a completely different philosophy, really. A radical shift. Instead of taking a pre-made seal and trying to fit it perfectly.
Elena Bondwell:Which is hard.
Lucas Adheron:Which is very hard, yeah. FIPFG technology forms the gasket directly onto the part itself.
Elena Bondwell:Forms it? How?
Lucas Adheron:Imagine a robotic arm. moving with incredible speed and accuracy. It dispenses a liquid foam precisely along the groove or surface where the seal needs to be.
Elena Bondwell:Like 3D printing a seal?
Lucas Adheron:Kind of, yeah. It molds itself instantly to every curve, every contour, and it creates this seamless, perfectly shaped seal made of elastomer right there in seconds.
Elena Bondwell:Wow. Okay. Seamless is the key word there, I guess. No joins, no gaps.
Lucas Adheron:Exactly. That's the magic. How does it work? Well, it's usually a two-component system. Polyurethane, maybe silicone. These two liquids mix right at the dispensing head.
Elena Bondwell:A sophisticated mixing head, I imagine.
Lucas Adheron:Oh, yeah. Typically CNC-controlled, computer numerical control. So think super precise, computer-guided application. This mixed foam is dispensed, and then it just cures right there in place. It becomes a solid, flexible seal.
Elena Bondwell:And that formed-in-place part is what eliminates those weak points you mentioned.
Lucas Adheron:Precisely. No seams, no joins means no built-in weak spots. You get a continuous, uninterrupted barrier. And the precision is amazing. We're often talking tolerances down to plus or minus 0.1 millimeters.
Elena Bondwell:That's tiny. Way more accurate than sticking something on by hand.
Lucas Adheron:Oh, absolutely. You just can't get that consistency manually.
Elena Bondwell:So for you, the person using the final product, what does that mean? It means things are sealed really, really well, like zero gap sealing, they call it.
Lucas Adheron:Right. And high sitting resilience, which means it bounces back after being compressed.
Elena Bondwell:And this tech can hit standards like IP68 protection.
Lucas Adheron:It can, yeah.
Elena Bondwell:Okay, for anyone not up on their IP ratings, IP68 is basically top-tier protection against dust and water, like serious water resistance, even immersion.
Lucas Adheron:It means your electronics, car parts, appliances, they're properly sealed against the elements, protected. It gives you peace of mind.
Elena Bondwell:But it's not just how the seal is made, is it? The material itself has to be right. A perfect application won't help if the foam isn't up to the job.
Lucas Adheron:Absolutely crucial. The material is the heart of the seal. And Henkel has options, tailored solutions. Let's talk polyurethane. They're Sonderhof Vermipore K31 range, for instance. Okay. These are two-component PU foams, and they're engineered for incredible resilience. Like, they have this near-perfect resetting ability, often over 95%. 95%
Elena Bondwell:reset. What does that mean in practice?
Lucas Adheron:It means if you compress it like closing a door or a lid, it springs back almost perfectly to its original shape time after time. Think of it as a dishwasher door seal. You open and close it constantly. If it doesn't reset well, it develops gaps, leaks.
Elena Bondwell:Ah. Ah, okay. So high reset means it keeps sealing properly for longer.
Lucas Adheron:Exactly. It's key for longevity. Plus, these PU foams are really stable against hydrolysis. They don't break down easily with water exposure and temperature stable too. They meet tough automotive standards like DBL 5452, meaning they perform reliably in heat, cold, vibration. Perfect for those demanding IP68 seals.
Elena Bondwell:Okay. So polyurethane sounds great for resilience for common but tough conditions. What if you need something even more extreme?
Lucas Adheron:Good question. Because yeah, it Different jobs need different tools, different materials. Right. And that's where silicone foams come in, like Henkel's Sonderhof Vermisil range.
Elena Bondwell:Silicone, right. Usually good with temperatures.
Lucas Adheron:Extremely good. Vermisil, for example, can handle a huge temperature range. We're talking from minus 60 degrees Celsius, like Arctic cold, up to plus 180 C. And it can even take short bursts up to 350 degrees Celsius.
Elena Bondwell:Wow. Okay. That's serious heat.
Lucas Adheron:It is. And it's typically a closed cell foam. Imagine tiny bubbles inside, but none are connected. That makes it exceptionally good at keeping out water and gases. Very weather resistant, chemical resistant too. Ideal for really tough industrial uses, outdoor electrical boxes, chemical equipment, things like that.
Elena Bondwell:So it's not one size fits all. It's about matching the material PU or silicone or specific grades to the exact needs of the application.
