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Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
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.
Other titles employers use
Automotive Painter (Auto Painter) · Automotive Refinish Technician (Auto Refinish Tech) · Coater Operator · Hand Sprayer · Industrial Painter · Paint Technician (Paint Tech) · Painter · Powder Coater
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
- Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.
- Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths.
- Fill hoppers, reservoirs, troughs, or pans with material used to coat, paint, or spray, using conveyors or pails.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Quality Control Analysis
- Equipment Maintenance
- Repairing
Useful strengths
- Near Vision
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Control Precision
- Visual Color Discrimination
- Manual Dexterity
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.8 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.3 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 4.5 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 4.8 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 89%
- A certificate or some college 11%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Word processing software
- Inventory management software
- Facilities management software
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
- Industrial control software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 17,350
- Job openings each year
- 1,650
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 11.1%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 17,350 | 1,650 | 11.1% |
| California | 12,600 | 1,140 | 3.3% |
| Indiana | 8,740 | 810 | 5.7% |
| Wisconsin | 8,130 | 760 | 8.7% |
| Ohio | 7,990 | 720 | — |
| Florida | 7,590 | 720 | 11.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 7,180 | 650 | 1.1% |
| Illinois | 7,050 | 640 | 3.7% |
| Virginia | 6,990 | 660 | 11.1% |
| Tennessee | 6,920 | 690 | 22.0% |
| North Carolina | 6,450 | 600 | 8.8% |
| Michigan | 6,430 | 570 | −1.4% |
| Georgia | 5,640 | 550 | 15.8% |
| Alabama | 4,470 | 420 | 9.8% |
| Washington | 4,430 | 440 | 6.2% |
| Missouri | 4,280 | 390 | 1.4% |
| Kentucky | 4,160 | 390 | 8.1% |
| Minnesota | 3,700 | 340 | 3.4% |
| Iowa | 3,540 | 330 | 6.3% |
| South Carolina | 3,350 | 320 | 11.3% |
| Arizona | 3,320 | 320 | 15.3% |
| Kansas | 2,850 | 260 | 5.9% |
| New Jersey | 2,800 | 250 | 2.6% |
| New York | 2,770 | 0 | −7.7% |
| Mississippi | 2,630 | 250 | 12.9% |
| Oregon | 2,600 | 250 | 11.6% |
| Arkansas | 2,350 | 220 | 6.3% |
| Colorado | 2,340 | 220 | 8.3% |
| Oklahoma | 2,230 | 200 | 1.8% |
| Utah | 2,040 | 200 | 21.4% |
| South Dakota | 1,640 | 150 | 8.6% |
| Connecticut | 1,370 | 120 | 3.0% |
| Maryland | 1,090 | 100 | 5.8% |
| Massachusetts | 1,010 | 90 | 1.0% |
| Nebraska | 960 | 90 | 6.7% |
| Maine | 940 | 80 | −2.1% |
| Idaho | 860 | 80 | 14.7% |
| Nevada | 640 | 60 | 12.3% |
| New Hampshire | 640 | 60 | 1.6% |
| North Dakota | 630 | 60 | 10.5% |
| Rhode Island | 630 | 60 | 6.8% |
| West Virginia | 530 | 50 | 6.0% |
| New Mexico | 480 | 50 | 9.1% |
| Louisiana | 410 | 40 | 5.1% |
| Montana | 410 | 40 | 10.8% |
| Puerto Rico | 370 | 30 | 15.6% |
| Vermont | 230 | 20 | — |
| Delaware | 170 | 20 | — |
| Wyoming | 150 | 20 | 25.0% |
| Alaska | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| District of Columbia | 30 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Compare every college offering vehicle maintenance and repair technologies/technicians