Human edge, steady

Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

AI Resistance Index 30 of 99

Changing faster than most: more resilient than 30% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by -10.8% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on physical dexterity.

AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.

Median pay (2025): $46,550
Job growth to 2035: -10.8%
Openings a year: 4,500
People doing it (2025): 68,500
Usual route in: High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training

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Where people already use AI for this work

Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
Read documents or materials to inform work processes

From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).

Work AI rarely helps with

Operate cutting or grinding equipment
Position workpieces or materials on equipment
Monitor equipment operation

What the work looks like

Measure workpieces and lay out work, using precision measuring devices.
Inspect or measure finished workpieces to determine conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges or micrometers.
Set and adjust machine controls according to product specifications, using knowledge of machine operation.
Observe machine operations to detect any problems, making necessary adjustments to correct problems.
Activate machine start-up switches to grind, lap, hone, debar, shear, or cut workpieces, according to specifications.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as manufacturers are expected to use more CNC, automated, and programmable machinery to perform some functions or tasks previously done by these workers.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Tool grinders, filers, and sharpenersHuman edge, steady, Index 44, -6.8%
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plasticHuman edge, steady, Index 52, -3.4%
Tire buildersHuman edge, steady, Index 75, +0.8%
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plasticHuman edge, steady, Index 32, -9.5%

Also known as: Deburrer, Grinder, Grinder Operator, Process Equipment Operator, Cell Operator, Centerless Grinder Operator, Die Maintenance Technician (Die Maintenance Tech), Finisher.

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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.