Lucas Adheron:Precisely. Whether you need that extreme temperature range or the incredible bounce back resilience for constant use. It's about getting the perfect tailored seal for the job, like bespoke tailoring, but for gaskets.
Elena Bondwell:Okay, so the seals themselves are incredibly precise, durable, tailored. That's great for the product. But what about the manufacturers? How does FIPFG change things on the factory floor? Does it speed things up, cut costs?
Lucas Adheron:Oh, absolutely. It's a massive efficiency booster. These FIPFG systems, they use advanced dosing machines. Henkel makes specialized ones under the Sonderhoff brand, and they work incredibly fast and consistently.
Elena Bondwell:Robots doing the work.
Lucas Adheron:Often, yeah. Stationary setups or robotic arms. It means the application is quick, it's precise every single time, totally repeatable. Automation takes out the human error, speeds up the whole line.
Elena Bondwell:Can you give an example? Like where has this made a big difference?
Lucas Adheron:Sure. A great case study is in the automotive world, specifically ceiling car door modules. Modern car doors are stuffed with electronics, right? Window motors, locks, speakers.
Elena Bondwell:Yeah, complex bits.
Lucas Adheron:Very. And all that needs protection from rain, dust, vibration. So the FIPFG solution uses a specific two-component PU foam, again from that Sonderhoff Fermipore K31 family, and it's applied fully automatically by robot.
Elena Bondwell:Okay. What's the big win there?
Lucas Adheron:Well, a couple of things. This This particular foam has a really neat combination. A decent pot life, meaning it stays liquid and workable for a short while after mixing and dispensing.
Elena Bondwell:Giving the robot time to finish the pattern.
Lucas Adheron:Exactly. But then it cures really fast, so the door module can be handled and moved down the assembly line very quickly. Shorter cycle times. No need for big racks of parts waiting to cure.
Elena Bondwell:Ah, saving space and time.
Lucas Adheron:Definitely. And another thing, this specific foam has a slightly lower density, about 5% lower. Sounds small, but it means less material used per door, which saves money and makes the door component a tiny bit lighter.
Elena Bondwell:Every gram counts in automotive, right? For fuel efficiency.
Lucas Adheron:Absolutely. Plus, requires less force to install the module, which makes assembly easier and helps ensure a tight seal, even if there are slight variations in the parts.
Elena Bondwell:That sounds like a win-win-win. Faster, cheaper, lighter, better seal.
Lucas Adheron:Pretty much. But it's not just cars.
Elena Bondwell:Right. You mentioned power distribution.
Lucas Adheron:Yeah. Another great example. We saw a case where a company making electrical enclosures like cabinets for circuit breakers and stuff. They were using those manual peel-and-stick foam tapes. It was slow, error-prone, really a bottleneck as their orders increased. They needed something faster, better quality, and ideally something that wouldn't increase their costs, maybe even lower them.
Elena Bondwell:Pay classic manufacturing challenge.
Lucas Adheron:Yeah, right. So the solution was putting in an automated FPFG dosing system, again using FermiPort K31, and the results were, frankly, amazing.
Elena Bondwell:How amazing.
Lucas Adheron:They reported a cost reduction of more than 30%. 30%.
Elena Bondwell:That's huge.
Lucas Adheron:Huge. Plus, quality went way up. Consistency was perfect. Defects basically disappeared. And because it's on-demand application, they had more flexibility. They could produce more faster. It completely changed their operation, turned that bottleneck into a real advantage.
Elena Bondwell:Okay, a 30% cost cut is seriously impressive. But isn't the initial investment in these automated robotic systems pretty high? How do companies, especially smaller ones, justify that?
Lucas Adheron:That's a fair point. There is an upfront investment, no doubt, but the return on investment, the ROI, is often surprisingly fast.
Elena Bondwell:How so?
Lucas Adheron:Well, think about it. You eliminate the manual labor cost for applying seals. You drastically cut material waste. No offcuts. Production speed shoots up. Quality improves dramatically, meaning fewer rejects, fewer warranty claims down the road.
Elena Bondwell:Okay, so the savings start adding up quickly across
Lucas Adheron:different areas. Exactly. It compounds. So for many manufacturers, it's not just seen as a cost, but as a strategic investment. It makes them more competitive, lets them meet higher quality demands, and kind of future-proofs their production.
Elena Bondwell:Makes sense. It's an investment in efficiency and quality. And you mentioned sustainability earlier, too. How does 5PFG fit into that picture? Because better products are what? One thing, but making them responsibly is another.
