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Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders: Job Description
Operate or tend bonding machines that use adhesives to join items for further processing or to form a completed product. Processes include joining veneer sheets into plywood; gluing paper; or joining rubber and rubberized fabric parts, plastic, simulated leather, or other materials.
What Do Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Do?
The day-to-day responsibilities of adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders include:
- Align and position materials being joined to ensure accurate application of adhesive or heat sealing.
- Adjust machine components according to specifications such as widths, lengths, and thickness of materials and amounts of glue, cement, or adhesive required.
- Monitor machine operations to detect malfunctions and report or resolve problems.
- Start machines, and turn valves or move controls to feed, admit, apply, or transfer materials and adhesives, and to adjust temperature, pressure, and time settings.
- Fill machines with glue, cement, or adhesives.
- Perform test production runs and make adjustments as necessary to ensure that completed products meet standards and specifications.
- Examine and measure completed materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices such as tape measures, gauges, or calipers.
- Read work orders and communicate with coworkers to determine machine and equipment settings and adjustments and supply and product specifications.
What Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Need to Know
Effective adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Adhesive Laminator
- Automatic Gluing Machine Operator
- Automobile Brake Bonder
- Band Builder
- Band Edger
- Bead Preparer
- Bindery Operator
- Bindery Specialist
How Many Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Are There?
There are about 268,235 adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +10.8% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $59,077 |
| Hourly median | $28.40 |
| 10th percentile | $41,260 |
| 25th percentile | $50,169 |
| 75th percentile | $67,986 |
| 90th percentile | $76,894 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $61,420 |
| Kentucky | $58,560 |
| Oklahoma | $57,560 |
| Minnesota | $55,480 |
| Utah | $54,640 |
| Connecticut | $53,620 |
| Washington | $52,890 |
| Idaho | $52,240 |
| Colorado | $52,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,590 |
| Iowa | $50,470 |
| New Hampshire | $49,860 |
| Texas | $49,230 |
| Missouri | $49,120 |
| Wisconsin | $48,710 |
| Oregon | $48,690 |
| New Jersey | $48,510 |
| Virginia | $47,900 |
| Ohio | $47,780 |
| Arkansas | $47,300 |
| Michigan | $45,310 |
| Kansas | $45,110 |
| Tennessee | $44,380 |
| Vermont | $43,370 |
| Illinois | $43,020 |
| Maine | $41,680 |
| Maryland | $41,620 |
| Nevada | $41,140 |
| New York | $41,050 |
| Indiana | $39,140 |
| Georgia | $38,430 |
| Massachusetts | $37,970 |
| Nebraska | $37,530 |
| South Carolina | $36,800 |
| California | $36,770 |
| Alabama | $36,620 |
| North Carolina | $34,460 |
| Florida | $32,690 |
| Mississippi | $30,820 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountains | $52,811 | 2.4% | 1.04 |
| Southwest | $49,230 | 7.4% | 0.78 |
| Plains States | $47,823 | 5.4% | 1.25 |
| Middle Atlantic | $47,080 | 9.9% | 0.89 |
| Far Western US | $44,862 | 21.4% | 3.25 |
| Great Lakes | $44,806 | 20.2% | 2.20 |
| New England | $43,985 | 4.3% | 0.92 |
| Southeast | $38,439 | 29.0% | 2.42 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $59,320 | 150 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | PA | $58,390 | 90 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | TX | $54,710 | 490 |
| Gettysburg, PA | PA | $54,510 | 60 |
| Medford, OR | OR | $53,170 | 160 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $52,890 | 400 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $52,150 | 80 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | WI | $51,850 |
Top Industries Employing Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
Most adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 11,450 | $46,030 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 370 | $36,070 |
| Wholesale Trade | 70 | $53,090 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 30 | $34,080 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Use
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Exposed to Contaminants
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Contact With Others
- Spend Time Standing
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics (Supplemental)
- Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Short)
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
References
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 51-9191.00 (Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders).
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