What do they do?

Set up, operate, or tend continuous flow or vat-type equipment; filter presses; shaker screens; centrifuges; condenser tubes; precipitating, fermenting, or evaporating tanks; scrubbing towers; or batch stills. These machines extract, sort, or separate liquids, gases, or solids from other materials to recover a refined product. Includes dairy processing equipment operators.

Also known as:

Blender, Brewer, Cellar Worker, Centrifugal Operator, Digester Cook, Dryer Operator, Green Feed Attendant, Machine Tender, Mash Processing Operator, Milk Processor, Mill Operator, Paper Machine Tender, Pasteurizer, Plant Operator, Process Technician, Processing Operator, Processor, Pulp Mill Operator, Pulper Operator, Rum Processing Operator, Screen Operator, Utility Operator, Whey Department Operator, Winemaker

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is projected to grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
  • 3.6%

    Change

    Select a state to see its job growth rate ranking
    5,400

    Job Openings

    Select a state to see its net job growth ranking

Best colleges for Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Colleges with the most graduates that become Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Looking for colleges that offer a specific major? Use the College Match Tool to find your best-matched schools and discover your estimated Net Price!

Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • High school diploma equivalent  (32%)
  • Some college, no degree  (25%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (22%)
  • Associate's degree  (10%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (6%)
  • Master's degree  (4%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

★ There are no majors that have graduates with this degree type

People in this career often have these skills:

  • Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Load materials into production equipment.
  • Assess compliance with environmental laws.
  • Maintain safety.
  • Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.
  • Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
  • Operate pumping systems or equipment.
  • Operate mixing equipment.
  • Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
  • Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.
  • Inspect production equipment.
  • Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
  • Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
  • Exchange information with colleagues.
  • Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Clear equipment jams.
  • Install mechanical components in production equipment.
  • Maintain production or processing equipment.
  • Repair production equipment or tools.
  • Clean work areas.
  • Clean production equipment.
  • Connect supply lines to production equipment or tools.
  • Assemble machine tools, parts, or fixtures.
  • Position containers to receive materials or workpieces.
  • Package products for storage or shipment.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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