Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Overview

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic has a national median salary of $46,550 per year, with -10.8% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

Work Values

• Support
• Relationships
• Independence

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Measure workpieces and lay out work, using precision measuring devices.
• Inspect or measure finished workpieces to determine conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges or micrometers.
• Set and adjust machine controls according to product specifications, using knowledge of machine operation.
• Observe machine operations to detect any problems, making necessary adjustments to correct problems.
• Activate machine start-up switches to grind, lap, hone, debar, shear, or cut workpieces, according to specifications.

Work Activities

• Handling and Moving Objects
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Controlling Machines and Processes
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Getting Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Detailed Work Activities

• Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished an associate's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Associate's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic:

Video Resources