Student Opportunities

Thursday, May 8                 Friday, May 9
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm              9:00 am – Noon

Local technical college students are invited to explore the career possibilities in the world of diecutting and diemaking through a Diecutting & Diemaking 101 Workshop at Odyssey Expo 2025.

Students will visit a “mini die shop” in IADD Booth 601 where they will put rubber on a die, hammer rule into a dieboard, see a video demonstration of a job being run on press and more!

The Workshop will be led by industry experts who will cover topics from the steel rule die to ejection material and the cutting process. Additionally, students will tour the Technology Hall to see materials and meet face-to-face with some of the leading companies in the industry.

Schedule

Diecutting & Diemaking 101 Workshop (2 hours)

• The Cutting Die
  • Safety First
  • Steel Rule Die
    • Rule Bender/Rubber Cutting Equipment
  • Nicking Demonstration
  • Ejection Material
  • Creasing Matrix, Phenolic Counter & Steel Counter
• The Cutting Process
  • Makeready Process
  • Intro to Blanking and Stripping
  • Diecutter Video Demonstration
  • Troubleshooting/Do’s and Don’ts/Question and Answer

Technology Hall Tour (1 hour)

A guided tour of Odyssey’s Technology Hall. Featuring the industry’s elite companies, offering the widest range of products and services specific to diecutting, diemaking, foil stamping/embossing, folding/gluing processes and bindery.

Registration

Registration and parking are complimentary for students currently enrolled at a local technical college. To register or for more information, contact IADD Staff at staff@iadd.org or 1-815-455-7519.