How To Become A Paint Machine Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a paint machine operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a paint machine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.61 an hour? That's $32,476 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 2,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePaint Machine OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,476

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 3.81%

Black or African American 12.50%

Hispanic or Latino 22.00%

Unknown 3.84%

White 57.30%

Gender

female 15.07%

male 84.93%

Age - 41.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41.5

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a paint machine operator

Explore paint machine operator education requirements

Most common paint machine operator degrees

High School Diploma

53.5 %

Associate

15.8 %

Bachelor's

12.3 %

Start to develop specific paint machine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Quality Products	25.55%
Safety Checks	21.02%
Spray Guns	7.22%
CNC	7.16%
Assembly Line	6.45%

Complete relevant paint machine operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New paint machine operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a paint machine operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real paint machine operator resumes.

Research paint machine operator duties and responsibilities

Operate forklifts and other heavy machinery safely.operate CNC plasmaload trucksPrepared product for paintingoperate cranes
Record statistics on ISO documentation, and coordinate with machine technicians and electrical technicians to keep machines operating at maximum efficiency.
Consult with engineering and upper management on product improvement to produce the most cost effective product without compromising quality.

Prepare your paint machine operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your paint machine operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a paint machine operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable paint machine operator resume templates

Build a professional paint machine operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your paint machine operator resume.