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.
- • Examine and measure completed materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices such as tape measures, gauges, or calipers.
- • 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.
- • Read work orders and communicate with coworkers to determine machine and equipment settings and adjustments and supply and product specifications.
- • Fill machines with glue, cement, or adhesives.
- • Mount or load material such as paper, plastic, wood, or rubber in feeding mechanisms of cementing or gluing machines.
- • Maintain production records such as quantities, dimensions, and thicknesses of materials processed.
- • 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.
- • Perform test production runs and make adjustments as necessary to ensure that completed products meet standards and specifications.
- • Remove jammed materials from machines and readjust components as necessary to resume normal operations.
- • Align and position materials being joined to ensure accurate application of adhesive or heat sealing.
- • Observe gauges, meters, and control panels to obtain information about equipment temperatures and pressures, or the speed of feeders or conveyors.
- • Remove and stack completed materials or products, and restock materials to be joined.
- • Clean and maintain gluing and cementing machines, using solutions, lubricants, brushes, and scrapers.
- • Transport materials, supplies, and finished products between storage and work areas, using forklifts.
- • Measure and mix ingredients to prepare glue.
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Related Pathways
Advanced Manufacturing
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
