Being an Engineer S6E51 Eric Richins | What It's Like Being A Packaging Engineer
Dec 19, 2025
Join Eric Richins, a seasoned packaging engineer at Stryker with a decade of experience, as he dives into the fascinating world of packaging in the medical device industry. He explains the nuances of primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging, alongside sterilization methods like ethylene oxide and gamma. Eric shares insights on automating carton lines to boost efficiency and discusses the stringent regulatory demands that shape packaging changes. Highlighting the vital role packaging plays in product safety, he illuminates the unique skills required to succeed in this crucial field.
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Packaging Layers And Regulatory Boundaries
- Packaging includes primary, secondary, and tertiary layers with different regulatory constraints.
- Anything not part of the device itself (labels, cartons, shippers) is packaging and must be managed accordingly.
Sterile Barrier And Sterilization Methods
- The sterile barrier (Tyvek pouch) allows gas in but blocks microbials, defining sterility after sterilization.
- Different sterilization methods (ethylene oxide, gamma irradiation) require distinct validations and handling.
Automating A Painful Carton Line
- Eric described automating a difficult thin-square carton process to produce one unit every six seconds.
- The machine cut a three-hour manual task to about 45 minutes for typical lots of ~400 units.