Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
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.
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Quality Control Analysis
- Reading Comprehension
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Complex Problem Solving
Key knowledge
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Engineering and Technology
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Design
What the work involves
- Inspect or measure finished workpieces to determine conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges or micrometers.
- Lift and position workpieces, manually or with hoists, and secure them in hoppers or on machine tables, faceplates, or chucks, using clamps.
- 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 workpieces.
- Observe machine operations to detect any problems, making necessary adjustments to correct problems.
- Set and adjust machine controls according to product specifications, using knowledge of machine operation.
- Measure workpieces and lay out work, using precision measuring devices.
- Select machine tooling to be used, using knowledge of machine and production requirements.
- Study blueprints, work orders, or machining instructions to determine product specifications, tool requirements, and operational sequences.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (87.2% of expert ratings)
- Related experience
- None (37.7%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (37.2%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 66% of occupations compared | 56% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 99% of occupations compared | 91% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Very low | Lower on teamwork than 80% of occupations compared | 50% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 67% of occupations compared | 35% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very low | Lower on time pressure than 96% of occupations compared | 31% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 85% of occupations compared | 35% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 81% of occupations compared | 43% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 63% of occupations compared | 30% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very low
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 11.25%
- Contact with others about half the time: 16.57%
- Contact with others most of the time: 16.59%
- Constant contact with others: 55.59%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 90.89%
- Fairly important: 5.74%
- Important: 3.37%
- Very important: 0%
- Extremely important: 0%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 2.28%
- Fairly important: 22.19%
- Important: 18.1%
- Very important: 7.57%
- Extremely important: 49.86%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 34.66%
- Some freedom: 35.36%
- A lot of freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: 30.6%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 16.43%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 12.08%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 20.6%
- Every day: 20.3%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 35.24%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 27.33%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 16.27%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 17.29%
- Every day: 3.87%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 43.46%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 31.37%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 0%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 3.87%
- Every day: 21.31%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 11.55%
- Fairly serious: 20.24%
- Serious: 29.25%
- Very serious: 8.81%
- Extremely serious: 30.14%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
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O*NET-SOC 51-4033.00 · SOC 51-4033 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8