Lucas Adheron:It really ties in strongly. And it raises that important question about longevity, right? A high quality product that lasts longer is inherently more sustainable, less replacement, less waste. Right. And remember that high setting resilience of the Fermipore K31 foams, that ability to recover up to 95%. It means housings or enclosures sealed with it can often be opened and reclosed without damaging the seal for repairs, for maintenance.
Elena Bondwell:Ah, so it supports repairability.
Lucas Adheron:Yes. Think about, say, the dirt trap in your dishwasher. You need to take it out and clean it regularly. A good FIPFG seal there means it stays watertight even after being opened and closed dozens, hundreds of times. Or photovoltaic inverters the boxes that manage solar panel output.
Elena Bondwell:Yeah.
Lucas Adheron:Being able to easily open them for maintenance without wrecking the seal extends their service life, keeps those solar panels working efficiently for longer. That's direct sustainability in action.
Elena Bondwell:That's a really good point. Durability through repairability. What about waste during manufacturing itself? You mentioned less material.
Lucas Adheron:Right. Big difference there. With FIPFG, you dispense exactly the amount of foam needed right where it's needed. No punching shapes out of sheets, no leftover scrap materials, zero punching waste. You use 100% of the foam.
Elena Bondwell:Okay.
Lucas Adheron:And we already mentioned the lower density means less raw material consumption overall, better CO2 balance, lighter parts. It all adds up.
Elena Bondwell:And the process itself, any green benefits there?
Lucas Adheron:Definitely. These two-component foam No
Elena Bondwell:big ovens needed.
Lucas Adheron:Exactly. No need for massive, energy-hungry tempering ovens to cure the seals. That saves huge amounts of energy and upfront investment. Also, the dynamic misting heads they use are designed to minimize waste compared to older static mixing tubes that needed frequent replacing.
Elena Bondwell:How are they cleaned?
Lucas Adheron:Ecologically, actually. Yeah. Typically with high-pressure water, not harsh chemical solvents, which is much better for the environment and worker safety.
Elena Bondwell:Water. Does that use a lot of water then?
Lucas Adheron:Well, this is pretty cool. Henkel's even developed rinsing water recycling systems. They filter and purify the water used for cleaning the mixing head so it can be reused. Cuts That's
Elena Bondwell:clever. Closing the loop?
Lucas Adheron:Yeah. And digitalization plays a role, too. Sensors in the mixing head constantly monitor the process to ensure quality. They can also predict when parts might need maintenance, avoiding unexpected downtime.
Elena Bondwell:Predictive maintenance.
Lucas Adheron:Right. And things like online support for troubleshooting can reduce the need for technicians to travel, cutting CO2 emissions. The systems can even track material consumption and calculate the associated CO2 footprint.
Elena Bondwell:Wow. So you get real-time data on the environmental impact.
Lucas Adheron:Yeah. It's bringing smart, green manufacturing principles right into the sealing process.
Elena Bondwell:It really shows how advanced tech and sustainability can go hand in hand. It's not always a trade-off.
Lucas Adheron:Not at all. In this case, the advanced tech enables better sustainability.
Elena Bondwell:So wrapping this up, then, from keeping our car doors tightly sealed against wind and rain to making sure a solar inverter can be easily repaired to last longer, this deep dive really shows how formed in place foam gaskets are, this sort of silent, hidden powerhouse, driving efficiency, saving costs, and boosting sustainability in so many different industries. It's impressive stuff.
Lucas Adheron:It really is. And if you connect into the bigger picture, it's just a fantastic example of how material science the actual foam chemistry and automation, the robotic application are coming together.
Elena Bondwell:It's like converging.
Lucas Adheron:Converging to not just make products perform better and last longer, but also to genuinely reduce our environmental impact across the whole life cycle, from making it to using it to repairing it.
Elena Bondwell:It really challenges that old idea that high tech automatically means a higher ecological price tag.
Lucas Adheron:Exactly. It proves innovation can actually be the key to a more sustainable approach.
Elena Bondwell:Okay, so here's a final thought to leave you with. As you go about your Maybe notice those seals. Or maybe just think about all the other unseen bits of technology, the hidden gaskets and components quietly doing their jobs everywhere. How many other invisible innovations like FitPFG are out there, quietly revolutionizing industries, making things more efficient, more sustainable, right under our noses?
Lucas Adheron:Makes you wonder what the next hidden game changer will be.
Elena Bondwell:It really does.
