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

Communication method | communication activity 64, face-to-face discussion 73% daily; communicate according to the actual handover system. Place and environment | PPE88% daily, contamination 72% daily, noise 70% daily, and the proportions are not hazard concentrations. Precision and consequences | precision 64% extremely important and repetitive movement 56% continually, not an incident rate or everyone's state. Decision and autonomy | autonomy 35% some / 35% limited, judged according to actual authorization, and no uniform release level is inferred from the code. Team and leadership | contact 56% continually, and communication with upstream and downstream stages / inspection / maintenance follows the real position. Hours and pressure | 58% at 40 hours / 42% over 40 and schedule 89% fixed; pay / night shift / peak season are checked separately against the contract. Physical effort and posture | standing 49% continually, handling by hand 87% continually, and handling importance 81, with no inference that everyone stands all day. Output and quality | inspect workpieces with measuring tools to specification and record versions / anomalies, with first articles and patrol inspection following the actual process. Compliance and boundaries | under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Work and record description | start from the drawing and work order and process, and first check the material state and allowance and surface requirements and grinding wheels and cutting tools and protection and cooling conditions before working; clamping and positioning and indexing must follow the procedure and remain stable; grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling must be selected and dressed and replaced according to the rules with records kept; parameters and feed and speed and cooling must be set according to the rules with a first-article confirmation; dimension and appearance inspection must be carried out with the specified measuring tools and frequency and the measured values registered; defects and rework and segregation must be labeled and registered and handled according to the system; original records and revisions must be documented and corrections must keep the original value / changed value / reason / actual author and time; materials that are controlled or involve trade secrets or involve customers and personal information are managed according to institutional and legal requirements; matters involving material and heat treatment determinations, surface standard interpretation, process changes, or product release conclusions must be confirmed by positions or institutions with the corresponding qualifications, and important work and records must be reviewable by superiors and inspection and process teams.

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment.

Drawing and work order reading and grinding wheel and cutting tool selection → clamping and positioning and indexing → parameter setup and first-article confirmation → batch processing and tending and adjustment → inspection and measurement and appearance → defect determination and rework or segregation and recording

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract. Editorial on-site check directions: actual materials / equipment, approved process, abrasive speed limits, interlocks / guards, measuring tool status, coolant SDS, and anomaly reporting; there is no parameter or general work plan.

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

Drawing reading and preparation and grinding wheel and cutting tool selection → clamping and positioning and air cylinder adjustment and feeding → parameter setup and cooling and first articles → operation and tending and indexing adjustment → inspection and measurement and appearance and rework → recording and handover and machine tool maintenance

Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract. Record the true original values and versions, and corrections keep the original value / changed value / reason / actual author and time, without forging measured values, on-time status, or approval.

Record the version, actual machine tool / tool and measuring tools, inspection, and anomalies according to the process template; report conflicts according to authorization, and corrections may be documented with the actual supplementary time, without rewriting without a trace or forging.

Boundary conclusion | this page corresponds to O*NET 51-4033.00, and the core difference from adjacent positions lies in the main object and output and actual position authorization: this occupation takes the setup and operation and tending of grinding and honing and polishing machine tools as its object, with output being machined parts and parameter and machine tool records, working to drawings and processes; Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand (51-9022.00) take hand processing with hand tools and power tools as their object; Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-9021.00) take crushing and grinding equipment and batch material processing as their object; Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-9032.00), Metal Press and Shear Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4031.00), Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4034.00), Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4035.00), Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4081.00), and Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-4023.00) each take the setup and machining of their own machine equipment as their object; Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners (51-4194.00) include precision metal smoothing / sharpening / polishing / grinding, with cutting tools being one of them; and Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-7042.00) take woodworking machine processing as their object. Tasks may overlap, and actual authorization is confirmed by the organizational system; authority for material and heat treatment determinations, surface standard interpretation, process changes, or product release conclusions cannot be carried over across positions.

Core concept of adjacent positions | most positions in the same group and adjacent positions aim to process materials to the specified dimensions and surface within the process and safety and quality boundaries and to document this, differing in the main object and output and actual position authorization: some take grinding and honing and polishing machine tools as their object, others take hand processing or crushing and grinding or cutting and pressing or turning and milling or multiple machine tools or rolling or cutting tool sharpening or woodworking machinery as their object.

Core purpose of this occupation | taking metal and plastic workpieces and grinding and honing and polishing machine tools and grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling and drawings and work orders and tolerances as its object, complete machine tool processing within the process and safety and authorization scope: drawing and grinding wheel and cutting tool selection, clamping and positioning and indexing, parameter setup and first-article confirmation, batch processing and tending, inspection and measurement and appearance, defect rework and segregation and recording, and handover and machine tool maintenance, so that workpieces meet drawing and tolerance and surface requirements, and the process and records are traceable and boundaries can be explained.

Main object and basis of adjacent positions | Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand rely on drawings and templates and hand tools and abrasives; Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on crushing and grinding equipment and batch material processes; Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on cutting processes and equipment parameters; Metal Press and Shear Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on the specific cutting / punching / bending processes, with dies checked only against actual tasks; lathe and milling and multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders rely on their own machine tool processes and cutting tools and programs and tolerances; Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on rolling processes and passes and temperature; Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners rely on specific precision metal processing specifications, with the cutting tool direction checked separately against sharpening specifications; and Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders rely on wood characteristics and woodworking machine processes.

Main object and basis of this occupation | taking the material and state of metal and plastic workpieces, drawings and work orders and tolerances and surface roughness and appearance limits, machine tools and grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling and measuring tools, clamping and positioning and indexing and cooling and speed and feed parameters, and dust and noise and coolant and machine guarding and occupational health requirements as its object, based on the process and drawings and work orders and product standards and work safety and occupational health and environmental protection requirements and institutional process and quality systems.

U.S. 51-4033.00 sets up, operates, or tends grinding-related machine tools to remove stock or burrs from metal / plastic, sharpen edges and corners, and polish / hone / grind. 18 tasks, 14 core and 4 supplementary: measuring and laying out with precision measuring tools 87, inspecting finished products 83 / adjusting controls 83, observing 82, starting up / reading drawings / hoisting and clamping 81 each, indexing control / tool selection 80 each, mounting / grinding operation 79 each, indexing calculation 78, repairing or replacing parts or notifying engineering 75, lubricating and cooling 71; supplementary inventory 81 / air cylinders 79 / shims 74 / threading and feeding 70. Importance is not frequency or a safety license; setup and operation may be divided, and batch work is not a defining requirement. O*NET has been read for 41 work activities, 21 detailed activities, and 57 context items: handling 81 / monitoring 78 / checking 77 / controlling 75 / identifying 75 / information 74 / decision making 66 / planning 65 / communicating 64 / checking against standards 64 as importance values; PPE88% daily, handling by hand 87% continually, contamination 72% daily, noise 70% daily, precision 64% extremely important, discussion 73% daily, repetitive movement 56% continually, and standing 49% continually are the response option proportions, not concentrations / incident rates or everyone's situation. Hours 58% at 40 hours / 42% over 40, schedule 89% fixed / 11% not fixed; piece-rate dominance or a general peak-season overtime rate cannot be inferred from this. 2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

Core process of adjacent positions | Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand focus on drawing reading and material selection and hand grinding and polishing and inspection; Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders focus on equipment setup and feeding and batch grinding and inspection; Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders focus on equipment setup and cutting and dimension inspection; Metal Press and Shear Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders cover the actual machine processes such as cutting / punching / bending and the specified inspection; lathe and milling and multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders focus on machine setup and cutting and measurement; Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders focus on rolling passes and temperature and dimension control; Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners cover precision metal smoothing / sharpening / polishing / grinding and the specified inspection, with cutting tools being one of them; Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders focus on woodworking machine setup and processing and inspection.

Core process of this occupation | drawing and work order reading and grinding wheel and cutting tool selection, clamping and positioning and indexing, parameter setup and cooling and first-article confirmation, batch processing and tending and adjustment, inspection and measurement and appearance, defect determination and rework or segregation and recording, and handover and machine tool maintenance; every step must be documented according to process and safety and quality systems and must be reviewable by superiors and inspection and process teams.

Main output of adjacent positions | Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand produce qualified workpieces and dimension and appearance records; Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders produce batch ground material and equipment parameter records; Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders produce cut parts and dimension records; Metal Press and Shear Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders produce the specific cut / pressed / bent parts and inspection records; lathe and milling and multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders produce machined parts and measurement records; Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders produce rolled parts and process records; Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners produce precision metal processed parts / cutting tools and the specified inspection records; Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders produce wood parts and processing records.

Main output of this occupation | workpieces that meet drawing and tolerance and surface requirements, dimension and appearance and defect and rework records, machine tool and grinding wheel and cutting tool parameter and dressing and replacement records, clamping and tooling and indexing records, and traceable inspection and maintenance and training and handling records.

Responsible parties for adjacent positions | responsibility for positions in the same group and adjacent positions is usually defined by the institution and process and safety and quality standards, and the responsibility objects are mostly production safety and product quality and equipment and personnel health.

This occupation is responsible for the drawing and work order reading and machine tool setup and processing and tending and inspection and recording it performs, and for work completed and verified according to drawing and process and safety and quality requirements; matters involving material and heat treatment determinations, surface standard interpretation, process changes, and product release conclusions are decided by positions or institutions with the corresponding qualifications according to the system, and this occupation does not replace their decisions.

Authority and approval of adjacent positions | the authority of positions in the same group and adjacent positions comes from institutional authorization and process and qualification and systems, and usually does not include the authority to decide on conclusions and signatures and releases beyond one's own authorization or scope; matters involving material determinations and standard interpretation and process changes and customer confidentiality should be referred to the corresponding position or institution.

Authority and approval of this occupation | machine tool and grinding wheel and cutting tool selection and parameter setup and adjustment must be within the drawing and process and authorization scope; process parameters and process changes and tooling adjustments must be approved according to procedure; first-article and patrol inspection and non-conforming handling must be carried out according to the quality system and authorization; matters involving material and heat treatment determinations, surface standard interpretation, process changes, product release, and external disclosure must obtain the corresponding position or institutional approval or be referred according to the system, and no unauthorized determination or release may be made.

Conclusion boundary of adjacent positions | the conclusions of positions in the same group and adjacent positions are mostly limited to this project and this process and this duty level and usually do not constitute a determination of product safety or compliance or legal liability; cross-disciplinary conclusions and those involving standard interpretation and release and legal use have scope limits.

