Manufacturers must ensure that their goods can survive all of the environmental loads and strains they will face once they are introduced to production, transit, storage, and in-use environments. Temperature and humidity are two of the most important environmental factors that determine whether or not a product will still function optimally when in use. With temperature and humidity testing, manufacturers can obtain advanced insights into how an object will respond to the environmental conditions it will encounter throughout its lifecycle.

For example, medical device packaging is subjected to predetermined temperature and humidity conditions based on its distribution environment in preparation for package performance testing (i.e., compression, drop/impact, vibration). Environmental conditioning is necessary because paper-based materials, which are used in most packaging systems, experience degradation in physical properties as temperature and humidity change. Most plastic components change strength in direct proportion to changes in temperature.

What is the purpose of temperature and humidity testing?

From manufacturing to transit and delivery, packages and the products they carry may be exposed to a number of extreme environments. During shipment and storage, shipping containers, trucks, and warehouses are microclimates themselves, dependent on regional and ambient conditions.

When a package leaves the East Coast in winter, it may be subjected to cold, wet conditions en route to Florida’s warm, humid climate or the hot desert in Arizona. As it travels through these climates, the package and product may experience cosmetic or performance changes that alter its integrity.

Manufacturers can interpret how their product or package may react to various environmental conditions by conducting temperature and humidity testing. Armed with this information, they can identify and address potential vulnerabilities in their product and/or packaging system.