What Does it Take to Be a Grinding Machine Operator?
Job Description & Duties Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.
Daily Life Of a Grinding Machine Operator
- Break mixtures to size, using picks.
- Load materials into machinery and equipment, using hand tools.
- Add or mix chemicals and ingredients for processing, using hand tools or other devices.
- Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing.
- Reject defective products and readjust equipment to eliminate problems.
- Turn valves to regulate the moisture contents of materials.
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What a Grinding Machine Operator Should Know
Grinding Machine Operators state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Types of Grinding Machine Operator
- Greenstone Polisher Operator
- Operator
- Miter Grinder Operator
- Stamping Mill Tender
- Snuff Grinder
Job Opportunities for Grinding Machine Operators
There were about 30,200 jobs for Grinding Machine Operator in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Grinding Machine Operator. There will be an estimated 3,000 positions for Grinding Machine Operator per year.

The states with the most job growth for Grinding Machine Operator are Alaska, Utah, and Florida. Watch out if you plan on working in Ohio, West Virginia, or Kansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Grinding Machine Operator Salary
The salary for Grinding Machine Operators ranges between about $24,310 and $53,650 a year.

Grinding Machine Operators who work in Wyoming, Nevada, or West Virginia, make the highest salaries.
How much do Grinding Machine Operators make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $39,750 |
Arizona | $45,420 |
Arkansas | $30,550 |
California | $33,680 |
Colorado | $41,760 |
Connecticut | $39,420 |
Delaware | $41,640 |
Florida | $37,280 |
Georgia | $36,390 |
Idaho | $42,050 |
Illinois | $39,820 |
Indiana | $36,110 |
Iowa | $37,590 |
Kansas | $36,470 |
Kentucky | $34,460 |
Louisiana | $43,240 |
Maine | $44,100 |
Maryland | $42,090 |
Massachusetts | $42,770 |
Michigan | $34,760 |
Minnesota | $44,970 |
Mississippi | $31,060 |
Missouri | $35,260 |
Montana | $42,270 |
Nebraska | $35,830 |
Nevada | $56,540 |
New Hampshire | $42,810 |
New Jersey | $37,170 |
New Mexico | $46,180 |
New York | $39,300 |
North Carolina | $33,910 |
North Dakota | $45,160 |
Ohio | $35,860 |
Oklahoma | $31,550 |
Oregon | $39,720 |
Pennsylvania | $39,660 |
South Carolina | $39,630 |
South Dakota | $33,900 |
Tennessee | $35,960 |
Texas | $34,760 |
Utah | $45,520 |
Vermont | $46,300 |
Virginia | $33,760 |
Washington | $39,640 |
West Virginia | $50,420 |
Wisconsin | $40,360 |
Wyoming | $66,790 |
What Tools & Technology do Grinding Machine Operators Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Grinding Machine Operators may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Data entry software
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Spreadsheet software
- SAP software
How to Become a Grinding Machine Operator
What education is needed to be a Grinding Machine Operator?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Grinding Machine Operators?

Below are examples of industries where Grinding Machine Operators work:

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those who work as a Grinding Machine Operator sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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