Conclusion boundary of this occupation | work and inspection conclusions state only the verifiable drawing and work order versions and machine tool and grinding wheel and cutting tool parameters and measured values and appearance and defect records, and distinguish on-site measured facts from judgment inferences and items to be verified; no unauthorized judgment or commitment may be made on matters beyond your authority (material and heat treatment determinations, surface standard interpretation, process changes, product release); when material or workpiece defects, dimension or appearance out-of-tolerance, machine tool or grinding wheel or cooling or protection anomalies, or records inconsistent with the site occur, you must pause and escalate or refer, and the conclusion must withstand review by superiors and inspection and process and regulators.

Pre-onboarding check note | the following six items are for checking item by item before applying and onboarding, to avoid inferring actual duties and authorization from the job title or promotional language; the check results should be based on written recruitment information and the labor contract and position description and process and safety and quality system documents, and should be continuously confirmed after onboarding. This page only lists check directions and does not constitute a formal conditions list for any institution or position. Special note: this occupation often involves dust and noise and coolant and rotating grinding wheels and tooling and machine tool work, so be sure to confirm the position's specific requirements on safety and occupational health training and protective equipment and ventilation and work permits and medical examinations.

Check point note | positions with similar names differ greatly in duties and authorization: some focus on external cylindrical and centerless and surface grinding, some on internal grinding and honing, some on polishing and deburring, some on cutting tool reconditioning and die maintenance, and some on tending multiple workstations and automated cells; different institutions and jurisdictions also differ in the authorization for process parameter changes, first articles and release, grinding wheel and cutting tool dressing, and data disclosure.

01 Actual duties and authorization boundaries | check whether the position truly takes on independent drawing reading and machine tool setup and processing and inspection work, or is mainly assisting and handling and cleaning and loading and unloading; check the usable machine tools and grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling and measuring tools and process documents, the dust and noise and coolant and machine guarding and work permit requirements, the approval requirements for external disclosure of process and quality data, and the collaboration and reporting paths with upstream and downstream stages and inspection and process and equipment maintenance.

Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract. Before onboarding, check the equipment, materials, and approved protection / surveillance arrangements for the specific work.

The U.S. O*NET new hire education requirements questionnaire: high school equivalent 87%, associate degree 9%, post-high-school certificate 3%, which is not the distribution of credentials held by workers, and the rounding is not forced to add up to 100%. Job Zone1—2 / SVP under 6 is general preparation, not a uniform training term for this occupation; the BLS2025 precise line is typically entry with high school equivalent, no relevant experience, and medium-term on-the-job training. Actual employers check separately.

The U.S. O*NET new hire education requirements questionnaire: high school equivalent 87%, associate degree 9%, post-high-school certificate 3%, which is not the distribution of credentials held by workers, and the rounding is not forced to add up to 100%. Job Zone1—2 / SVP under 6 is general preparation, not a uniform training term for this occupation; the BLS2025 precise line is typically entry with high school equivalent, no relevant experience, and medium-term on-the-job training. Actual employers check separately. The current national certification catalogue has 6 items: NIMS Classic Credential: Grinding II (Surface), Machining Level I - Grinding I, Machining Level II - Cylindrical Grinding Skills, Machining Level I - CNC Turning: Operations, Machining Level I - CNC Mill Operations, and NCCER Level 1 - Welding. Being listed in the catalogue does not mean it is required for all positions, or prove actual certificate availability or recognition as a qualification in China; the issuer's current application / examination / fees have not been verified. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

O*NET has been read for 41 work activities, 21 detailed activities, and 57 context items: handling 81 / monitoring 78 / checking 77 / controlling 75 / identifying 75 / information 74 / decision making 66 / planning 65 / communicating 64 / checking against standards 64 as importance values; PPE88% daily, handling by hand 87% continually, contamination 72% daily, noise 70% daily, precision 64% extremely important, discussion 73% daily, repetitive movement 56% continually, and standing 49% continually are the response option proportions, not concentrations / incident rates or everyone's situation. Hours 58% at 40 hours / 42% over 40, schedule 89% fixed / 11% not fixed; piece-rate dominance or a general peak-season overtime rate cannot be inferred from this. Piece rates / shift allowances are contract check candidates, not general occupational statistics.

04 Pay and working hours and employment contract scope | check the composition of the pay for employment (base salary, shift or output performance, night shift or high temperature or dust position allowances, overtime and bonuses, protective equipment and labor protection arrangements), working hours and shifts and rotation and peak-season overtime arrangements, contract term and order or project source, probation and assessment scope (quality pass rate and rework rate and equipment utilization and safety and records and collaboration indicators), and whether product and process and customer data and trade secrets and personal information protection and insurance arrangements are involved.

Check point note | the interface relationships with upstream and downstream processes and inspection and equipment maintenance and process teams determine the work and inspection and responsibility boundaries, and must be clarified in advance.

05 Interface authority with upstream and downstream and inspection and equipment maintenance parties | check the confirmation path for drawings and processes and work orders and first articles, the use and maintenance and calibration and dressing arrangements for grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling and measuring tools, the path for non-conforming and rework and segregation and handling and escalation, the approval for process changes and release and external submission, and cross-team and cross-process handover and responsibility division.

Check point note | the traceability and documentation requirements for the drawing version and machine tool parameters and grinding wheels and cutting tools and measuring tools and inspection and defects and handling records determine quality and safety and responsibility definition, and the norms for templates and time limits and revision and archiving and permissions and retention periods must be clarified in advance (data that is controlled or involves trade secrets or involves customers and personal information must also be managed under confidentiality and minimum necessity requirements).

06 Work and records and documentation requirements | check the drawing and work order versions and actual use records, machine tool and grinding wheel and cutting tool parameters and dressing and replacement records, clamping and tooling and indexing and cooling records, dimension and appearance and surface and defect measured records, first-article and patrol inspection and non-conforming and rework and segregation and handling records, machine tool maintenance and protection and training and medical examination records, and their templates and time limits and revision and archiving norms and retention periods and access permissions, the obligation to provide evidence and cooperate during institutional and inspection and safety and regulatory checks, and the requirement that records be truthful and not be rewritten without a trace or have measured values forged, and that corrections be documented.

This comparison is an editorial selection framework: the main processing method / object differs, and tasks and equipment may overlap, so formal duties, training, and release are checked against the actual position system; no wages are compared and no uniform authorization level is asserted.

Evidence note | the comparison objects in the table below come from O*NET occupational classification and public materials and are used to help distinguish the work content and fit choices of adjacent occupations; they do not constitute qualification or hiring or pay conclusions, nor machining or material or dust or noise or chemical or work safety or investment advice. The wages and employment of each occupation must be checked separately under its own SOC scope, and this table makes no numerical comparison and does not use one occupation's wage as a proxy for another; process and safety and occupational health requirements must be checked against each jurisdiction and institution. The U.S. wages and employment on this page are the own scope of this occupation (51-4033.00) as presented by O*NET on the 51-4033.00 page (that page does not mark them as taken from a parent occupation and the projection shows a decline), and no adjacent occupation values are borrowed.

Preface | the following comparison unfolds in four columns: occupational direction — core work and output — key differences — which choice suits better. Machine tool processing and hand processing and pressing and cutting are often linked within the same manufacturing enterprise or supply chain, but being linked does not mean they are interchangeable; when choosing across directions you should relearn that direction's materials and processes and equipment and protection and responsibility boundaries.

The main difference is metal / plastic machine tool setup, operation, or tending; other directions may overlap, and the occupation code does not prove a uniform qualification level or that other roles are exempt from quality responsibility. Actual first articles / parameters / release are checked against authorization.

Better suited to people who are willing to operate and tend equipment beside a machine tool over the long term, can control dimensions and appearance within tolerance according to drawings and work orders and parameters, and are willing to work under dust and noise and coolant conditions according to protection requirements.

Core work and output: study drawings and work orders and measure and lay out and mark with precision measuring tools, select and mount grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling and calculate machine indexing, set and adjust machine controls and speed and feed and cooling parameters, start up and operate or tend grinding and honing and polishing machine tools and observe the running state, hoist and clamp workpieces and adjust air cylinders and feed, inspect or measure finished parts and determine defects and rework or segregate, and repair or replace machine tool parts and maintain inventory and records; output is machined parts and dimension and appearance and parameter and machine tool records (O*NET/SOC 51-4033.00).

This occupation: Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (O*NET/SOC 51-4033.00, Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic)

51-9022 processes metal, wood, stone, clay, plastics, glass, and so on with hand and hand-held power tools, including specified measurement / template checks, and may also use fixed equipment; dimensions cannot be judged by feel or sight alone, and the tasks may overlap with this occupation.

Editorial self-questioning: do you prefer multi-material hand tool processing with specified measurement / records? Check the actual employer tools and trained protection, and do not rule out machine-tool-related work based on the name alone.

Core work and output: study blueprints or layout drawings and measure and mark workpieces, grind and sand and polish and trim and deburr with hand tools and power tools, inspect and compare with templates and record; output is qualified workpieces and dimension and appearance and defect records.

Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand (51-9022.00)

51-4194 is defined as precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal, including crankshaft / external cylindrical / cutting tool titles, not only cutting tools; it has task overlap with this occupation, and a uniform responsibility level cannot be drawn from that.

Editorial self-questioning: which specific work within precision metal grinding / polishing or cutting tool sharpening and inspection do you prefer? Read actual announcements.

51-4194 covers precision smoothing / sharpening / polishing / grinding of metal objects, with cutting tool geometry being one direction within it; inspect and record according to the specific specification.

Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners (51-4194.00)

51-4031 sets up / operates / tends sawing, shearing, slitting, punching, crimping, notching, bending, or straightening machines for metal / plastic, not only pressing; distinguish from this occupation by the real process / tasks.

Better suited to people who are willing to work with press and shear equipment operation and die clamping; this occupation leans more toward machine tool grinding and polishing and dimension and surface control.

51-4031 sets up, operates, or tends cutting / punching and other metal and plastic machines, measuring and inspecting according to the specific specification; not every position mounts a press die.

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4031.00)

Lathe-related positions set up, operate, or tend turning, boring, threading, and forming operations; grinding focuses on the corresponding stock removal / surface processing, and processes and duties may overlap.

Better suited to people who are willing to work with lathe operation and rotationally symmetric machining; this occupation leans more toward surface finishing and dimension and surface control.

The specific lathe setup, operation, programming, and inspection division of labor follows the real announcement and approved system, and the code cannot be used to infer that everyone programs independently or is exempt from quality responsibility.

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4034.00)

Milling-related positions perform shape, groove, or contour machining and may connect with subsequent grinding; distinguish by the specific process, and do not infer a uniform quality responsibility level.

Better suited to people who are willing to work with milling and planing machine operation and surface and groove machining; this occupation leans more toward surface finishing and dimension and surface control.

Milling machine setup, operation, or tending and the programming / inspection division of labor are checked against the real position, and no fixed release authority is given for the whole occupation.

