About This Career

Performs precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Production pathway.

A person in this career:

• Monitors machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur.
• Inspects, feels, and measures workpieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications.
• Studies blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences.
• Selects and mounts grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures.
• Computes numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjusts tools to produce specified cuts.
• Turns valves to direct flow of coolant against cutting wheels and workpieces during grinding.
• Sets up and operates grinding or polishing machines to grind metal workpieces, such as dies, parts, and tools.
• Dresses grinding wheels, according to specifications.
• Files or finishes surfaces of workpieces, using prescribed hand tools.
• Performs basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work