Die Cutter Operator

Tell me about a mechanical problem you figured out on a machine you ran.

What they are checking: Whether they are mechanically inclined in practice, as the posting asks for.

Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team to meet a tight production deadline.

What they are checking: Whether they communicate and cooperate when the whole team is under pressure.

The schedule is 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday. How has your attendance been in past jobs?

What they are checking: Whether they are dependable, which the posting puts first in describing the ideal candidate.

You're close to your production goal but notice the die is starting to wear. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they raise equipment issues early rather than running until parts fail inspection.

How do you keep finished parts, scrap and jobs separated so nothing gets mixed up?

What they are checking: Whether they keep an organized area that prevents wrong or defective parts from shipping.

Walk me through setting up a die cutting press for a new job.

What they are checking: Whether they know the steps of die mounting, makeready and first-piece checks on a multi-function press.

Parts are not cutting all the way through in one area of the sheet. What would you check?

What they are checking: Whether they understand makeready, pressure and die condition well enough to fix uneven cuts.

How do you confirm the first pieces meet customer specifications before running the full job?

What they are checking: Whether they measure and compare against the spec before committing material to the run.

What safety precautions matter most to you on a die cutting press?

What they are checking: Whether they respect guards, platen pinch points and lockout on one of the more dangerous machines in a plant.

What routine maintenance do you do on a die cutter during a shift?

What they are checking: Whether they care for the press, since the role includes maintaining it, not just running it.