Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

What the job really is

Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.

At a glance

• Sector: Production
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-9124
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.
• Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles.
• Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings.
• Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.
• Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths.
• Fill hoppers, reservoirs, troughs, or pans with material used to coat, paint, or spray, using conveyors or pails.
• Clean equipment and work areas.
• Apply rust-resistant undercoats and caulk and seal seams.
• Start and stop operation of machines, using levers or buttons.
• Determine paint flow, viscosity, and coating quality by performing visual inspections, or by using viscometers.
• Attach hoses or nozzles to machines, using wrenches and pliers, and make adjustments to obtain the proper dispersion of spray.
• Turn dials, handwheels, valves, or switches to regulate conveyor speeds, machine temperature, air pressure and circulation, and the flow or spray of coatings or paints.

Tools and technology

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Abrasive disc wheels, Adjustable hand wrenches, Adjustable wrench sets, Air compressors, Air-assisted spraying systems, Airless gravity pumps, Automated paint mixing equipment, Blow torches

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
• Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Furniture Finishers
• Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
• Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
• Painters, Construction and Maintenance
• Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.