Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.0), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner. Core · importance 4.4
• Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles. Core · importance 4.4
• Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings. Core · importance 4.3
• Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes. Core · importance 4.3
• Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths. Core · importance 4.3
• Fill hoppers, reservoirs, troughs, or pans with material used to coat, paint, or spray, using conveyors or pails. Core · importance 4.3
• Clean equipment and work areas. Core · importance 4.3
• Thread or feed items or products through or around machine rollers and dryers. Supplemental · importance 4.3
• Weigh or measure chemicals, coatings, or paints before adding them to machines. Supplemental · importance 4.2
• Apply rust-resistant undercoats and caulk and seal seams. Core · importance 4.2
• Start and stop operation of machines, using levers or buttons. Core · importance 4.2
• Operate auxiliary machines or equipment used in coating or painting processes. Supplemental · importance 4.1
• Remove materials, parts, or workpieces from painting or coating machines, using hand tools. Supplemental · importance 4.1
• Determine paint flow, viscosity, and coating quality by performing visual inspections, or by using viscometers. Core · importance 4.1
• Attach hoses or nozzles to machines, using wrenches and pliers, and make adjustments to obtain the proper dispersion of spray. Core · importance 4.0
• Turn dials, handwheels, valves, or switches to regulate conveyor speeds, machine temperature, air pressure and circulation, and the flow or spray of coatings or paints. Core · importance 4.0
• Record operational data on specified forms. Supplemental · importance 4.0
• Operate lifting or moving devices to move equipment or materials to access areas to be painted. Supplemental · importance 4.0
• Observe machine gauges and equipment operation to detect defects or deviations from standards, and make adjustments as necessary. Core · importance 4.0
• Set up portable equipment, such as ventilators, exhaust units, ladders, or scaffolding. Supplemental · importance 3.9
• Examine, measure, weigh, or test sample products to ensure conformance to specifications. Core · importance 3.8
• Buff and wax the finished paintwork. Core · importance 3.8
• Use brush to hand-paint areas in need of retouching or unreachable with a spray gun. Core · importance 3.6
• Adjust controls on infrared ovens, heat lamps, portable ventilators, or exhaust units to speed the drying of surfaces between coats.
• Apply primer over any repairs made to surfaces.
• Fill small dents or scratches with body fillers and smooth surfaces to prepare for painting.
• Mix paints to match color specifications or original colors, stirring or thinning paints, using spatulas or power mixing equipment.
• Prepare and apply stencils, computer-generated decals, or other decorative items to finished products. Supplemental
• Remove grease, dirt, paint, or rust from surfaces in preparation for paint application, using abrasives, solvents, brushes, blowtorches, washing tanks, or sandblasters.
• Sand and apply sealer to properly dried finish.

Work activities

• Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
• Inspect finishes of workpieces or finished products.
• Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
• Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
• Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
• Operate painting or coating equipment.
• Record operational or production data.
• Load materials into production equipment.
• Feed materials or products into or through equipment.
• Connect supply lines to production equipment or tools.
• Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.
• Weigh finished products.
• Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
• Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
• Apply protective or decorative finishes to workpieces or products.
• Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
• Clean work areas.
• Clean production equipment.
• Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair.
• Dispose of trash or waste materials.
• Smooth metal surfaces or edges.
• Fill cracks, imperfections, or holes in products or workpieces.
• Mix ingredients to create specific finishes.
• Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
• Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
• Prepare surfaces for finishing.
• Assemble temporary equipment or structures.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Abilities

Transferable skills

Essential skills

Knowledge

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Industrial Control Software Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Work styles

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Supply Chain & Transportation career cluster.

• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers · 51-9123.00 Compare →
• Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4193.00 Compare →
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic · 51-9195.00 Compare →
• Furniture Finishers · 51-7021.00 Compare →
• Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand · 51-9022.00 Compare →
• Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-9191.00 Compare →
• Painters, Construction and Maintenance · 47-2141.00 Compare →
• Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators · 51-2051.00 Compare →
• Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-6061.00 Compare →
• Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders · 51-9192.00 Compare →
• Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4072.00 Compare →
• Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9041.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-role-51-9124-00,
  title  = {Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9124-00}
}