Eric Larson
Eric R. Larson is a mechanical engineer with over 30 years' experience in plastics. He has helped develop products ranging from boogie boards, water basketball games and SCUBA diving equipment to disposable lighters, cell phones and handheld medical devices. Eric is owner of Art of Mass Production (AMP), an engineering consulting company based in San Diego, CA. AMP provides services to manufacturing companies in the consumer electronics, wireless, and medical device industries. Eric is also moderator of the blog site plasticsguy.com, where he writes about plastics technology and its effect on people and the planet.
ARTICLES BY ERIC LARSON
Medtech Material Selection For Performance And Feel
When designing a medical device, material selection can be difficult, especially with thousands of plastic material options available. While material properties, environmental effects, regulatory requirements, and cost almost always are considered, "feel" is often overlooked – despite its importance to user and patient satisfaction, as well as market success.
Continue Reading..
Medical Plastics: Material Selection Based On Feel
From prioritizing material properties to establishing desired values for each property, selecting plastic materials based on feel is a complicated undertaking. To elicit the most desirable user response from the device, it can be helpful to consider the what, rather than the how.
Continue Reading..
Avoiding Extraction And Chemical Characterization Pitfalls In Complex Medical Devices
Tissue-derived materials, hydrogels, absorbables, silicones, and drug-containing components can behave unpredictably under extraction. Study designs that ignore this produce data that is technically accurate yet clinically misleading.
Continue Reading..
The Standard You Stopped Reading In 1996 Just Rewrote Your 2030 Audit
On Sept. 16, 2026, ISO published the sixth edition of ISO 9001. Most medical device professionals shrugged, feeling that we live in ISO 13485. That shrug is a mistake.
Continue Reading..
11.01.26 -- Beyond Australia: Why Medtech Startups Are Re-Evaluating FIH Trial Destinations
11/01/26 Med Device Online Newsletter
Continue Reading..
London Biotechnology Show 2026 To Unite Global Life Sciences Leaders, Innovators, Investors
The London Biotechnology Show 2026 will return to ExCeL London on 18–19 November, bringing together biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, researchers, healthcare professionals, investors, policymakers and technology providers to explore the breakthroughs and commercial opportunities shaping the future of life sciences.
Continue Reading..
10.29.26 -- Where Should Medtech Startups Launch First-In-Human Trials?
10/29/26 Med Device Online Newsletter
Continue Reading..
Advance Fluidic And Optical Systems With The Right Partnership
Juggling separate fluidics and optics suppliers slows development. See how one engineering partner can streamline integration, improve accuracy, and speed scale-up.
Continue Reading..
Why Instrument Developers Trust IDEX Health & Science For OEM, Fluidics, And Optics Systems
Explore how OEMs optimize instrument performance with precision fluidics, optical technologies, and integrated subsystems that improve reliability and accelerate development.
Continue Reading..
Tubing Configurator For Flat Bottom Ports
Configure custom tubing assemblies by specifying dimensions, materials, fittings, threads, colors, and labeling options to meet your application’s requirements with precision and consistency.
Continue Reading..