How to become a precision grinding machine setter-operator
Official title: Precision grinding machine setter-operator
Also called: Metal grinding machine operator, Metal grinding machine setter-operator, Precision grinding machine operator, Metal grinding machine setter-operator
Precision grinding machine setter-operator sets up, programmes and controls grinding machines to remove small amounts of excess material and smoothen metal workpieces by using an abrasive wheel with diamond teeth as a cutting device for very precise and light cuts. He/she reads grinding machine blueprints and tooling instructions, performs regular machine maintenance, and makes adjustments to the grinding controls, such as the depth of cuts and the rotation speed.
Main tasks
- Setting one or more types of machine tools for production of metal articles in standardised series
- Operating and monitoring metalworking machines, such as lathes, milling, planning, boring, drilling, grinding or honing machines, including multi-purpose numerically controlled metalworking machines
- Observing machine operations to detect work piece defects or machine malfunctions, adjusting machines as necessary
- Inspecting work pieces for defects, and measuring work pieces to determine accuracy of machine operation, using rules, templates, or other measuring instruments
- Changing worn machine accessories, such as cutting tools and brushes, using hand tools
Ways in
- Polytechnic or ITE: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec). Related ITE courses: Higher Nitec in Precision Engineering. Peernovo matched these from course names; ITE does not publish which jobs each course leads to.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $38,724 a year. The middle half earn $32,880 to $46,584 a year.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Metalworking machine setter-operator
- Metal melter/caster/rolling mill operator
- Metal heat treating plant operator
- Metal drawer/extruder
- Metal finishing/plating/coating machine operator
Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz
Questions people ask
How do I become a precision grinding machine setter-operator?
Ways in include: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec).
How much does a precision grinding machine setter-operator earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $38,724 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $32,880 to $46,584.
Will AI change the work of a precision grinding machine setter-operator?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026