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Skilled Trades

Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$46,460

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$31k – $61k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

Plan a path to Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders

    Entry / Junior

    $31,460

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders

    Established

    $46,460

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders

    Senior

    $53,635

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.