Page 9 - THE INDEPENDENT

Educational Equipment, Inc., Co-Founders LaDorna and Robert found demand for their products was high, and over the years the company went from strength to strength. Ellison recognised the high demand in the craft sector and in 2001 launched their brand Sizzix® and the original Sizzix machine.
Die cutting within the crafting industry has grown more and more in popularity, with a wide variety of machines now available on the market. A die cutting machine by today’s standards can no longer be described solely as a machine that cuts out shapes with the aid of physical dies; the digital age is now upon us. Although conventional dies still dominate the crafting market, the new digital machines are capable of reading digital design files and cutting them out of sheet materials. This new form of die cutting is more akin to that of laser cutting technology which has opened the doors to new finishes such as etching and engraving.
Over the next few chapters we will further explore the manufacturing process for die cutting, how the industrial processes differ from the craft processes at home, and what a modern die cutting machine is today.
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