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (51-4035.00)

This comparison is an editorial selection framework: the main processing method / object differs, and tasks and equipment may overlap, so formal duties, training, and release are checked against the actual position system; no wages are compared and no uniform authorization level is asserted.

Entry and shadowing stage

Use tools in auxiliary steps that can be rolled back: organizing drawing and work order and process material, entering processing and inspection data and drafting ledgers and reports, and organizing grinding wheel and cutting tool and tooling ledgers; drawing reading and machine tool setup and first articles and inspection are governed by the process and mentoring and authorization.

Independent machine operation positions

Use digital tools for parameter and dimension and appearance records and defect classification and work order queries; machine setup and grinding wheel dressing and parameter adjustment and inspection judgment remain your responsibility according to drawings and processes.

Skilled and tooling and quality positions

Use tools to summarize multi-batch data and pass rate and rework trends and process knowledge bases and training materials; complex and controlled matters (material determinations, surface standard interpretation, process and tooling changes) are confirmed by you together with process and quality positions.

Workstation and production management positions

Use tools for output and equipment utilization and working hours and cost statistics and reports and documentation and knowledge management; process changes and release and external disclosure conclusions must be approved by a person and documented.

Insufficient evidence: no precise generative AI exposure level, actual robot adoption / substitution rate, or wage causality data for 51-4033.00 has been obtained; no moderately high, clearly substituted, or whole-occupation-will-not-be-replaced is published. The current BLS OOH discussion of the metal and plastic machine worker group covers CNC / robots saving labor and demand changes, which is a projection explanation, not actual adoption statistics for this precise occupation; ILO2025 is an ISCO task index, no precise SOC mapping for this page has been established, and it is not said to be non-covering. Equipment automation and generative tools are assessed separately, and the following are editorial assistance candidates whose specific quality / cost / authorization must be measured. U.S. 51-4033.00 sets up, operates, or tends grinding-related machine tools to remove stock or burrs from metal / plastic, sharpen edges and corners, and polish / hone / grind. 18 tasks, 14 core and 4 supplementary: measuring and laying out with precision measuring tools 87, inspecting finished products 83 / adjusting controls 83, observing 82, starting up / reading drawings / hoisting and clamping 81 each, indexing control / tool selection 80 each, mounting / grinding operation 79 each, indexing calculation 78, repairing or replacing parts or notifying engineering 75, lubricating and cooling 71; supplementary inventory 81 / air cylinders 79 / shims 74 / threading and feeding 70. Importance is not frequency or a safety license; setup and operation may be divided, and batch work is not a defining requirement. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

O*NET 51-4033.00 detailed information (tasks and work activities)

Used to define the task scope and work context of this occupation (measuring workpieces with precision measuring tools and laying out and marking to the drawing 87, inspecting or measuring finished parts 83, setting and adjusting machine controls 83, observing the machine running state 82, turning on the machine start switch 81, studying drawings and work orders 81, hoisting and positioning workpieces 81, operating controls to index or adjust 80, selecting machine cutting tools and tooling 80, mounting and positioning cutting tools 79, setting up and operating or tending grinding machine tools 79, calculating machine indexing data 78, repairing or replacing machine tool parts 75; handling and moving objects 81, monitoring processes materials or surroundings 78, inspecting equipment structures and materials 77, controlling machines and processes 75); U.S. occupational classification scope, which does not cover the machine safety and occupational health and environmental protection management regimes of mainland China.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS 2025)

Used for the time-point estimate of U.S. wages and percentiles; this page takes the own scope of this occupation (51-4033.00) as presented by O*NET on the 51-4033.00 page, and does not call it an adjacent occupation's values.

BLS2025—2035 precise occupational projection

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

O*NET 51-4033.00 hot technologies (software skills)

O*NET detailed software has 7 categories: AutoCAD, SAP, Mazak Mazatrol SMART CNC, Manufacturing reporting system, Office, Windows, Excel; the 5 hot page skills come from 2025 U.S. Lightcast job posting mentions: Office / Excel / AutoCAD 1% each, SAP under 1%, and Windows not provided. Job posting mentions are not adoption rates / ability thresholds and do not prove that only records are done, that programming is not needed, or that AI is already in place.

ILO research on generative AI and occupational exposure in employment

ILO2025 is an ISCO task exposure index; no precise mapping for 51-4033 has been established on this page, and it is not said that the research covers only a broad group or does not cover it. The index is not equal to the actual machine adoption rate or employment causality.

NIST Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0)

Used for general governance and risk control principles; not a machine safety or occupational health standard.

O*NET 51-4033.00 work context (contaminants and noise and contact)

O*NET has been read for 41 work activities, 21 detailed activities, and 57 context items: handling 81 / monitoring 78 / checking 77 / controlling 75 / identifying 75 / information 74 / decision making 66 / planning 65 / communicating 64 / checking against standards 64 as importance values; PPE88% daily, handling by hand 87% continually, contamination 72% daily, noise 70% daily, precision 64% extremely important, discussion 73% daily, repetitive movement 56% continually, and standing 49% continually are the response option proportions, not concentrations / incident rates or everyone's situation. Hours 58% at 40 hours / 42% over 40, schedule 89% fixed / 11% not fixed; piece-rate dominance or a general peak-season overtime rate cannot be inferred from this.

Editorial candidate: equipment-assisted processing and generative text / statistics are measured separately for workpiece fit, quality / cost / authorization; there is no precise substitution rate or inevitable human-machine division of labor. Responsibility follows the organization's real approval system.

Equipment assistance candidates must check the workpiece, approved process, protection, and measurement, and are not claimed to have already substituted.

Drawing and work order and grinding wheel and cutting tool and tooling selection and machine setup and grinding wheel dressing

Editorial candidate: summarize given output / inspection records and recompute item by item; the efficiency gain or adoption rate has not been verified.

Finishing of complex and irregular parts and first-article determination and defect rework

Editorial candidate: training and process material drafts must be checked back against the actual approved documents, and generation does not prove correctness.

Process and tooling changes and release and external disclosure and safety and quality responsibility

O*NET tasks / software, BLS precise EP, the OOH group projection explanation, the ILO index, and NIST governance each support only their actual object / year / indicator and do not directly prove adoption or substitution causality for the precise occupation.

An occupation-level description, not an automation rate or quality risk rating

O*NET tasks; the BLS OOH group projection explanation is listed separately

Tasks and work context are an occupation-level description showing high equipment operation and workpiece handling and monitoring characteristics

The current OOH group discussion covers CNC / robot effects on demand and does not directly quantify actual adoption or the manual share in 51-4033; the specific division of work is checked against the real process.

Not applicable to other jurisdictions; this occupation's scope only; the median is not equal to starting pay

BLS OEWS (2025, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

A time-point sample estimate of U.S. wages

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment.

Projections are not actual hiring numbers; they differ from the OEWS time-point employment estimate scope

BLS2025—2035 direct projection

Projections include growth and replacement needs

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

The 5 hot skills are 2025 job posting mentions, not ability / AI adoption rates

O*NET 51-4033.00 hot technologies

O*NET detailed software has 7 categories: AutoCAD, SAP, Mazak Mazatrol SMART CNC, Manufacturing reporting system, Office, Windows, Excel; the 5 hot page skills come from 2025 U.S. Lightcast job posting mentions: Office / Excel / AutoCAD 1% each, SAP under 1%, and Windows not provided. Job posting mentions are not adoption rates / ability thresholds and do not prove that only records are done, that programming is not needed, or that AI is already in place.

O*NET detailed software has 7 categories: AutoCAD, SAP, Mazak Mazatrol SMART CNC, Manufacturing reporting system, Office, Windows, Excel; the 5 hot page skills come from 2025 U.S. Lightcast job posting mentions: Office / Excel / AutoCAD 1% each, SAP under 1%, and Windows not provided. Job posting mentions are not adoption rates / ability thresholds and do not prove that only records are done, that programming is not needed, or that AI is already in place.

Not a machine safety or occupational health standard

NIST AI RMF 1.0

General AI risk governance framework

NIST is general AI governance, while equipment machine safety and processes still use the applicable systems; the editorial advice checks input, output, responsibility, anomaly reporting, and authorization.

Technically feasible: a task may technically be within reach of equipment or a tool; this is only a feasibility judgment and does not mean the use is permitted or that it has been adopted by an institution.

Institutional and regulatory adoption: whether to introduce it depends on work safety and occupational health and environmental protection and product safety requirements and institutional process and quality systems; safety and quality and release responsibility cannot be transferred by introducing equipment.

Insufficient evidence: no precise generative AI exposure level, actual robot adoption / substitution rate, or wage causality data for 51-4033.00 has been obtained; no moderately high, clearly substituted, or whole-occupation-will-not-be-replaced is published. The current BLS OOH discussion of the metal and plastic machine worker group covers CNC / robots saving labor and demand changes, which is a projection explanation, not actual adoption statistics for this precise occupation; ILO2025 is an ISCO task index, no precise SOC mapping for this page has been established, and it is not said to be non-covering. Equipment automation and generative tools are assessed separately, and the following are editorial assistance candidates whose specific quality / cost / authorization must be measured. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

Insufficient evidence: no precise generative AI exposure level, actual robot adoption / substitution rate, or wage causality data for 51-4033.00 has been obtained; no moderately high, clearly substituted, or whole-occupation-will-not-be-replaced is published. The current BLS OOH discussion of the metal and plastic machine worker group covers CNC / robots saving labor and demand changes, which is a projection explanation, not actual adoption statistics for this precise occupation; ILO2025 is an ISCO task index, no precise SOC mapping for this page has been established, and it is not said to be non-covering. Equipment automation and generative tools are assessed separately, and the following are editorial assistance candidates whose specific quality / cost / authorization must be measured. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

O*NET tasks and the BLS OOH group projection background; precise adoption has not been verified

O*NET detailed software has 7 categories: AutoCAD, SAP, Mazak Mazatrol SMART CNC, Manufacturing reporting system, Office, Windows, Excel; the 5 hot page skills come from 2025 U.S. Lightcast job posting mentions: Office / Excel / AutoCAD 1% each, SAP under 1%, and Windows not provided. Job posting mentions are not adoption rates / ability thresholds and do not prove that only records are done, that programming is not needed, or that AI is already in place. This page does not infer a uniform programming threshold from job posting mentions.

O*NET2025 job posting software mentions

Editorial assistance candidate: summarize / draft from already-verified records and recompute at a small scale first; processing equipment requires separate checking of the workpiece and approved process, and no order of susceptibility is assigned.

O*NET tasks and software mentions

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

BLS2025—2035 direct projection

Approved equipment may process / measure under verified rules, and measurement traceability, parameter changes, anomalies, and release authority follow the real system; it cannot be said broadly that equipment cannot judge or that a person must recompute every time.

