Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
ManufacturingO*NET 51-9124.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $47,535
- Projected change
- +4.8%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 167.9K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
89.3% of the workforce
Growing to 176.01K by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Clean equipment and work areas.
- Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths.
- Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.
- Fill hoppers, reservoirs, troughs, or pans with material used to coat, paint, or spray, using conveyors or pails.
- 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.
- 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.
- Attach hoses or nozzles to machines, using wrenches and pliers, and make adjustments to obtain the proper dispersion of spray.
- Observe machine gauges and equipment operation to detect defects or deviations from standards, and make adjustments as necessary.
- Examine, measure, weigh, or test sample products to ensure conformance to specifications.
- Buff and wax the finished paintwork.
- Use brush to hand-paint areas in need of retouching or unreachable with a spray gun.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $34,779
- 25th percentile
- $39,411
- 50th percentile
- $47,535
- 75th percentile
- $59,789
- 90th percentile
- $77,575
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $47,535 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+4.8%average or slower
2025167,895 jobs
2035 projected176,011 jobs
8,116 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 89.3%
- Certificate
- 7.1%
- Some college
- 3.6%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Paint Technicians364 postings
- 02Paint Preppers324 postings
- 03Paint Prep Technicians150 postings
- 04Powder Coaters125 postings
- 05Sandblasters100 postings
- 06Industrial Estimators77 postings
- 07Industrial Painters66 postings
- 08Spray Technicians65 postings
- 09Body Technicians51 postings
- 10Blasters49 postings
- 11Paint Assistants39 postings
- 12Body Shop Painters36 postings
- 13Powder Coat Painters35 postings
- 14Paint Specialists26 postings
- 15Coatings Managers25 postings
- 16Detailers23 postings
- 17Paint Associates21 postings
- 18Body Shop Technicians20 postings
- 19Aircraft Detailers18 postings
- 20Aircraft Painters18 postings
Top employers
- 01Aerotek141 postings
- 02Crash Champions103 postings
- 03GPAC88 postings
- 04Tesla45 postings
- 05Classic Collision31 postings
- 06Carvana24 postings
- 07Hsgi23 postings
- 08Valence Surface Technologies20 postings
- 09Carstar16 postings
- 10Nesco Resource16 postings
- 11Gal Aerostaff LTD.15 postings
- 12Classic Collision Corporate Services14 postings
- 13ManpowerGroup12 postings
- 14Moseley Technical Services12 postings
- 15Spherion Staffing12 postings
- 16Sunbelt Solomon Services12 postings
- 17CarMax11 postings
- 18Express Employment Professionals11 postings
- 19G A Richards11 postings
- 20General Atomics11 postings
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