Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend machines to mix or blend materials, such as chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.

Also Known As:

Batchmaker Blender Blending Technician (Blending Tech) Ink Blender Issuing Operator Machine Operator Mixer Mixer Operator Operator Stock Preparation Operator (Stock Prep Operator)

Wages

Hourly

Annual wages for Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders in United States

Job Outlook Average

New job opportunities are likely in the future

United States 2034 Projected Employment

94,300

-7% Change From 2024

Explore Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders video

Tasks you might complete in a day.

Compound or process ingredients or dyes, according to formulas.
Transfer materials, supplies, or products between work areas, using moving equipment or hand tools.
Operate or tend machines to mix or blend any of a wide variety of materials, such as spices, dough batter, tobacco, fruit juices, chemicals, livestock feed, food products, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.
Mix or blend ingredients by starting machines and mixing for specified times.
Observe production or monitor equipment to ensure safe and efficient operation.
Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products to ensure conformance to requirements.
Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products to ensure conformance to requirements.
Record operational or production data on specified forms.
Clean and maintain equipment, using hand tools.
Dislodge and clear jammed materials or other items from machinery or equipment, using hand tools.
Examine materials, ingredients, or products visually or with hands to ensure conformance to established standards.
Test samples of materials or products to ensure compliance with specifications, using test equipment.
Tend accessory equipment, such as pumps or conveyors, to move materials or ingredients through production processes.
Add or mix chemicals or ingredients for processing, using hand tools or other devices.
Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products to ensure conformance to requirements.
Read work orders to determine production specifications or information.
Dump or pour specified amounts of materials into machinery or equipment.
Stop mixing or blending machines when specified product qualities are obtained and open valves and start pumps to transfer mixtures.
Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing.
Clean and maintain equipment, using hand tools.
Clean work areas.
Clean work areas.
Open valves to drain slurry from mixers into storage tanks.
Unload mixtures into containers or onto conveyors for further processing.
Operate or tend machines to mix or blend any of a wide variety of materials, such as spices, dough batter, tobacco, fruit juices, chemicals, livestock feed, food products, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.

Subject areas you may need to master.

Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Strengths you may need in this role.

Technology Design - Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Troubleshooting - Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Equipment Selection - Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Time Management - Managing your time and the time of other people.
Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials.
Learning Strategies - Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
Equipment Maintenance - Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Operations Analysis - Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences.
Quality Control Analysis - Testing how well a product or service works.
Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Instructing - Teaching people how to do something.
Programming - Writing computer programs.
Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Operation and Control - Using equipment or systems.
Speaking - Talking to others.
Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Science - Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Mathematics - Using math to solve problems.
Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Perceptual Speed - Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Explosive Strength - Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Speed of Limb Movement - Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Rate Control - Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Speed of Closure - Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Number Facility - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Sound Localization - Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Extent Flexibility - Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
Gross Body Coordination - Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Reaction Time - Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Stamina - Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Visual Color Discrimination - Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Multilimb Coordination - Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Dynamic Flexibility - Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Peripheral Vision - Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Spatial Orientation - Knowing where things are around you.
Control Precision - Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Static Strength - Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Depth Perception - Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Flexibility of Closure - Seeing hidden patterns.
Glare Sensitivity - Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Hearing Sensitivity - Telling the difference between sounds.
Speech Recognition - Recognizing spoken words.
Manual Dexterity - Holding or moving items with your hands.
Wrist-Finger Speed - Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Night Vision - Seeing at night or under low light.
Arm-Hand Steadiness - Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
Mathematical Reasoning - Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Selective Attention - Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Response Orientation - Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Dynamic Strength - Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Category Flexibility - Grouping things in different ways.
Memorization - Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Auditory Attention - Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Speech Clarity - Speaking clearly.
Visualization - Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Gross Body Equilibrium - Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Finger Dexterity - Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Time Sharing - Doing two or more things at the same time.
Trunk Strength - Using your lower back and stomach.
Far Vision - Seeing details that are far away.
Written Expression - Communicating by writing.
Fluency of Ideas - Coming up with lots of ideas.
Originality - Creating new and original ideas.
Information Ordering - Ordering or arranging things.