Surface grinding machine operator
Also called back grinding machine operator, filling and grinding machine operator
Surface grinding machine operators set up and tend surface grinding machines designed to apply abrasive processes in order to remove small amounts of excess material and smoothen metal workpieces by an abrasive grinding wheel, or wash grinder, rotating on a horizontal or vertical axis.
What you'd do
Metal finishing, plating and coating machine operators · ILO- Operating and monitoring equipment which cleans metal articles in preparation for electroplating, galvanizing, enamelling or similar processes
- Operating and monitoring electroplating equipment
- Operating and monitoring hot-dip equipment used to coat iron and steel products
- Operating and monitoring machines which automatically coat wire with non-ferrous metal
- Operating and monitoring equipment used to spray molten metal or other substances onto metal products to provide a protective or decorative coating or to build up worn or damaged surfaces
- Operating and monitoring equipment used to impart a rust-resistant finish to metal articles by treating them with chemicals and heating them
- Checking proper thickness of plating using micrometers, callipers or other devices recording data and writing production logs
- Preparing and mixing metalizing solutions according to formulas or specifications
- Indoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Mostly working alone
- Good freedom to decide
- Usually 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects10 EU countries are short of metal finishing, plating and coating machine operators now, but fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,500 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among plant and machine operators, and assemblers in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Plant and machine operators, and assemblers · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Upper secondary or vocationalUpper secondary or vocational training in mechanics and metal trades is the usual route.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.20 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 8 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for metal finishing, plating and coating machine operators. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).