Production · Holland code RC

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.

Also called: Coater Operator, Glue Line Operator, Machine Operator, Utility Worker, Glue Reel Operator, Gluer Machine Operator, Gluing Pressman, Perfect Bind Machine Operator.

O*NET 51-9191.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $46,460; Middle half earn $37,220 to $53,610. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 73% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.1 / 5
Speaking3.1 / 5
Monitoring3.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking2.9 / 5
Writing2.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Production and Processing4.0 / 5
Mechanical3.7 / 5
English Language3.4 / 5
Mathematics3.0 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.0 / 5
Education and Training2.9 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic92
Investigative18
Artistic1
Social0
Enterprising2
Conventional56

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

corrugator operator · DE Wellpappenmaschinenführer/Wellpappenmaschinenführerin · FR conducteur de machines à onduler/conductrice de machines à onduler
paperboard products assembler · DE Kartonagenwarenerzeuger/Kartonagenwarenerzeugerin · FR ouvrier cartonnier de finition/ouvrière cartonnière de finition
engineered wood board machine operator · DE Faserplattenpresser/Faserplattenpresserin · FR opérateur de fabrication de panneaux de bois/opératrice de fabrication de panneaux de bois
heat sealing machine operator · DE Heißsiegelmaschinenführer/Heißsiegelmaschinenführerin · FR opérateur de thermoscellage/opératrice de thermoscellage
edge bander operator · DE Kantenanleimmaschinenbediener/Kantenanleimmaschinenbedienerin · FR conducteur d’encolleuses en industrie du bois/conductrice d’encolleuses en industrie du bois
wood products assembler · DE Holzfertigteilbauer/Holzfertigteilbauerin · FR assembleur d’ouvrages en bois et matériaux associés/assembleuse d’ouvrages en bois et matériaux associés

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Assemblers and routine operatives n.e.c. (8149)26,300 employed
Assemblers (vehicles and metal goods) (8142)23,600 employed
Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers (9132)62,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.31. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (51-9191).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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