All careers

Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.

What you’d do

  • Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing.
  • Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods.
  • Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly.
  • Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions.
  • Monitor factors such as temperatures and dye flow rates to ensure that they are within specified ranges.
  • Add dyes, water, detergents, or chemicals to tanks to dilute or strengthen solutions, according to established formulas and solution test results.
  • Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards.
  • Adjust equipment controls to maintain specified heat, tension, and speed.

Skills that matter

  • Operations Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Active Listening
  • Monitoring
  • Time Management
  • Critical Thinking

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Dye Machine Operator
  • Dye Operator
  • Dyer
  • Machine Operator (Machine Op)
  • Beck Operator
  • Dye House Worker

Related careers

See all careers

  • Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders

    Operate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plate, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber…

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

  • Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders

    Operate or tend bonding machines that use adhesives to join items for further processing or to form a completed product.

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

  • Machine Feeders and Offbearers

    Feed materials into or remove materials from machines or equipment that is automatic or tended by other workers.

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

  • Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders

    Operate or tend heating equipment other than basic metal, plastic, or food processing equipment.

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

  • Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers

    Set up, operate, or tend machines that extrude and form continuous filaments from synthetic materials, such as liquid polymer, rayon, and…

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

  • Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

    Operate or tend washing or dry-cleaning machines to wash or dry-clean industrial or household articles, such as cloth garments, suede…

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one