Editorial advice and actual organizational process authorization; NIST is only general governance

Editorial preparation: drawing reading / specified measuring tool inspection / machine tool understanding / documented records and trained protection, not a proven anti-substitution ranking.

O*NET work context and contaminant and noise characteristics

Insufficient evidence: no precise generative AI exposure level, actual robot adoption / substitution rate, or wage causality data for 51-4033.00 has been obtained; no moderately high, clearly substituted, or whole-occupation-will-not-be-replaced is published. The current BLS OOH discussion of the metal and plastic machine worker group covers CNC / robots saving labor and demand changes, which is a projection explanation, not actual adoption statistics for this precise occupation; ILO2025 is an ISCO task index, no precise SOC mapping for this page has been established, and it is not said to be non-covering. Equipment automation and generative tools are assessed separately, and the following are editorial assistance candidates whose specific quality / cost / authorization must be measured. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

BLS precise EP and editorial check advice

Editorial responsibility check: the approved process, data traceability, and real duties cannot be hidden by a tool; the following are check advice and do not prove that each task can only be done by a person.

Define the processing scope by the valid drawing and work order and tolerance and surface and protection requirements; equipment may execute verified rules but cannot automatically obtain process-setting authority from its output.

Machine tools / abrasives / tooling are matched to the approved process and verification status, the setup may follow approved automation rules, and anomalies are handled by authorized positions.

Inspection values must be traceable and rules and equipment must pass the applicable verification; whether equipment results can be used for release depends on the authorization system, and they are neither uniformly prohibited nor automatically approved.

Safety protection follows the actual hazard and procedures; identifiable personal information is checked for lawful basis and necessity and retention period, drawings and trade secrets are checked separately against the contract, and not all customer data is treated as personal information.

Changes and release: process and tooling and parameter changes and first articles and release and external disclosure must be within the authorization and process and quality requirements, and material or workpiece defects or out-of-tolerance or machine tool or protection anomalies must be paused and escalated according to the system.

May lead to dimension or appearance or release errors and batch scrapping

Verify traceability and anomalies under valid inspection rules, and release, scrap, and reporting follow the real authority; equipment results may be used according to verification and the system, and you are not required to recompute each item.

Disclosing identifiable personal information or contract-confidential material beyond authority may violate the applicable processing / confidentiality requirements.

Personal information is checked for lawful basis and purpose / minimum necessity and authority; commercial drawings are checked against the contract, and not every fictional number is treated as personal information.

Omissions in checking machine tool / abrasive / tooling conditions may cause equipment, workpiece, and quality problems.

Trained and authorized positions check matching / interlocks / anomalies against the approved process, and an equipment demonstration or tool draft does not constitute permission to start or change parameters.

Distorted records affect quality traceability and release and responsibility definition

Records must reflect the real processing and inspection process, and generating unverified content is prohibited

When quality or safety or release disputes arise, responsibility cannot be defined

Before adopting equipment or tools, first clarify parameter setting and clamping and dressing and re-check and approval paths and the responsible person, and document this

Drawing and work order reading and grinding wheel and cutting tool selection are completed by you according to the process and authorization

Drawing reading and preparation

Editorial assistance candidate: organize / classify / draft a summary of already-verified input and check it item by item; adoption and efficiency gains have not been verified.

Study drawings and work orders and measure and lay out and mark and select grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling

Machine parameter setup and first-article confirmation are your responsibility according to drawings and processes

Machine setup

Editorial assistance candidate: organize / classify / draft a summary of already-verified input and check it item by item; adoption and efficiency gains have not been verified.

Mount and position cutting tools and tooling and set control and speed and feed and cooling parameters

The running state and adjustment and parameter consistency are your responsibility according to the process

Operation and tending

Editorial assistance candidate: organize / classify / draft a summary of already-verified input and check it item by item; adoption and efficiency gains have not been verified.

Start up and operate or tend grinding and honing and polishing machine tools and observe the running state

Clamping and indexing and feeding are your responsibility according to procedures

Clamping and handling

Editorial assistance candidate: organize / classify / draft a summary of already-verified input and check it item by item; adoption and efficiency gains have not been verified.

Hoist and clamp workpieces and adjust air cylinders and slide shims and thread and feed manually

Inspection and determination and segregation and recording are your responsibility according to standards

Inspection and defect handling

Editorial assistance candidate: organize / classify / draft a summary of already-verified input and check it item by item; adoption and efficiency gains have not been verified.

Inspect or measure finished parts and determine dimension and appearance and surface defects

Machine tool maintenance and cooling and lubrication are your responsibility according to procedures

Maintenance and records

Editorial assistance candidate: organize / classify / draft a summary of already-verified input and check it item by item; adoption and efficiency gains have not been verified.

Repair or replace machine tool parts and brush or spray on lubricants and coolants and maintain inventory

Record truthfulness and handover boundaries are completed by you according to authorization

Recording and re-checking and handover

Editorial assistance candidate: organize / classify / draft a summary of already-verified input and check it item by item; adoption and efficiency gains have not been verified.

Re-check and maintain records and hand over and submit according to authorization

Insufficient evidence: no precise generative AI exposure level, actual robot adoption / substitution rate, or wage causality data for 51-4033.00 has been obtained; no moderately high, clearly substituted, or whole-occupation-will-not-be-replaced is published. The current BLS OOH discussion of the metal and plastic machine worker group covers CNC / robots saving labor and demand changes, which is a projection explanation, not actual adoption statistics for this precise occupation; ILO2025 is an ISCO task index, no precise SOC mapping for this page has been established, and it is not said to be non-covering. Equipment automation and generative tools are assessed separately, and the following are editorial assistance candidates whose specific quality / cost / authorization must be measured. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

10th percentile annual wage 36,110 U.S. dollars / hourly 17.36 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

25th percentile annual wage 39,390 U.S. dollars / hourly 18.94 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

75th percentile annual wage 54,290 U.S. dollars / hourly 26.10 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

90th percentile annual wage 62,600 U.S. dollars / hourly 30.10 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

Employment 68.5 thousand (2025, 51-4033, including self-employment)

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements. The figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period; Source | https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Change −10.8% (U.S. 51-4033, 2025—2035)

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements. The figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period; Source | https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Average annual openings 4.5 thousand (2025—2035, replacements)

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements. The figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period; Source | https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Insufficient evidence: no precise generative AI exposure level, actual robot adoption / substitution rate, or wage causality data for 51-4033.00 has been obtained; no moderately high, clearly substituted, or whole-occupation-will-not-be-replaced is published. The current BLS OOH discussion of the metal and plastic machine worker group covers CNC / robots saving labor and demand changes, which is a projection explanation, not actual adoption statistics for this precise occupation; ILO2025 is an ISCO task index, no precise SOC mapping for this page has been established, and it is not said to be non-covering. Equipment automation and generative tools are assessed separately, and the following are editorial assistance candidates whose specific quality / cost / authorization must be measured.

Occupation definition | the grinder on this page is the precise occupation O*NET 51-4033.00 (Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic): setting up, operating, or tending grinding and related machine tools to remove excess surface material or burrs, sharpen edges and corners, or polish, hone, and grind metal and plastic workpieces. Common job titles include Cell Operator and Centerless Grinder Operator and Deburrer and Die Maintenance Technician and Finisher and Grinder and Grinding Machine Operator and Metal Finisher and Process Equipment Operator. Output is machined parts and dimension and appearance and parameter and machine tool records; the above is the U.S. scope, and the machine safety and occupational health and environmental protection management regimes and statistical scope of mainland China are explained separately on this page.

Mechanical or materials or die or related education and training

Some positions

The U.S. O*NET new hire education requirements questionnaire: high school equivalent 87%, associate degree 9%, post-high-school certificate 3%, which is not the distribution of credentials held by workers, and the rounding is not forced to add up to 100%. Job Zone1—2 / SVP under 6 is general preparation, not a uniform training term for this occupation; the BLS2025 precise line is typically entry with high school equivalent, no relevant experience, and medium-term on-the-job training. Actual employers check separately.

Skills in drawing reading and measurement and machine setup and grinding wheel and cutting tool and tooling maintenance

All positions

U.S. 51-4033.00 sets up, operates, or tends grinding-related machine tools to remove stock or burrs from metal / plastic, sharpen edges and corners, and polish / hone / grind. 18 tasks, 14 core and 4 supplementary: measuring and laying out with precision measuring tools 87, inspecting finished products 83 / adjusting controls 83, observing 82, starting up / reading drawings / hoisting and clamping 81 each, indexing control / tool selection 80 each, mounting / grinding operation 79 each, indexing calculation 78, repairing or replacing parts or notifying engineering 75, lubricating and cooling 71; supplementary inventory 81 / air cylinders 79 / shims 74 / threading and feeding 70. Importance is not frequency or a safety license; setup and operation may be divided, and batch work is not a defining requirement. O*NET detailed software has 7 categories: AutoCAD, SAP, Mazak Mazatrol SMART CNC, Manufacturing reporting system, Office, Windows, Excel; the 5 hot page skills come from 2025 U.S. Lightcast job posting mentions: Office / Excel / AutoCAD 1% each, SAP under 1%, and Windows not provided. Job posting mentions are not adoption rates / ability thresholds and do not prove that only records are done, that programming is not needed, or that AI is already in place.

Work safety and occupational health and machine guarding and noise and coolant protection training

On-site work positions

Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Industry qualifications or skill levels (where applicable)

Some institutions and positions

The current national certification catalogue has 6 items: NIMS Classic Credential: Grinding II (Surface), Machining Level I - Grinding I, Machining Level II - Cylindrical Grinding Skills, Machining Level I - CNC Turning: Operations, Machining Level I - CNC Mill Operations, and NCCER Level 1 - Welding. Being listed in the catalogue does not mean it is required for all positions, or prove actual certificate availability or recognition as a qualification in China; the issuer's current application / examination / fees have not been verified.

Metal products, general equipment, and special-purpose equipment manufacturing

Insufficient evidence: these are editorial material / industry search directions, and the Chinese demand, concentration, or precise mapping for this occupation has not been verified; the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

Manufacturing of transport equipment such as automobiles and rail transit and ships

Insufficient evidence: these are editorial material / industry search directions, and the Chinese demand, concentration, or precise mapping for this occupation has not been verified; the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

Manufacturing of mechanical base parts such as bearings and gears and cutting tools and dies

Insufficient evidence: these are editorial material / industry search directions, and the Chinese demand, concentration, or precise mapping for this occupation has not been verified; the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

National Bureau of Statistics NBS2025 aggregate wages | https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202605/t20260515_1963707.html

Occupation title cross-reference | grinder (O*NET/SOC 51-4033.00 Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic; in recruitment and industry usage also commonly called grinding machine operator, external cylindrical grinder, surface grinder, centerless grinder, honing operator, lapping worker, polisher, deburrer, machine operator, and so on; it is a different object and authorization level from Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand, Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal Press and Shear Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, lathe operators, milling and planing machine operators, multiple machine tool operators, rolling machine operators, Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners, and Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders)

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

MOHRSS wage search entry (old announcement body text not read) | https://www.mohrss.gov.cn/

Editorial contract check: check hourly or piece-rate pay, night shift / overtime and allowances, working hours, and output and quality indicators separately, and do not use national percentiles to explain job level or income causality.

Mainland China urban non-private units (industry-category scope, for reference)

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

Mainland China urban private units (industry-category scope, for reference)

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

Mainland China precise national occupational wages for this occupation

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

2025 U.S. precise occupational national wages | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

Change −10.8% (U.S. 51-4033, 2025—2035)

Median annual wage 46,550 U.S. dollars / median hourly wage 22.38 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

10th percentile annual wage 36,110 U.S. dollars / hourly 17.36 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

25th percentile annual wage 39,390 U.S. dollars / hourly 18.94 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

75th percentile annual wage 54,290 U.S. dollars / hourly 26.10 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

90th percentile annual wage 62,600 U.S. dollars / hourly 30.10 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars. Percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment; Source | https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00

Employment 68.5 thousand (2025, 51-4033, including self-employment)

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements. The figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period; Source | https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Change −10.8% (U.S. 51-4033, 2025—2035)

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements. The figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period; Source | https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Average annual openings 4.5 thousand (2025—2035, replacements)

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements. The figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period; Source | https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

This round directly read and verified the national and California five percentiles; the precise industry median has not been obtained, and the OOH group industry wage cannot replace 51-4033. 2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. O*NET has been updated to 2025—2035 this round.

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

Editorial check candidates: the specific region / product / process, working hours and pay, task experience, and contract; the causal magnitude between factors and income has not been verified, and percentiles are not used to infer seniority.

Region and industry and product type

Editorial check candidates: the specific region / product / process, working hours and pay, task experience, and contract; the causal magnitude between factors and income has not been verified, and percentiles are not used to infer seniority.

Proficiency and machine tool and shift form

Editorial check candidates: the specific region / product / process, working hours and pay, task experience, and contract; the causal magnitude between factors and income has not been verified, and percentiles are not used to infer seniority.

Degree of automation and equipment substitution

Change −10.8% (U.S. 51-4033, 2025—2035)

Manufacturing

Insufficient evidence: this round has not obtained the industry or subcategory median wage that can be read for this occupation (51-4033.00); no industry average or third-party estimate is substituted.

This is a material / industry search category, not a verified subcategory concentration or wage median. The O*NET prior 2024 manufacturing 96% is only the occupational industry share, not the current precise EP or an industry wage.

Fabricated Metal / Machinery manufacturing

Insufficient evidence: this round has not obtained the industry or subcategory median wage that can be read for this occupation (51-4033.00); no industry average or third-party estimate is substituted.

This is a material / industry search category, not a verified subcategory concentration or wage median. The O*NET prior 2024 manufacturing 96% is only the occupational industry share, not the current precise EP or an industry wage.

Transportation Equipment / Bearing / Tooling manufacturing

Insufficient evidence: this round has not obtained the industry or subcategory median wage that can be read for this occupation (51-4033.00); no industry average or third-party estimate is substituted.

This is a material / industry search category, not a verified subcategory concentration or wage median. The O*NET prior 2024 manufacturing 96% is only the occupational industry share, not the current precise EP or an industry wage.

Mold / Hardware / Components manufacturing

Insufficient evidence: this round has not obtained the industry or subcategory median wage that can be read for this occupation (51-4033.00); no industry average or third-party estimate is substituted.

This is a material / industry search category, not a verified subcategory concentration or wage median. The O*NET prior 2024 manufacturing 96% is only the occupational industry share, not the current precise EP or an industry wage.

The median is the midpoint of the distribution, not starting pay; this round's 2025 California annual 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentiles are 36,510/39,440/45,890/53,820/62,630 U.S. dollars. This is only a state distribution, not an individual or Chinese wage; original text https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/51-4033.00?st=CA . The precise industry median has still not been obtained.

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment.

The U.S. O*NET new hire education requirements questionnaire: high school equivalent 87%, associate degree 9%, post-high-school certificate 3%, which is not the distribution of credentials held by workers, and the rounding is not forced to add up to 100%. Job Zone1—2 / SVP under 6 is general preparation, not a uniform training term for this occupation; the BLS2025 precise line is typically entry with high school equivalent, no relevant experience, and medium-term on-the-job training. Actual employers check separately. The causality between education and income has not been verified.

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period. 2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment.

Median annual wage 46,550 U.S. dollars / median hourly wage 22.38 U.S. dollars (2025, BLS OEWS, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

Positions in the national wage distribution do not correspond to entry / skilled / senior job levels, and actual offers should be checked against the region, tasks, hours, and contract.

Positions in the national wage distribution do not correspond to entry / skilled / senior job levels, and actual offers should be checked against the region, tasks, hours, and contract.

Positions in the national wage distribution do not correspond to entry / skilled / senior job levels, and actual offers should be checked against the region, tasks, hours, and contract.

Holland (RIASEC) | for understanding your relative position on Realistic and Conventional preferences. The O*NET interest code for this occupation is RC (Realistic—Conventional), corresponding to a willingness to operate and tend equipment with hands and tools beside a machine tool and to do physical labor (Realistic) and a willingness to work to drawings and work orders and processes and parameters and records (Conventional); this is consistent with the activity profile of this occupation, which is dominated by handling and moving objects (81), monitoring processes materials or surroundings (78), inspecting equipment structures or materials (77), and controlling machines and processes (75). The questionnaire is only used to raise questions, not to judge whether you are suited or can take the job.

Insufficient evidence: the validity and thresholds of this site's questionnaire scores for individual performance / hiring in 51-4033 have not been obtained; O*NET occupational interests / work styles cannot validate this site's assessments. It is for exploration only; return to H1 and trained real tasks.

If you find it hard over the long term to face equipment operation and repetitive movement and a dusty noisy environment, and hard to accept shift and peak-season pressure and the risk of scrapping workpieces, a high interest questionnaire score cannot change this real cost; this occupation also requires confirming the institution's work safety and occupational health and machine guarding and medical examination requirements.

Editorial self-questioning: are you willing to check drawings / parameters / records and report anomalies according to procedure? O*NET attention to detail 86 / dependable 71 / cautious 66 are occupational work styles, not Big Five scores or success probability.

Insufficient evidence: the validity and thresholds of this site's questionnaire scores for individual performance / hiring in 51-4033 have not been obtained; O*NET occupational interests / work styles cannot validate this site's assessments. It is for exploration only; return to H1 and trained real tasks.

Do not use a personality assessment saying I am not suited as a reason to give up or not enter the field; rely on internships or job shadowing or simulated machine processing and inspection tasks and mentor evaluation and assessment results.

How to understand this interest code: RC means Realistic (operating and tending equipment with hands and tools beside a machine tool and doing physical labor) and Conventional (working to drawings and work orders and processes and parameters and records); it is used to understand preferences for this occupational direction and not to predict performance; this is consistent with the O*NET description of this occupation's tasks (measuring workpieces with precision measuring tools and laying out and marking to the drawing 87, inspecting or measuring finished parts 83, setting and adjusting machine controls 83, observing the machine running state 82, turning on the machine start switch 81, studying drawings and work orders 81, hoisting and positioning workpieces 81, operating controls to index or adjust 80, selecting machine cutting tools and tooling 80) and work activities (handling and moving objects 81, monitoring processes materials or surroundings 78, inspecting equipment structures or materials 77, controlling machines and processes 75).

MBTI | typology is used for self-reflection on communication and work preferences; this occupation requires coordination with upstream and downstream stages and inspection and equipment maintenance at the workstation and within the crew (continual contact with others 56%, communicating with supervisors and peers or subordinates as a work activity 64), and a preference does not determine whether you can do the job.

Interest experience: you like taking a workpiece fully from drawing and work order reading and grinding wheel and cutting tool selection through machine setup and batch processing to inspection and recording, and you get satisfaction from getting the dimensions and appearance and protection all right.

Insufficient evidence: the validity and thresholds of this site's questionnaire scores for individual performance / hiring in 51-4033 have not been obtained; O*NET occupational interests / work styles cannot validate this site's assessments. It is for exploration only; return to H1 and trained real tasks.

RC

Realistic—Conventional

Treat the type only as a reference for communication style; do not use it to infer whether you or others can do machine tool grinding and polishing and inspection and protection work well.

You can ask yourself how you would check drawings and processes and parameters when facing out-of-tolerance and delivery and shift pressure; the relative validity of task observation and type labels has not been obtained, and no judgment is made about which matters more.

Insufficient evidence: the validity and thresholds of this site's questionnaire scores for individual performance / hiring in 51-4033 have not been obtained; O*NET occupational interests / work styles cannot validate this site's assessments. It is for exploration only; return to H1 and trained real tasks.

Do not use type labels to explain out-of-tolerance or quality incidents; return to whether drawings and machine parameters and grinding wheels and clamping and protection were in place.

Editorial reasoning exploration: use H1 to recompute dimensions, tolerances, the theoretical diameter / radius removal amount, the six-piece proportion, and correction differences; there is no IQ threshold, and feel is not substituted for the specified measuring tools.

Insufficient evidence: the validity and thresholds of this site's questionnaire scores for individual performance / hiring in 51-4033 have not been obtained; O*NET occupational interests / work styles cannot validate this site's assessments. It is for exploration only; return to H1 and trained real tasks.

A high or low score cannot show whether you can learn machine tool grinding and polishing and inspection; test this through internships or job shadowing or simulated processing tasks and mentor evaluation.

Editorial exploration: use H1 anomaly / late submission notes to practise truthful reporting, and the causality between emotional intelligence scores and safety or quality outcomes has not been verified.

Insufficient evidence: the validity and thresholds of this site's questionnaire scores for individual performance / hiring in 51-4033 have not been obtained; O*NET occupational interests / work styles cannot validate this site's assessments. It is for exploration only; return to H1 and trained real tasks.

Do not limit yourself by scores; expression and reporting can be observed during mentoring, but the effect of training in this occupation has not been verified, and no guarantee is made that work or practice will necessarily improve.

Boundary | the assessments and direction comparisons on this page are only for self-questioning and exploration and do not constitute hiring standards, ability ratings, or qualification judgments; admission is based on education and training and skills and institutional authorization. In particular, this occupation involves dust and noise and coolant and rotating grinding wheels and machine tool work, so be sure to confirm the institution's work safety and occupational health and machine guarding and ventilation requirements.

