Overview
Zone Enterprises is seeking a reliable, quality-focused Laminator Press Operator for our manufacturing and converting facility in Nashville, TN. In this role, you will set up, calibrate, and run industrial laminating machinery and multi-web laminator presses to combine flexible substrates—including pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, elastomeric foams, films, and liners—into multi-layered engineered composite materials.
The ideal candidate has strong mechanical aptitude, experience with web handling and nip-roll systems, and the precision required to produce consistent, bubble-free, and defect-free laminations aligned with tight manufacturing tolerances.
Setup & Machine Operation
- Set up, thread, calibrate, and operate wide-web or narrow-web laminator presses according to engineering specifications and daily work orders.
- Load raw material rolls (open/closed-cell foams, PSA tapes, release liners, plastics, foils) onto unwinds, pneumatic chucks, and tension mandrels.
- Adjust machine parameters including line speed, nip-roller gap pressure, web tension, and heat/temperature profiles to achieve optimal bonding without stretching, curling, or wrinkling.
- Set up slitting blades, rewind shafts, and edge guides to ensure finished master rolls meet slit-width and winding requirements.
Quality Control & Documentation
- Inspect initial proof runs and sign off on first-piece approvals before starting full production cycles.
- Continuously monitor web alignment, adhesive coat weight, peel adhesion, and composite thickness using calipers, micrometers, and tension gauges.
- Identify and eliminate common laminating flaws (e.g., air entrapment/tunneling, delamination, adhesive bleed, registration drift, liner tearing).
- Maintain accurate electronic and paper batch records, recording material usage, roll lot numbers, yield scrap, and machine run times.
- Segregate, quarantine, and tag any non-conforming web lots to uphold ISO 9001 quality guidelines.
Maintenance & Safety
- Conduct routine preventative maintenance, including cleaning nip rollers, wiping down adhesive build-up with approved solvents, and lubricating bearings.
- Practice 5S workplace organization to maintain a clean, organized, and debris-free laminating press bay.
- Adhere strictly to OSHA safety standards, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) protocols, pinch-point guarding, and mandatory PPE requirements.
Skills and Experience
- Experience: Minimum 1–2 years of experience operating converting machinery, industrial laminators, coaters, or web-fed presses.
- Mechanical & Web-Handling Knowledge: Demonstrated understanding of web guiding, rewinding tension control, and nip roll adjustments.
- Measurement & Math Skills: Proven ability to read standard blueprints/spec sheets and use precision measuring equipment (digital calipers, micrometers, rulers) with basic shop math (decimals, fractions).
- Physical Capabilities: Ability to stand and move on foot throughout an 8- to 10-hour shift and lift raw material cores or tooling weighing up to 50 lbs.
- Education: High school diploma, GED, or equivalent vocational training.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience handling pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes, single- and double-coated foams, or release liners within a converting environment.
- Familiarity with rotary die-cutting interfaces or inline slitting equipment.
- Prior experience working in an ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 certified facility.
- Forklift certification or overhead crane/hoist operation experience for roll handling.
Benefits
Don't miss this chance to enhance your experience in a production environment while enjoying competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package.
- Weekly pay
- $5 prescription drugs
- $5 doctor's visit copays
- Free teledoctor service
- Free counseling services
- Life insurance included
- Vision insurance included
- Dental insurance included
- Vacation and holiday pay
- Scholarship Opportunities
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Free legal services
- Our unbeatable employee discount program
Apply now so we can hold a spot for you. We can’t wait to talk to you!
––Your Ōnin team