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.
67,000 people do this job in the US. $46,550 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 18%
- 0%
- 82%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 18%. Today's estimate: 18%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 18 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 19% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Set and adjust machine controls according to product specifications, using knowledge of machine operation.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 21 min8 min to 42 min | Stays with people | |
| Repair or replace machine parts, using hand tools, or notify engineering personnel when corrective action is required.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 38 min13 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Measure workpieces and lay out work, using precision measuring devices.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 29 min | Stays with people | |
| Observe machine operations to detect any problems, making necessary adjustments to correct problems.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Compute machine indexings and settings for specified dimensions and base reference points.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 21 min8 min to 42 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Maintain stocks of machine parts and machining tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Study blueprints, work orders, or machining instructions to determine product specifications, tool requirements, and operational sequences.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Select machine tooling to be used, using knowledge of machine and production requirements.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Inspect or measure finished workpieces to determine conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges or micrometers.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min3 min to 21 min | Stays with people | |
| Mount and position tools in machine chucks, spindles, or other tool holding devices, using hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Lift and position workpieces, manually or with hoists, and secure them in hoppers or on machine tables, faceplates, or chucks, using clamps.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 8 min3 min to 21 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners6% now, 6% by 2028
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand11% now, 11% by 2028
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing7% now, 7% by 2028
- Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic18% now, 18% by 2028
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders7% now, 7% by 2028
- Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic30% now, 38% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)9,720 people
- Foundries8,840 people
- Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing8,110 people
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing4,590 people
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)4,060 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).