Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Career, Salary and Skills
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $46,460 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 11,500. Wage data is published for 89 locations.
Occupation 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.
O*NET code
51-9191.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$46,460
Hourly median
$22.34
Employment
11,500
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Operation and Control | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Active Listening | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Speaking | 3.12 | 2.62 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Coordination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.00 | 2.50 |
| Repairing | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.00 | 3.00 |
Typical tasks
- Monitor machine operations to detect malfunctions and report or resolve problems.
- 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.
- 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.
Technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- SAP software
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in NCMedian $34,830 · Employment 1,590
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in OHMedian $49,390 · Employment 940
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in ORMedian $50,050 · Employment 900
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in TXMedian $48,450 · Employment 790
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in INMedian $40,380 · Employment 690
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in CAMedian $40,440 · Employment 580
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in PAMedian $53,320 · Employment 500
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $51,540 · Employment 460
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in MSMedian $31,250 · Employment 430
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in NYMedian $42,130 · Employment 400
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in OKMedian $59,980 · Employment 390
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders Salary in Hickory, NCMedian $33,870 · Employment 390
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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.