H1 can be used to observe this round's paper calculation, drawing and parameter conflicts, version correction, and handover performance, then check trained hands-on work; it cannot prove on-site processing competence, and the comparative validity has not been obtained, so no claim is made that it is the most reliable.

Grinder | output is machined parts and dimension and appearance and parameter and machine tool records: studying drawings and work orders and measuring and laying out and marking with precision measuring tools, selecting and mounting grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling, setting and adjusting machine controls and parameters, starting up and operating or tending grinding and honing and polishing machine tools, and inspecting or measuring finished parts (O*NET/SOC 51-4033.00, Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic)

Can independently complete machine setup and processing and inspection and recording within the drawing and process and authorization scope

Editorial comparison: explore according to that direction's actual equipment, tasks, materials, and training conditions; do not permanently rule out a direction based on a single preference.

Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand | output is qualified workpieces and dimension and appearance and defect records: studying blueprints or layout drawings and measuring and marking workpieces, grinding and sanding and polishing and trimming and deburring and filing with hand tools and power tools, and inspecting and comparing

Editorial preparation: multi-material hand processing, specified measuring tool and template inspection, and records, not feel or sight alone.

Check the real 51-9022 materials / tool tasks, which may use fixed equipment and overlap with machine tool grinding, and cannot be ruled out only by whether work is in batches.

Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners | U.S. 51-4194 covers precision metal smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding; cutting tool geometry is only one direction within it.

Editorial preparation: practise inspection and recording for the specific precision metal processing direction, and do not treat cutting tool geometry as a threshold for all positions.

A preference for workpiece surface processing may also overlap with 51-4194, so check the real announcement and not only the name.

Metal Press and Shear Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 51-4031 includes metal / plastic sawing, shearing, punching, bending / straightening, and other machines, not only press die mounting.

Editorial preparation: check the actual 51-4031 cutting / shearing / punching / bending and other machine tasks and measurement records, with die clamping applying only to the corresponding processes.

Editorial self-questioning: do the specific cutting / punching / bending tasks match your interests? Tasks may connect to surface finishing, so do not rule out based only on the occupation name.

Lathe operator | output is turned parts and measurement records: setting and adjusting the lathe and cutting tools and program according to the process and clamping and turning rotationally symmetric parts and threads and faces

Has the ability for lathe setup and rotationally symmetric cutting and measurement

Editorial comparison: explore according to that direction's actual equipment, tasks, materials, and training conditions; do not permanently rule out a direction based on a single preference.

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | output is milled parts and measurement records: setting and adjusting the milling and planing machine and cutting tools and program according to the process and clamping and milling flat surfaces and grooves and contours

Has the ability for milling and planing machine setup and surface and groove machining and measurement

Editorial comparison: explore according to that direction's actual equipment, tasks, materials, and training conditions; do not permanently rule out a direction based on a single preference.

What kind of personality is more suited to being a grinder? This occupation values patience and attention to detail, sensitivity to machine parameters and measuring tools, adherence to drawings and processes and tolerances, and stability under dust and noise and shift pressure, rather than a particular personality type; the interest code given by O*NET is RC (Realistic—Conventional), which can serve as a starting point for exploration.

Are introverted people suited to this occupation? Yes. This occupation has a great deal of independent machine operation and tending and inspection work, and it also requires coordination with upstream and downstream stages and inspection (continual contact with others 56%).

Extraversion is not a threshold; real handover can be used to practise expression, and performance is not inferred from personality scores.

No evidence has been obtained that a particular MBTI type is best suited to this occupation; check skills and process and safety requirements against real tasks, and do not claim that they have been proven to mainly determine fit.

Which Holland interest type is more suited to this occupation? The interest code given by O*NET is RC: Realistic (operating and tending equipment with hands and tools beside a machine tool and doing physical labor) and Conventional (working to drawings and work orders and processes and parameters and records); it can be used to explore task preferences, not to predict performance.

No individual predictive validity has been obtained on this page; do not use this site's scores to replace H1, training, or actual assessment.

Can someone who is bad at math do this occupation? It requires basic ability to read and calculate dimensions and angles and tolerances and allowances and roughness; a quantitative foundation can be made up through training, but a complete inability to handle readings and drawings would be clearly limiting.

Editorial exercise: use H1 to state out-of-tolerance, data conflicts, and late submission truthfully, without setting an emotional intelligence threshold or claiming safety causality.

Can the Enneagram be used to judge whether I am suited? No. The Enneagram is a self-exploration tool and does not constitute an occupational ability or fit conclusion; fit should be judged by whether you can complete machine setup and processing and inspection work under drawing and protection and quality requirements.

H1 six explicitly fictional input sets / reference answers and the independent self-check only verify paper calculation and record handover and cannot prove machine tool hands-on competence.

Fit signals: willing to take responsibility for dimensions and appearance and safety within the drawing and process and authorization scope, able to switch between machine setup and operation and inspection while keeping attention on parameters and records, and able to hold to protection and re-checking under dust and noise and shift pressure and to escalate according to the system when something is abnormal or beyond authority.

Caution signals: finding it hard over the long term to face equipment operation and dust and noise and coolant exposure and repetitive movement, or hard to accept shift pressure and workpiece scrapping and quality accountability, or unwilling to escalate and hand over according to the system when beyond authority.

First complete the paper H1 independently, then check the specific position's training, protection, hazard, and surveillance requirements; real work requires training authorization, and machine tools must not be started on your own as an experience.

Used to check the task scope and work context of this occupation (U.S. occupational classification scope).

Used to check the tasks and work activities and detailed work activities of this occupation.

Used to check the interest code (RC) and occupation scope given by O*NET.

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment.

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment.

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

The current O*NET2025 manufacturing 94% is the occupational industry share, not a subcategory concentration or wage; the original 2024 figure of 96% is only historical.

The following are editorial failure scenarios / check directions, not incident frequency, commonness rankings, or a risk rating; under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Equipment / protection failure, actual material health / environmental hazards, dimension / surface out-of-tolerance, and distortion of records / authorized handover are check scenarios; O*NET response proportions do not prove consequence severity or occurrence probability. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

U.S. 51-4033.00 sets up, operates, or tends grinding-related machine tools to remove stock or burrs from metal / plastic, sharpen edges and corners, and polish / hone / grind. 18 tasks, 14 core and 4 supplementary: measuring and laying out with precision measuring tools 87, inspecting finished products 83 / adjusting controls 83, observing 82, starting up / reading drawings / hoisting and clamping 81 each, indexing control / tool selection 80 each, mounting / grinding operation 79 each, indexing calculation 78, repairing or replacing parts or notifying engineering 75, lubricating and cooling 71; supplementary inventory 81 / air cylinders 79 / shims 74 / threading and feeding 70. Importance is not frequency or a safety license; setup and operation may be divided, and batch work is not a defining requirement. O*NET has been read for 41 work activities, 21 detailed activities, and 57 context items: handling 81 / monitoring 78 / checking 77 / controlling 75 / identifying 75 / information 74 / decision making 66 / planning 65 / communicating 64 / checking against standards 64 as importance values; PPE88% daily, handling by hand 87% continually, contamination 72% daily, noise 70% daily, precision 64% extremely important, discussion 73% daily, repetitive movement 56% continually, and standing 49% continually are the response option proportions, not concentrations / incident rates or everyone's situation. Hours 58% at 40 hours / 42% over 40, schedule 89% fixed / 11% not fixed; piece-rate dominance or a general peak-season overtime rate cannot be inferred from this. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

The person and the safety and equipment positions; on-site personnel and equipment and property

Grinding wheels and abrasives not inspected or overspeed or burst, or workpieces not clamped securely or flying off and being pinched, or rotating parts and guards and interlocks missing; may cause personal injury and equipment damage and work stoppage

Check the machine tool and grinding wheel and abrasive and guard and interlock condition before work, use them at the specified speed and process and clamp and stand correctly, and stop and escalate immediately on anomalies; when grinding wheel or clamping or protection anomalies are found, stop immediately and re-check

Scenario | the grinding wheel has reached its inspection cycle or shows slight vibration, the delivery deadline is near, and the site is asked to continue processing first and inspect and replace later.

The person and the occupational health and environmental positions; workers and the surrounding environment

Dust and oil mist concentrations out of control, or inadequate noise and vibration and coolant and ventilation and personal protection, or improper disposal of waste liquid and chips and wastewater and solid waste; may cause occupational health harm and environmental risk

Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract. Specific hazards / equipment protection are confirmed against the approved procedures, anomalies are reported according to the system, and no general coolant / dust extraction / PPE operation is given.

Scenario | the workshop has heavy dust and oil mist and poor ventilation, and the parties want to finish the order first and deal with dust extraction and protection later.

The person and the process and quality positions; workpieces and customers and delivery

Improper selection of grinding wheel or cutting tool or tooling, or clamping and indexing deviation, or improper setting of parameters and feed and cooling, or out-of-tolerance in dimensions or appearance or surface not re-inspected; may cause workpiece scrapping and batch rework and delivery delay

Select grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling according to drawings and processes and work orders and perform first-article and patrol and re-inspection, and out-of-tolerance items must be segregated and labeled and handled and escalated according to the system; dimension and appearance and defect and parameter records must be traceable together with the workpiece batch

Scenario | a batch of workpieces shows a dimension or appearance deviation at first-article inspection, the schedule is tight, and the site is asked to move them on as conforming and supplement the inspection and rework records later.

The person and the process and compliance positions; products and compliance boundaries

Changing the process or tooling or parameters beyond authority, or determining materials and heat treatment on your own, or interpreting surface standards, or making product release conclusions; may lead to quality and compliance and legal liability

Process / parameters / release are approved according to the real authorization; documented corrections keep the original value / changed value / reason / actual author and time, and there is no rewriting without a trace or forging.

Scenario | when personnel are short, untrained people are asked to change the process or parameters on their own or determine materials and release conclusions so the batch can be delivered that day.

The person and the crew and tooling positions; production continuity and quality consistency

Key skills or grinding wheels or cutting tools or tooling or measuring tools or process documents rest with a single point, and leave or peak-season understaffing or grinding wheel damage or inaccurate measuring tools interrupt processing and inspection or cause inconsistent judgments; may cause inconsistent batch judgments and rework and delivery delay

Establish backup and handover and calibration rules for skills and grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling and measuring tools and process documents, so that key processes and parameters and grinding wheel dressing experience are reproducible and documented; when staffing or tooling or measuring tools are insufficient, escalate and adjust priorities according to the system

Scenario | the only veteran familiar with a certain type of workpiece and grinding wheel and machine setup and dressing is on leave, and key batches and complex part finishing are asked to be taken over temporarily by untrained people.

The person and outsourcing and upstream and downstream parties; quality and delivery and responsibility

Responsibility and standards are unclear with upstream and downstream stages or outsourcing partners or customers on process and surface requirements and non-conforming items and rework and acceptance and costs, or workpiece batch handover is not verified; may lead to batch mix-ups and responsibility disputes and rework and cost disputes

Process and surface requirements and non-conforming handling and rework and acceptance must have clear scope and basis and responsibility and time limits and be documented, and the physical goods must be verified against records before handover; when standard or batch or responsibility disputes arise, pause and re-check and escalate

Scenario | after an outsourcing partner or upstream and downstream stage finishes processing or surface treatment, settlement and transfer are requested without submitting inspection and dimension and appearance and machine tool records, and the site is asked to sign first and supplement later.

Used to check the tasks and work context of this occupation and help identify the failure types in drawing reading and machine setup and processing and inspection and protection steps (U.S. scope).

Used to check the task and work activity and work environment descriptions of this occupation.

Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

The occupational task background serves only as a basis for editorial scenarios and is not actual incident statistics.

Education and training: the U.S. O*NET new hire education requirements questionnaire: high school equivalent 87%, associate degree 9%, post-high-school certificate 3%, which is not the distribution of credentials held by workers, and the rounding is not forced to add up to 100%. Job Zone1—2 / SVP under 6 is general preparation, not a uniform training term for this occupation; the BLS2025 precise line is typically entry with high school equivalent, no relevant experience, and medium-term on-the-job training. Actual employers check separately.

Hazards / permits: under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Equipment and process: trained and authorized positions check the actual machine tool / abrasives, tooling, measuring tools, protection, and anomalies against the approved procedures; the paper exercise on this page does not grant a work permit.

Records and release: the specific duties, parameter changes, inspection, and release follow the organizational system; documented corrections keep the original value / changed value / reason / actual author and time, without forging.

Verified U.S. single announcement: Timken Machine Operator - TS Grind, Iron Station NC, full-time night shift 21:00—07:00 the next day, Monday to Thursday, with an announced starting rate of 21.50 and a top rate of 27.30 U.S. dollars per hour. Basic conditions are high school or GED, age 18, and U.S. work eligibility; machine tool experience is preferred, and mechanical understanding / drawing reading / communication are also preferred. Duties include setup, calibration / running monitoring, inspection and measurement, real output and equipment records, and maintenance. The official index search shows 2026-09-08, with no closing date listed in the body text; actually read on 2026-10-03, and availability to apply afterwards is not guaranteed. The tasks are related but no employer SOC code was obtained, so the title does not prove a precise mapping, general market conditions, or Chinese wages, and the rate is not equated with a national percentile. Editorial application check: actual equipment / materials, working hours and pay, protection training, and assessment; a single announcement does not represent the market.

The editorial preparation path follows the specific duty division; education / training certificates, actual hazard surveillance, equipment status, and organizational authorization / release are checked separately, dust explosion prevention is limited to combustible explosive dust, and occupational health examinations follow exposure hazards, with no uniform threshold for everyone. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

Under mentoring, take on handling and loading and unloading and cleaning and simple deburring and workstation preparation and record assistance; do not independently set up machine tools or judge appearance or release.

Shadowing and processing assistant positions

Can independently complete drawing and work order reading and grinding wheel and cutting tool selection and clamping and indexing and machine setup and operation and tending and inspection and recording within the drawing and process and authorization scope, and escalate and re-check according to the system when something is abnormal or beyond authority.

Independent machine operation positions

Can take on machine setup and grinding wheel dressing and cutting tool and tooling and measuring tool management and first articles and patrol inspection and complex part finishing and mentoring.

Skilled and tooling and inspection positions

Can take on process implementation and quality and safety and output and training and anomaly handling and countersigning and cross-process coordination.

Workstation and quality management positions

The U.S. O*NET new hire education requirements questionnaire: high school equivalent 87%, associate degree 9%, post-high-school certificate 3%, which is not the distribution of credentials held by workers, and the rounding is not forced to add up to 100%. Job Zone1—2 / SVP under 6 is general preparation, not a uniform training term for this occupation; the BLS2025 precise line is typically entry with high school equivalent, no relevant experience, and medium-term on-the-job training. Actual employers check separately. The current national certification catalogue has 6 items: NIMS Classic Credential: Grinding II (Surface), Machining Level I - Grinding I, Machining Level II - Cylindrical Grinding Skills, Machining Level I - CNC Turning: Operations, Machining Level I - CNC Mill Operations, and NCCER Level 1 - Welding. Being listed in the catalogue does not mean it is required for all positions, or prove actual certificate availability or recognition as a qualification in China; the issuer's current application / examination / fees have not been verified. Editorial direction: explore with the paper H1 → check real announcements → accept the corresponding trained hands-on work and assessment → develop according to duty, with no promise of a uniform term or promotion.

The editorial preparation path follows the specific duty division; education / training certificates, actual hazard surveillance, equipment status, and organizational authorization / release are checked separately, dust explosion prevention is limited to combustible explosive dust, and occupational health examinations follow exposure hazards, with no uniform threshold for everyone. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

The U.S. O*NET new hire education requirements questionnaire: high school equivalent 87%, associate degree 9%, post-high-school certificate 3%, which is not the distribution of credentials held by workers, and the rounding is not forced to add up to 100%. Job Zone1—2 / SVP under 6 is general preparation, not a uniform training term for this occupation; the BLS2025 precise line is typically entry with high school equivalent, no relevant experience, and medium-term on-the-job training. Actual employers check separately. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

The editorial preparation path follows the specific duty division; education / training certificates, actual hazard surveillance, equipment status, and organizational authorization / release are checked separately, dust explosion prevention is limited to combustible explosive dust, and occupational health examinations follow exposure hazards, with no uniform threshold for everyone. Under China's Work Safety Law, position training, approved procedures / safety equipment, and hazard reporting are carried out according to actual duties; under the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law, hazard control / notification / surveillance follow the real exposure hazard, and not everyone has the same medical examination. Article 2 of the dust explosion prevention provisions is limited to industrial and trade enterprises with combustible dust explosion hazards, and Articles 8/9/11—19 cover special training, protection, identification, dust extraction / maintenance / cleaning, and overhaul; not all dust is treated as a dust explosion, and no general water treatment or PPE plan is given. Article 9 of the Ecological Environment Code requires operators to prevent pollution, and Article 1242 takes effect on 2026-08-15 and repeals the old Environmental Protection Law, with specific emission / waste / noise requirements checked by activity. Ordinary machine tools / grinding wheels are not automatically special equipment, and applicable permits are checked against the actual equipment activity; the PIPL is limited to identifiable personal information, and drawing / customer commercial confidentiality is checked separately against the contract.

The U.S. O*NET new hire education requirements questionnaire: high school equivalent 87%, associate degree 9%, post-high-school certificate 3%, which is not the distribution of credentials held by workers, and the rounding is not forced to add up to 100%. Job Zone1—2 / SVP under 6 is general preparation, not a uniform training term for this occupation; the BLS2025 precise line is typically entry with high school equivalent, no relevant experience, and medium-term on-the-job training. Actual employers check separately.

U.S. 51-4033.00 sets up, operates, or tends grinding-related machine tools to remove stock or burrs from metal / plastic, sharpen edges and corners, and polish / hone / grind. 18 tasks, 14 core and 4 supplementary: measuring and laying out with precision measuring tools 87, inspecting finished products 83 / adjusting controls 83, observing 82, starting up / reading drawings / hoisting and clamping 81 each, indexing control / tool selection 80 each, mounting / grinding operation 79 each, indexing calculation 78, repairing or replacing parts or notifying engineering 75, lubricating and cooling 71; supplementary inventory 81 / air cylinders 79 / shims 74 / threading and feeding 70. Importance is not frequency or a safety license; setup and operation may be divided, and batch work is not a defining requirement. O*NET detailed software has 7 categories: AutoCAD, SAP, Mazak Mazatrol SMART CNC, Manufacturing reporting system, Office, Windows, Excel; the 5 hot page skills come from 2025 U.S. Lightcast job posting mentions: Office / Excel / AutoCAD 1% each, SAP under 1%, and Windows not provided. Job posting mentions are not adoption rates / ability thresholds and do not prove that only records are done, that programming is not needed, or that AI is already in place.

The current national certification catalogue has 6 items: NIMS Classic Credential: Grinding II (Surface), Machining Level I - Grinding I, Machining Level II - Cylindrical Grinding Skills, Machining Level I - CNC Turning: Operations, Machining Level I - CNC Mill Operations, and NCCER Level 1 - Welding. Being listed in the catalogue does not mean it is required for all positions, or prove actual certificate availability or recognition as a qualification in China; the issuer's current application / examination / fees have not been verified.

Verified U.S. single announcement: Timken Machine Operator - TS Grind, Iron Station NC, full-time night shift 21:00—07:00 the next day, Monday to Thursday, with an announced starting rate of 21.50 and a top rate of 27.30 U.S. dollars per hour. Basic conditions are high school or GED, age 18, and U.S. work eligibility; machine tool experience is preferred, and mechanical understanding / drawing reading / communication are also preferred. Duties include setup, calibration / running monitoring, inspection and measurement, real output and equipment records, and maintenance. The official index search shows 2026-09-08, with no closing date listed in the body text; actually read on 2026-10-03, and availability to apply afterwards is not guaranteed. The tasks are related but no employer SOC code was obtained, so the title does not prove a precise mapping, general market conditions, or Chinese wages, and the rate is not equated with a national percentile.

Mechanical or materials related training records; work safety and occupational health training.

Familiar with the key points of drawings and work orders and grinding wheels and cutting tools and tooling and measuring tools and machine tools and protection and records.

Handling and loading and unloading and deburring and assisted records and mentoring evaluation; able to restate the process and protection key points.

Under mentoring, take on handling and loading and unloading and cleaning and simple deburring and workstation preparation and record assistance; do not independently set up machine tools or judge appearance or release.

Processing assistant positions

Specific position training / authorization and workstation practice records; those exposed to occupational disease hazards undergo occupational health examinations under the applicable regulations, and no uniform examination is set for the occupation.

Accumulate experience under different materials and products and surface requirement conditions, and practise grinding wheel and cutting tool selection and parameter setup and complex part finishing and defect determination methods.

Process and parameters and measured values and appearance and defects and handling records and re-check opinions.

Independently complete clamping and positioning and indexing and machine setup and operation and tending and inspection and re-check and record according to norms.

Independent machine operation positions

Corresponding position authorization; tooling management and mentoring records.

