Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
What Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Production and Processingimportance 4.0/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.7/5
- English Languageimportance 3.4/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.0/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.9/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.9/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.8/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Exposed to Contaminants4.8/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.6/5
- Contact With Others4.6/5
- Spend Time Standing4.6/5
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.5/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Power Plant Operators97% skill match
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders97% skill match
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders97% skill match
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders96% skill match
- Logging Equipment Operators96% skill match
- Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders96% skill match
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic96% skill match
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.9/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.8/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
- Repairingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Stress Tolerance
- Achievement Orientation
- Integrity
- Self-Confidence
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
- SocialLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC34.20× national avg
- 2Medford, OR26.28× national avg
- 3Eugene-Springfield, OR25.72× national avg
- 4Gettysburg, PA19.56× national avg
- 5Elkhart-Goshen, IN13.81× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersLateral Move
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersLateral Move
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, HandLateral Move
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
See the full career path from Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders →