Prior to designing a medical device package, packaging engineers should first consider the method by which the packaged product will be sterilized. Engineers, therefore, need to fully understand the chosen sterilization method and its effects on packaging materials. RPC Technologies Inc. Packaging engineers don't have to go it alone, though. Many suppliers and service providers are making the packaging engineer's job easier with new materials and equipment.
Engineers can also use sterilization to complement a package's design.
ROLE Packaging engineers do not usually have the luxury of specifying a particular sterilization method. Once informed of the particular method and product, engineers must then choose the appropriate packaging materials, adhesives, and configuration. But there is more to package design than simply choosing materials that withstand the rigors of sterilization. Radiation may not harm a particular material, but it could discolor it. Packaging engineers therefore need to balance concerns about material performance with those about aesthetics.