Learn grinding wheel dressing and tooling and measuring tool management and first articles and patrol inspection and quality control and complex part finishing methods.

Grinding wheel and tooling and measuring tool management and first articles and mentoring and quality records.

Take on process implementation and grinding wheel and cutting tool and tooling and measuring tool management and first articles and patrol inspection and inspection and mentoring.

Process and tooling mentoring positions

Corresponding management appointment or institutional authorization.

Improve the management mechanisms for process and process and quality and training and anomaly handling.

Coordination conclusions; process and process and quality and training documents.

Coordinate process and process and quality and output and training and anomaly handling and countersigning, handle complex and disputed matters, and guide newcomers.

Processing and quality coordination positions

Mechanical or quality related training records; quality and data security training.

Familiar with the key points of measuring tools and tolerances and surface requirements and first articles and patrol inspection and inspection and archiving norms.

Measuring tools and measured values and assisted records and re-check opinions.

Under mentoring, take on measuring tool and template preparation and measured record keeping and ledger registration and archiving assistance; do not independently determine conformance or release.

Inspection and record assistant positions

Institutional position authorization; inspection practice experience.

Accumulate experience under different materials and products and surface requirement conditions, and practise sampling and first articles and patrol inspection and non-conforming handling and traceability methods.

Inspection and determination and segregation and handling and traceability records and re-check opinions.

Independently complete dimension and appearance and surface and defect inspection and determination and non-conforming segregation handling and quality data compilation and mark and document according to norms.

Independent inspection and quality positions

Corresponding position authorization; audit and mentoring records.

Learn quality management systems and measuring tool management and non-conforming correction and traceability methods.

Audit and quality and tooling and mentoring and training records.

Take on quality and measuring tool and tooling audits and training and record and archiving management and mentoring and implementation of non-conforming corrective actions.

Quality and tooling and mentoring positions

Corresponding management appointment or institutional authorization.

Improve the management mechanisms for quality and tooling and measuring tools and training and traceability.

Coordination conclusions; quality and tooling and measuring tool and training documents.

Coordinate quality and tooling and measuring tools and training and countersigning, handle complex and disputed matters, and guide newcomers.

Quality and tooling coordination positions

Safety or occupational health related training records; machine guarding and coolant training.

Familiar with the key points of machine tools and grinding wheels and guards and interlocks and noise and coolant and emergency response and records.

Protection and ventilation and coolant ledgers and assisted records and re-check opinions.

Under mentoring, take on protective equipment and ventilation and coolant ledger and safety record assistance; do not independently determine protection conditions or handle anomalies.

Safety and on-site assistant positions

Institutional position authorization and training; on-site safety management experience.

Accumulate experience under different processes and materials and coolant conditions, and practise hazard identification and anomaly handling and emergency response and escalation methods.

Inspection and protection and anomaly handling and safety and occupational health records and re-check opinions.

Independently complete machine tool and grinding wheel and protection and ventilation and coolant management and anomaly handling and safety records and re-check according to norms.

Independent safety and on-site positions

Corresponding position authorization; audit and mentoring records.

Learn safety management systems and machine guarding and occupational health and emergency response and training norm methods.

Audit and safety and training and hazard rectification records.

Take on safety and occupational health audits and training and emergency plans and record and archiving management and mentoring and implementation of hazard rectification.

Safety and training and mentoring positions

Corresponding management appointment or institutional authorization.

Improve the management mechanisms for safety and occupational health and production and training and outsourcing.

Coordination conclusions; safety and occupational health and production and training documents.

Coordinate safety and occupational health and production and training and outsourcing and countersigning, handle complex and disputed matters, and guide newcomers.

Safety and production coordination positions

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment. BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period. Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

United States

2025

The national and California five percentiles have been verified this round, but the precise industry median has not been obtained; the group OOH cannot be substituted.

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment.

Wages (median and percentiles, this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

SOC 51-4033.00 (OEWS 2025, presented through O*NET)

Median annual wage 46,550 U.S. dollars / median hourly wage 22.38 U.S. dollars; 10th percentile 36,110, 25th percentile 39,390, 75th percentile 54,290, 90th percentile 62,600 (U.S. dollars per year)

United States

2025—2035

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

Employment scale and growth and job openings (this occupation (51-4033.00) own scope)

SOC51-4033, BLS2025—2035 direct occupational projections

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

Mainland China

2025

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

The legal environment and management system and statistical scope differ, so no splicing or conversion is done; the China part of this page only registers the statistical scope and visible gaps.

Occupational wages and employment (statistical scope and gaps)

National Bureau of Statistics average wage of urban unit employed persons (industry-category scope) and bounded search

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

2025 U.S. national 10th/25th/50th/75th/90th percentile annual wages for the precise 51-4033 are 36,110/39,390/46,550/54,290/62,600 U.S. dollars, hourly 17.36/18.94/22.38/26.10/30.10 U.S. dollars; percentiles are not starting pay, job level, or an individual's take-home pay. OEWS includes production bonuses and commissions, and excludes non-production bonuses, overtime premiums, shift differentials, benefits, and self-employment.

BLS current 2025—2035 employment for the precise 51-4033 goes from 68.5→61.1 thousand, a change of −10.8%, a net change of −7.4 thousand, and an average of 4.5 thousand annual openings from replacements; the figures are each rounded independently, and EP includes self-employment (1.9% in 2025) and differs from OEWS wages. Projections are not actual hiring, individual outcomes, or AI causality. The current O*NET already shows 2025 employment of 68,500, a declining category for 2025—2035, and an average of 4,500 annual openings, consistent with the current BLS period.

Insufficient evidence: the NBS2025 urban unit industry and five-category position wage aggregates have been read, but no precise mapping of 51-4033.00 to a Chinese classification, national occupational wage percentiles, or employment scale has been obtained; the old MOHRSS links were not read as body text and are only search leads. No industry average, job posting rate, or U.S. figure is substituted, and it is not claimed that no national data exists.

U.S. 51-4033.00 sets up, operates, or tends grinding-related machine tools to remove stock or burrs from metal / plastic, sharpen edges and corners, and polish / hone / grind. 18 tasks, 14 core and 4 supplementary: measuring and laying out with precision measuring tools 87, inspecting finished products 83 / adjusting controls 83, observing 82, starting up / reading drawings / hoisting and clamping 81 each, indexing control / tool selection 80 each, mounting / grinding operation 79 each, indexing calculation 78, repairing or replacing parts or notifying engineering 75, lubricating and cooling 71; supplementary inventory 81 / air cylinders 79 / shims 74 / threading and feeding 70. Importance is not frequency or a safety license; setup and operation may be divided, and batch work is not a defining requirement. The current O*NET2025 manufacturing 94% is the industry share, not wages; the 2024 figure of 96% is only historical.

Needs added capability in crushing and grinding equipment setup and feeding and batch material processing and equipment maintenance; transition note: relatively close, moving from machine tool surface processing to crushing and grinding equipment and requiring added equipment setup and batch material control skills. This page does not quantify transition distance or success probability, and target position qualifications, authorization, and training must be checked separately.

Grinding process and measuring tool and safety experience

Editorial judgment: capability must be added

Needs added capability in cutting equipment setup and cutting and dimension inspection; transition note: moderate, moving from machine tool grinding to cutting and slicing equipment and requiring added equipment and cutting process knowledge. This page does not quantify transition distance or success probability, and target position qualifications, authorization, and training must be checked separately.

Measuring tool and dimension and safety experience

Editorial judgment: capability must be added

Needs added capability in die clamping and press and shear equipment operation and first-article inspection; transition note: moderate, moving from machine tool grinding to press and shear equipment and requiring added die and equipment operation skills. This page does not quantify transition distance or success probability, and target position qualifications, authorization, and training must be checked separately.

Measuring tool and first article and safety experience

Editorial judgment: capability must be added

Needs added capability in hand processing and feel and template comparison and finishing; transition note: relatively close, moving from machine processing to hand grinding and polishing and requiring added feel and template comparison skills. This page does not quantify transition distance or success probability, and target position qualifications, authorization, and training must be checked separately.

Grinding process and measuring tool and safety experience

Editorial judgment: capability must be added

Needs added capability in lathe operation and cutting tools and dimension and rotationally symmetric machining control; transition note: relatively close, moving from grinding machine tools to turning and requiring added lathe and cutting tool and program skills. This page does not quantify transition distance or success probability, and target position qualifications, authorization, and training must be checked separately.

Process and measuring tool and safety experience

Editorial judgment: capability must be added

Needs added capability in milling and planing machine operation and cutting tools and dimension and surface and groove machining control; transition note: moderate, moving from grinding machine tools to milling and planing and requiring added milling and planing process and equipment skills. This page does not quantify transition distance or success probability, and target position qualifications, authorization, and training must be checked separately.

Process and measuring tool and safety experience

Editorial judgment: capability must be added

Check the 51-4081 tasks of setting up and operating two or more types of machine tools / robots, and do not equate multiple workstations or simultaneously tending several machines with the definition; transition note: moderate, moving from single-machine grinding to multiple machine tools and requiring added multi-machine setup and changeover skills. This page does not quantify transition distance or success probability, and target position qualifications, authorization, and training must be checked separately.

Process and measuring tool and safety experience

Editorial judgment: capability must be added

Check the specific 51-4194 precision metal grinding / polishing / sharpening tasks, of which the cutting tool direction is only one; transition note: editorial transition candidate: tasks may overlap, the specific tools / processes / inspection must be added, and this is not a verified distance ranking or automatic transfer. This page does not quantify transition distance or success probability, and target position qualifications, authorization, and training must be checked separately.

Grinding process and measuring tool and safety experience

Editorial judgment: capability must be added

This round, on 2026-10-03, verified the 51-4033 occupation / tasks / activities / context, the five wage percentiles, the 7 detailed software items and 5 hot job posting mentions, the six-item certification catalogue, the current EP, the OOH group projection explanation, and the Timken official announcement; NBS / legal provisions / ILO / NIST bases already read in this batch are used within the same scope.

The 25 stable source IDs are retained, with each item supporting the tasks / year / jurisdiction correspondences in this text; the original internal rules are not used as external factual sources, and the employer now carries the single Timken announcement.

Checked on 2026-10-11: current O*NET occupation Updated2026, wages 2025, employment 2025—2035; the national and California percentiles have been obtained, and the prior 2024 industry 96% is treated as historical. The Ecological Environment Code takes effect on 2026-08-15.

The precise Chinese occupational mapping, wage employment, precise-occupation AI adoption / substitution and wage causality, and this site's assessment validity have not been obtained; the national and California percentiles have been verified, but the precise industry median is still missing. The certification catalogue is not the issuer's application rules; a single-employer announcement is not a market statistic.