Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
Also called: Adhesive Laminator, Automatic Gluing Machine Operator, Automobile Brake Bonder, Band Builder, Band Edger, Bead Preparer, Bindery Operator, Bindery Specialist
Operate or tend bonding machines that use adhesives to join items for further processing or to form a completed product.
What adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Remove and stack completed materials or products, and restock materials to be joined.
- Observe gauges, meters, and control panels to obtain information about equipment temperatures and pressures, or the speed of feeders or conveyors.
- Maintain production records such as quantities, dimensions, and thicknesses of materials processed.
- Remove jammed materials from machines and readjust components as necessary to resume normal operations.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders salary
The median annual wage for adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders is $46,460 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $31,460 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $60,810. The mean annual wage is $46,850.
The mean hourly wage of $22.00 is 3.0× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $46,460 → in 3 years $50,800 → in 5 years $53,900 → in 10 years $62,500 (10-year range $53,800–$72,600). The model assumes pay growth of +3.0% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.