Life As a Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Operator

Position 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.

Daily Life Of a Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Operator

• Inspect or measure finished workpieces to determine conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges or micrometers.
• Compute machine indexings and settings for specified dimensions and base reference points.
• Adjust air cylinders and setting stops to set traverse lengths and feed arm strokes.
• Measure workpieces and lay out work, using precision measuring devices.
• Thread and hand-feed materials through machine cutters or abraders.
• Move machine controls to index workpieces, and to adjust machines for pre-selected operational settings.

Qualities of a Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Operator

Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

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

• Sample Grinder
• Rail Grinder
• Process Equipment Operator
• Bench Grinder
• Gear Lapper

What Kind of Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Operator Job Opportunities Are There?

There were about 76,200 jobs for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic in 2016 (in the United States).

Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setter, Operator, or Tender jobs are decreasing by a rate of -10.3%. This means the total job opportunities are shrinking. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a loss of -7,800 jobs for Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders by 2026. There will be an estimated 6,800 positions for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Operator per year.

The states with the most job growth for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic are Florida, Arizona, and Texas.

Watch out if you plan on working in California, Ohio, or Wisconsin. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

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

The salary for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic ranges between about $23,960 and $52,170 a year. A Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setter, Operator, or Tender median salary is $34,850.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Connecticut	$43,350
Maryland	$43,200
Oregon	$42,990
Maine	$42,950
Wyoming	$42,570
Louisiana	$41,320
Massachusetts	$41,290
Mississippi	$40,840
Missouri	$40,800
North Dakota	$40,060
South Carolina	$39,880
Nebraska	$39,630
Arizona	$39,180
New York	$39,010
Pennsylvania	$38,780
Vermont	$38,550
Illinois	$38,400
Minnesota	$38,390
Washington	$37,890
North Carolina	$37,840
Kentucky	$37,440
Indiana	$37,270
Michigan	$37,070
New Jersey	$36,900
Tennessee	$36,870
Wisconsin	$36,800
Rhode Island	$36,110
Kansas	$35,770
Iowa	$35,740
South Dakota	$35,350
Ohio	$34,980
New Hampshire	$34,950
Arkansas	$34,910
Georgia	$34,710
California	$34,580
Utah	$34,530
Alabama	$34,190
Florida	$32,890
Colorado	$32,840
Texas	$32,710
Nevada	$32,300
Oklahoma	$32,240
West Virginia	$31,070
Virginia	$31,030
Montana	$29,350
Idaho	$28,540
Delaware	$28,230
New Mexico	$26,610

What Tools & Technology do Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders may use on a daily basis:

• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Windows
• SAP

Becoming a Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Operator

Education needed to be a Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setter, Operator, or Tender:

How Long Does it Take to Become Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Operator?

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

You May Also Be Interested In…

Those thinking about becoming Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders might also be interested in the following careers:

• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Career changers with experience as a Metal and Plastic Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setter, Operator, or Tender sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

• Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers
• Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
• Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons