What is a Blending Machine Operator?

Example of a Blending Machine Operator Job Set up, operate, or tend machines to mix or blend materials, such as chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.

A Day in the Life of a Blending Machine Operator

• Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products to ensure conformance to requirements.
• Test samples of materials or products to ensure compliance with specifications, using test equipment.
• Mix or blend ingredients by starting machines and mixing for specified times.
• Dislodge and clear jammed materials or other items from machinery or equipment, using hand tools.
• Open valves to drain slurry from mixers into storage tanks.
• Transfer materials, supplies, or products between work areas, using moving equipment or hand tools.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Blending Machine Operator?

When polled, Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Types of Blending Machine Operator Jobs

• Thinner
• Slate Mixer
• Acetylene Cylinder Packing Mixer
• Feather Mixer
• Pulp Mixer

Blending Machine Operator Employment Estimates

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 131,000 jobs in the United States for Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.

Mixing and Blending Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender jobs are decreasing by a rate of -3.1%. This means the total job opportunities are shrinking. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a loss of -4,100 jobs for Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders by 2026. There will be an estimated 13,900 positions for Blending Machine Operator per year.

The states with the most job growth for Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders are Texas, Florida, and Utah.

Watch out if you plan on working in Ohio, Virginia, or Massachusetts. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Do Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Make A Lot Of Money?

The typical yearly salary for Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is somewhere between $24,600 and $58,550. The median salary for this occupation is $37,210.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Louisiana	$48,870
Maine	$48,310
Delaware	$46,750
West Virginia	$46,640
Connecticut	$45,870
Washington	$44,980
Illinois	$43,330
New Mexico	$43,210
Wyoming	$43,120
New Hampshire	$42,570
California	$42,530
Rhode Island	$42,280
Iowa	$42,050
Hawaii	$41,980
New Jersey	$41,700
Massachusetts	$40,910
Minnesota	$40,860
Missouri	$40,850
South Carolina	$40,690
Maryland	$40,510
Arkansas	$40,450
Pennsylvania	$40,330
Wisconsin	$39,940
Utah	$39,570
North Dakota	$39,490
Oklahoma	$39,330
Montana	$39,320
Nevada	$38,960
Ohio	$38,870
Indiana	$38,850
Alabama	$38,630
Michigan	$38,260
Colorado	$38,170
New York	$38,150
Kansas	$37,880
South Dakota	$37,820
Georgia	$37,680
Vermont	$37,420
Tennessee	$37,090
Oregon	$36,990
North Carolina	$36,800
Kentucky	$36,260
Nebraska	$35,910
Texas	$35,250
Mississippi	$35,140
Virginia	$34,920
Arizona	$34,040
Idaho	$33,870
Florida	$33,510

What Tools & Technology do Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders:

• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft Word
• SAP
• Data entry software
• Microsoft Excel

Becoming a Blending Machine Operator

Education needed to be a Mixing and Blending Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Are Employed

Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Those interested in being a Mixing and Blending Machine Setter, Operator, or Tender may also be interested in:

• Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons