Process of forming a gasket directly on workpiece, using a mold clamped to the workpiece

A process of forming a gasket directly on a workpiece having a joining surface which has an annular gasket-fixing groove, comprising the steps of:

• preparing a mold having a gasket-forming groove which cooperates with said gasket-fixing groove to define a cavity for forming said gasket, said mold further having a fluid passage;
• clamping said mold to said joining surface of said workpiece;
• injecting a material for the gasket into said cavity through an injection passage which is formed through said mold and which communicates with said gasket-forming groove;
• curing said material injected in said cavity;
• removing said mold from said workpiece;
• attaching inner and outer elastic tubes to a body of said mold such that said inner and outer elastic tubes communicate with said fluid passage and are disposed on inner and outer sides of said gasket-forming groove, respectively, so as to extend peripherally along said gasket-forming groove, said step of clamping said mold comprising clamping said body of said mold to said joining surface of said workpiece such that said inner and outer elastic tubes are held in elastic pressure-tight contact with said joining surface of said workpiece;
• connecting a pressurized-fluid supply device to said fluid passage of said body, for supplying said elastic tubes with a pressurized fluid;
• detecting a pressure of said pressurized fluid in said elastic tubes;
• detecting an injection pressure of said material;
• and
• controlling at least one of said pressurized-fluid supply device and a material feeding device for injecting said material into said cavity through said injection passage, such that the detected pressure of said pressurized fluid and the detected injection pressure of said material increase, during an operation of said material feeding device, so as to maintain a predetermined relationship therebetween without leakage of said material from said cavity.