A professional who tends multiple-needle machine that tufts material to be used for articles, such as rugs, robes, and bedspreads. Responsibilities include:

• Requests creeler to change yarn styles in creel or mounts supply packages on spindles and pieces up ends to leaders in yarn guides (plastic tubes).
• Draws ends through guides leading to machine, using suction device, and threads ends through guides, tensions, drop wires, and needle eyes.
• Places roll of backing material on brackets at entry end of machine, draws backing under machine needles, and attaches end to takeup roll. Moves lever that engages or disengages cam wheel to adjust machine to insert tufts in straight or irregular design.
• Observes tufting to detect yarn breaks and machine malfunctions.
• Rethreads broken yarn ends and replaces bent or broken needles and hooks (loopers).
• Replaces dull knives on cut-pile tufting machines, using handtools.
• Unthreads needles and ties up extra drop wires to adjust machine to accommodate narrower material.
• Increases or decreases speed of cloth feed and inserts or removes shims between needle plate and machine bed to adjust space between tufts and length of tufts.
• Workers who operate tufting machines are classified under tuft-machine operator.