An adhesive joint in a disposable device is assembled clean but shipped sterile, which means every bond has to pass through ethylene oxide gas or a gamma radiation dose without losing strength or shedding new extractables. Choosing the adhesive is really about choosing what survives the sterilization step. What sterilization does to an adhesive The two dominant methods for single-use devices stress an adhesive differently. Ethylene oxide (EtO) exposure combines a warm, humid conditioning phase with the gas itself and a long aeration period; the heat and moisture can plasticize or hydrolyze a susceptible polymer, and residual gas has to clear the material. Gamma irradiation deposits energy directly into the polymer, which can drive additional crosslinking that embrittles the adhesive or chain scission that softens it, and it can shift color. Incure's Cyro-Weld™ 5000-series UV adhesives, including 5013F and 5017F, are validated for EtO and Gamma sterilization and are formulated to meet ISO 10993-5. Validated means the cured adhesive has been tested for strength retention and property stability through representative doses of both methods, so a device maker starts qualification from a known baseline rather than discovering an incompatibility late. Designing the joint for sterilization Pick the method first. If the device will be gamma-sterilized, select a grade with demonstrated radiation stability rather than assuming an EtO-validated grade transfers. Cure fully before sterilizing. An under-cured joint has unreacted monomer that sterilization can drive off as an extractable and that leaves the bond weaker than its qualified value. Confirm cure with the fluorescing tracer and a dose check. Account for the dose stack. Devices are sometimes re-sterilized or receive a higher validated dose for a bioburden margin. Qualify the joint at the maximum dose it could see, not the nominal. Test after aeration, not before. EtO strength data taken before the aeration period is not representative. Where these adhesives are used Bonding and sealing disposable fluid-path sets and connector assemblies Assembling filter and reservoir housings Joining molded manifold and cartridge components Attaching membranes and diaphragms to frames Sealing external device enclosures that ship sterile All external, single-use components. Cure control drives sterilization performance Because sterilization survivability depends on a full cure, dose delivery matters even more here than in a general assembly. Incure's guidance on matching a UV LED flood lamp to curing area and intensity and on what causes UV light guide degradation over time covers keeping the delivered dose on target across a lamp's service life. Grades with a secondary cure mechanism close out shadowed resin that the lamp cannot reach. Aging and shelf life Sterilization compatibility is only half the picture; the joint also has to hold through the device's shelf life. Accelerated aging at elevated temperature is used to project real-time performance. A joint between dissimilar plastics is stressed continuously during aging by the difference in thermal expansion, which is covered in Incure's explanation of how CTE mismatch causes bond failure. Where cure speed and throughput are also part of the decision, see which adhesive cures faster…