What does a grinder do?
Depending on the industry, a grinder has a diverse range of duties. Typically, they oversee setting up and operating bearing grinders, cam grinders, and CNC lathes. A grinder must meet with the manufacturer's specifications by making use of shop drawings. Additionally, they may be tasked with repairing any mechanical breakdowns on the machines.
Grinder responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real grinder resumes:
- Machine carbide, harden tool steel, harden stainless steel, and ceramic.
- Verify dimensional compliance using micrometers, calipers, ultrasonic testing and similar types of dimensional inspection devices.
- Set up and run O.D.
- Support for lathes and EDM (i.e.
- Grind drills, end mills, taps etc.
- Set up and run surface grinder at 200 to 300/ hour.
- Operate Norton OD grind machines.
- steel, metal & inconel.
- Grind cylindrical and keyway broaches.
- Inspect and stock all aluminum castings.
- Polish, and sand aluminum castings.
- Well verse with ANCA off-line simulation.
- Job duties include setting up & operating various grinders to machine precision parts according to blue prints and mfg outline requirements.
- Set up CNC machine to notch product and utilize small notch machine and belt sanding machine when require.
- Relocate unfinished belts to industrial size grinders.
Grinder skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Grinders are proficient in Grinders, Hand Tools, and Calipers. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Math skills and computer application experience, and Manual dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Grinders that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Grinders, 20%
Set up and operated all types of grinders including barrel, OD and ID to produce finished punches to close tolerance.
- Hand Tools, 12%
Used hand tools or equipment - Moved controls to adjusted, started, or stop equipment during grinding and polishing process.
- Calipers, 8%
Used calipers, gauges, rulers, and tape measures.
- Grinding Machines, 7%
Operated various machinery, Specialized in grinding machines
- Grinding Wheels, 7%
Selected grinding wheels and belts according to knowledge of metal properties and abrasives, and mounts wheel on spindle.
- CNC, 6%
Learned to operate a Brake Press Machine and a CNC machine.
"grinders," "hand tools," and "calipers" are among the most common skills that grinders use at work. You can find even more grinder responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a grinder to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "machinists and tool and die makers must be able to interpret technical blueprints, models, and specifications so that they can craft precision tools and metal parts." Additionally, a grinder resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "weigh and subtract tare weight and enter data into the computer, maintain machinery, change blades in grinders. "
Manual dexterity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of grinders is manual dexterity. This skill is critical to many everyday grinder duties, as "machinists’ and tool and die makers’ work demands accuracy, sometimes to within .0001 of an inch." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "learned all phases of grinding on manual and nc/ cnc grinders, including jig, surface, and id/od grinding. "
Technical skills. A big part of what grinders do relies on "technical skills." You can see how essential it is to grinder responsibilities because "machinists and tool and die makers must understand metalworking processes." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical grinder tasks: "served as a technical advisor on iso 14001 and qs 9000 teams. "
Mechanical skills. A commonly-found skill in grinder job descriptions, "mechanical skills" is essential to what grinders do. Grinder responsibilities rely on this skill because "machinists and tool and die makers may operate milling machines, lathes, grinders, laser and water jetting machines, wire electrical discharge machines, and other machine tools." You can also see how grinder duties rely on mechanical skills in this resume example: "grind, sand, cleaned and polished parts using hand tools and mechanical/surface grinder. "
The three companies that hire the most grinders are:
- Aerotek14 grinders jobs
- Emerson10 grinders jobs
- Workbox Staffing10 grinders jobs
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Grinder vs. Outside machinist
An outside machinist specializes in installing and repairing machinery and equipment in water vessels such as ships and submarines. They have a wide range of responsibilities, which typically include understanding blueprints and schematics, fixing and assembling parts, operating power tools, connecting pipe systems, conducting inspections, and providing support to staff as needed. They must also perform regular maintenance checks to ensure the quality and efficiency of machinery. Moreover, as an outside machinist, it is vital to maintain an active communication line with team members for a safe and efficient workflow.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a grinder are more likely to require skills like "grinding machines," "grinding wheels," "cnc," and "quality standards." On the other hand, a job as an outside machinist requires skills like "condensers," "shipyard," "evaporators," and "ladders." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Outside machinists earn the highest salaries when working in the energy industry, with an average yearly salary of $43,016. On the other hand, grinders are paid more in the automotive industry with an average salary of $40,459.On average, outside machinists reach similar levels of education than grinders. Outside machinists are 1.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Grinder vs. Machinist class b
A manual machinist specializes in developing tools and components through machinery. To make this possible, they must perform research and analysis, understand blueprints and schematics, identify the client or project's needs, develop prototypes and test structures, and subject products into various quality assurance procedures. They may also enhance existing components by studying their specifications and implementing solutions against problem areas. Moreover, a manual machinist typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, grinder responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "calipers," "grinding wheels," "cnc," and "safety procedures." Meanwhile, a machinist class b has duties that require skills in areas such as "cnc machines," "manual lathes," "machine tools," and "shop equipment." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Machinist class bs tend to reach similar levels of education than grinders. In fact, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Grinder vs. Manual machinist
Tool technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for repairing a variety of pneumatic and hand tools as well as disassemble defective electrical equipment in a manufacturing firm using these hand tools. These technicians are required to coordinate with other areas of the company to schedule and perform preventive maintenance duties. They must provide support for CNC operators by setting up the caliper and micrometer of all the CNC machines. Tool technicians must also assist coworkers in ordering materials and purchasing machine parts.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a grinder is likely to be skilled in "grinding wheels," "safety procedures," "quality standards," and "grinding tools," while a typical manual machinist is skilled in "id," "manual machines," "cranes," and "horizontal boring mills."
Manual machinists make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $49,950. On the other hand, grinders are paid the highest salary in the automotive industry, with average annual pay of $40,459.manual machinists typically earn similar educational levels compared to grinders. Specifically, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Grinder vs. Tool technician
Types of grinder
Updated January 8, 2025
