SOC 51-9012.00

    Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

    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.

    Median pay
    $51,610
    Growth
    -5.7%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    5,200
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $36,200
    Median
    $51,610
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $79,750
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    60,100 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    These operators set up and run machinery to extract, sort, or separate liquids, gases, or solids. The career offers a median annual pay of $51,610, with opportunities across food production, chemical processing, and other manufacturing industries.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    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.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    What the work is like

    Workers in this field set up and run equipment like filter presses, centrifuges, and fermenting tanks to refine materials. Their daily tasks center on monitoring processes, inspecting machinery, and getting information to ensure operations run smoothly. They handle and move objects, make decisions to solve problems, and evaluate their work to meet quality standards. Strong communication with supervisors and peers is essential to keep the production floor safe and efficient.

    This role is a great fit for individuals with realistic interests who enjoy hands-on, practical work. Success requires skills in operations monitoring, critical thinking, and quality control analysis. Operators must understand production and processing, food production, chemistry, and public safety. They need to be dependable, cautious, and highly attentive to detail to handle the physical demands and maintain safety standards in busy industrial environments.

    How to get there

    Most people enter this career with a high school diploma. The role falls under O*NET Job Zone 2, meaning workers typically need some preparation, which often includes on-the-job training or previous work experience to learn how to operate the machinery safely.

    While a college degree is not standard, students interested in this field can study food science and technology, which is a related major. Depending on where you plan to work, some states list a license for this occupation, so it is important to check local state guidelines. Related careers that require similar preparation include chemical equipment operators and mixing and blending machine operators.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for these machine operators and tenders is $51,610. Earnings can vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% earning less than $36,200 and the highest 10% earning more than $79,750.

    There are 60,100 people employed in this occupation. From 2025 to 2035, employment is projected to decline by -5.7%. Despite this projected decrease in total jobs, there are still 5,200 openings expected each year to replace workers who leave the field.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    88 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    22 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    2 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    2 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    58 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    74
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    74
    Getting Information
    73
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    73
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    72
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    66
    Handling and Moving Objects
    65
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    65
    Performing General Physical Activities
    63
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    61
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring
    • Critical Thinking
    • Monitoring
    • Operation and Control
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Active Listening
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Time Management
    • Active Learning

    Knowledge

    • Production and Processing
    • English Language
    • Food Production
    • Education and Training
    • Mechanical
    • Mathematics
    • Chemistry
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Physics

    Abilities

    • Near Vision
    • Perceptual Speed
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Information Ordering
    • Reaction Time
    • Control Precision
    • Flexibility of Closure
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Oral Comprehension

    Work styles

    • Cautiousness
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Perseverance
    • Adaptability
    • Cooperation

    Also called

    Absorber Operator · Absorption Operator · Acetone Recovery Worker · Acetylene Plant Operator · Acid Purifier · Almond Blancher Operator · Batch Still Operator · Beer Brewer · Blender · Brewer

    Career pathway

    From your interests to separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,610 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1University of Wisconsin-Madison Main Campus logo
      University of Wisconsin-Madison Main Campus

      Madison, WI · Food Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $57,824
      4 yrs after
      $85,445
      Median debt
      Not reported
    2. 2Cornell University-New York logo
      Cornell University-New York

      Ithaca, NY · Food Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $66,519
      4 yrs after
      $84,147
      Median debt
      Not reported
    3. 3Rutgers University-New Brunswick Main Campus logo
      Rutgers University-New Brunswick Main Campus

      New Brunswick, NJ · Food Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $58,376
      4 yrs after
      $80,979
      Median debt
      $18,673
    4. 4Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University logo
      Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

      Blacksburg, VA · Food Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $48,488
      4 yrs after
      $80,161
      Median debt
      Not reported
    5. 5Kansas State University logo
      Kansas State University

      Manhattan, KS · Food Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $68,015
      4 yrs after
      $78,367
      Median debt
      $23,250
    6. 6University of Massachusetts-Amherst UMASS Main Campus logo
      University of Massachusetts-Amherst UMASS Main Campus

      Amherst, MA · Food Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $77,771
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7California State Polytechnic University-Pomona logo
      California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

      Pomona, CA · Food Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $54,580
      4 yrs after
      $75,601
      Median debt
      Not reported
    8. 8California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo SLO logo
      California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo SLO

      San Luis Obispo, CA · Food Science and Technology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $54,906
      4 yrs after
      $75,466
      Median debt
      $12,833

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Brewing Science
    • Viticulture and Enology
    • Zymology/Fermentation Science

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    1 state lists a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common job titles for this career?

    People in this occupation work under various titles depending on their industry. Some common names for the role include batch still operator, beer brewer, blender, absorber operator, and acid purifier.

    What kind of knowledge is most useful for this work?

    Operators benefit from knowing about production and processing, food production, chemistry, and public safety. Basic knowledge of mathematics, mechanical systems, and physics also helps them run and troubleshoot complex machinery.

    Is a college degree required to get started?

    No, a college degree is typically not required. A high school diploma combined with some on-the-job training or prior experience is the standard preparation for entering this field.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.