Experienced Paint Line Operator

InnerSpace•Marne, MI

8d•Onsite

About The Position

This Experienced Paint Line Operator independently operates, monitors, and troubleshoots the complete automated powder coating line, including the pretreatment washer, dry-off and cure ovens, conveyor, automatic powder guns, manual touch-up, and powder recovery systems. The role owns routine process checks, water sampling and approved chemical additions, assigned preventive maintenance, quality response, and training of less experienced operators. The focus is maintaining a safe, stable process that produces consistent finish quality while minimizing downtime, rework, contamination, and powder waste.

Requirements

High school diploma or general education degree (GED), or an equivalent combination of education and experience
At least three years of industrial powder coating experience, including experience on an automated conveyorized powder coating line
Demonstrated ability to independently operate the complete line, perform manual touch-up, complete required sampling and chemical additions, perform assigned PMs, and respond effectively to common quality and equipment problems
Ability to use line controls, computers, gauges, and test equipment; perform basic math; and maintain accurate records
Ability to perform the physical requirements of the position and wear all required PPE while working safely around chemicals, powder, ovens, and moving equipment
Deep understanding of how pretreatment chemistry, water quality, drying, grounding, powder application, film thickness, and cure work together to create the final finish
Working knowledge of the full automated line, including washer stages, dry-off and cure ovens, conveyor, HMI and PLC controls, automatic and manual guns, feed center, reclaim system, filtration, alarms, and safety interlocks
Skilled in manual powder application and automatic gun setup, including how part geometry, hang orientation, grounding, kV, current, powder flow, and air settings affect coverage and transfer efficiency
Ability to use samples, test results, gauges, process readings, alarm history, and defect patterns to separate equipment, material, chemistry, handling, and setup causes
Ability to read and apply work instructions, quality standards, equipment manuals, PM instructions, safety rules, and Safety Data Sheets
Strong mechanical aptitude, sound judgment, and clear understanding of when to make an authorized adjustment, stop the line, or escalate to Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, or leadership
Ability to train others clearly, provide effective shift handoffs, and understand how paint line decisions affect material flow, quality, schedule, and cost

Responsibilities

Independently completes line start-up, operation, monitoring, changeover, and shutdown in accordance with standard work
Reviews production requirements and confirms the correct powder, recipe, hang pattern, part orientation and spacing, masking, and overall line readiness before releasing work
Operates the line HMI and PLC controls and adjusts approved settings, including conveyor speed, gun position and triggering, kV, current, powder and air flow, washer parameters, and oven parameters
Sets up and operates the automatic powder guns and performs manual touch-up on complex or recessed areas while controlling coverage, film build, and powder use
Leads cleaning of the booth, guns, pumps, hoses, feed center, and reclaim components to prevent contamination
Owns required washer and water sampling; tests and records specified pH, concentration or titration, conductivity, temperature, and other required values; safely makes approved chemical additions and verifies the result
Monitors critical line conditions, including washer pressure and nozzle performance, dry-off and cure temperatures, conveyor operation, booth airflow and filters, powder feed and reclaim, part grounding, and system alarms
Inspects coated parts for coverage, color, appearance, film thickness, adhesion, and cure as required by work instructions; contains nonconforming product and corrects the process before additional product is affected
Diagnoses coating and equipment issues such as poor adhesion, thin or heavy film, recessed-area coverage, contamination, pinholes, orange peel, gun spitting or surging, grounding, cure, and line alarm problems
Performs and documents assigned operator PMs and routine maintenance on washer nozzles and strainers, guns and nozzles, pumps and hoses, booth and reclaim equipment, filters and sieves, conveyor and hangers, ovens, and related safety checks within established training and authorization
Follows all safety procedures for powder handling, chemicals, ovens, moving equipment, compressed air, PPE, and lockout/tagout; stops and escalates unsafe or out-of-control conditions and never bypasses interlocks or safeguards
Trains and coaches Level 1 and Level 2 operators on standard work, spray technique, sampling and chemical handling, cleaning, PMs, defect recognition, and safe operation; verifies understanding through hands-on demonstration
Serves as the go-to technical resource during downtime, quality issues; maintains accurate process, chemical, PM, quality, scrap, rework, and downtime records; supports improvements to first-pass yield, powder use, changeover time, uptime, safety, and 5S
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned