Flatbed Press Operator

Overview

• Review daily job packets, engineering prints, material specifications, and production schedules prior to run setup.
  
  
• Mount, shim, level, and align flatbed steel-rule dies, male/female stripping fixtures, and cutting plates to ensure even tonnage and clean, complete cuts.
  
  
• Set machine parameters, including platen stroke depth, cutting pressure, dwell time, feed roll advance, and knock-out/ejection mechanisms.
  
  
• Feed raw materials (individual sheets or web-fed rolls of foams, solid rubbers, plastics, and pressure-sensitive laminates) through guide systems.
  
  
• Adjust knockouts, air ejectors, or pick-and-place arms for scrap stripping and finished part handling.
  
  

• Perform first-article inspection and sign-offs before beginning production runs.
  
  
• Regularly verify critical part dimensions, hole center-to-center distances, perimeter tolerances, and cut-edge squareness using digital calipers, height gauges, micrometers, and optical comparators.
  
  
• Monitor product runs for common die-cutting defects such as concaving, incomplete cut-through, burnishing, adhesive bleed, or registration shift.
  
  
• Record scrap percentages, cycle times, piece counts, and raw material lot numbers in the facility's ERP tracking system.
  
  
• Tag, segregate, and report non-conforming parts per company quality assurance protocols and ISO 9001 guidelines.
  
  

• Clean, inspect, and store steel-rule dies and cutting surfaces properly after each production order; report worn blades or damaged ejection rubber for repair.
  
  
• Perform routine preventative maintenance on flatbed presses, including lubricating moving assemblies, checking hydraulic/pneumatic levels, and clearing scrap build-up.
  
  
• Strictly enforce Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) protocols, light-curtain safety checks, emergency stops, and required PPE usage.
  
  
• Maintain an orderly, compliant workstation following 5S principles.