Stone polisher

Stone polishers operate grinding and polishing tools and equipment in order to smooth stones.

Stone polishers typically do the following:

• Place the blocks or slates on work bench, fixing them between ends with help of other workers, if necessary, to proceed with polishing.
• Eliminate roughness from the surface of blocks or slates, handling a grinding wheel, to give the required smoothness and contours.
• Polish the surfaces of blocks or slabs of granite, marble or other stones, using a polishing machine, to give them shine.

The following job titles also refer to stone polisher:

hand grinder
surface polisher
worktop polisher
marble polisher
hand stone polisher
wet stone polisher
granite polisher
stone polishing worker
stone polishing machine operative

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as a stone polisher. However, many employers prefer candidates with at least a high school diploma.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Stone polisher is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to stone polisher.

stone planer
stone splitter
stone driller
stone engraver
mineral crushing operator

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of stone polisher. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of stone polisher with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

automated assembly line operator
plastic and rubber products manufacturing supervisor
pulp control operator
product development engineering technician
industrial robot controller

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of stone polisher.

• Types of stone for working: Different types of stone that stonemasons and other stone workers use to process into building materials. The mechanical properties of stone, such as their weight, tensile strength, durability. Economical properties such as cost, transport and sourcing.
• Quality and cycle time optimisation: The most optimal rotation or cycle time and over-all quality of a tool or a machine’s processes.
• Personal protective equipment: Types of protective materials and equipment foreseen for various types of tasks such as general or specialised cleaning activities.
• Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.

These skills are necessary for the role of stone polisher.

• Supply machine with appropriate tools: Supply the machine with the necessary tools and items for a particular production purpose. Monitor the stock and replenish when needed.
• Troubleshoot: Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.
• Remove processed workpiece: Remove individual workpieces after processing, from the manufacturing machine or the machine tool. In case of a conveyor belt this involves quick, continuous movement.
• Prepare stone for smoothing: Prepare the stone for the smoothing process by wetting it with the hose.
• Ensure equipment availability: Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.
• Inspect stone surface: Inspect the surface of the stone to identify any uneven areas.
• Use polishing compounds: Use the specified polishing compounds such as emery powder, spreading it on the stone.
• Supply machine: Ensure the machine is fed the necessary and adequate materials and control the placement or automatic feed and retrieval of work pieces in the machines or machine tools on the production line.
• Set up the controller of a machine: Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.
• Wash stone: Wash the stone chips obtained while drilling, by using water hose.
• Apply health and safety standards: Adhere to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective authorities.
• Polish stone surfaces: Polish stone using polishing tools and machines in order to obtained a smooth and lustrous product.
• Use abrasive wheel: Use the specific abrasive wheel or the step in the finishing process according to the type of stone or workpiece.
• Measure materials: Measure the raw materials prior to their loading in the mixer or in machines, ensuring they conform with the specifications.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of stone polisher. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Mechanics: Theoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.
• Abrasive machining processes: The various machining principles and processes employing abrasives, (mineral) materials that can shape a workpiece by eroding excessive parts of it, such as grinding, honing, sanding, buffing, diamond wire cutting, polishing, abrasive blasting, tumbling, water-jet cutting, and others.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of stone polisher. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Inspect quality of products: Use various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.
• Operate forklift: Operate a forklift, a vehicle with a pronged device in front for lifting and carrying heavy loads.
• Remove inadequate workpieces: Evaluate which deficient processed workpieces do not meet the set-up standard and should be removed and sort the waste according to regulations.
• Operate precision measuring equipment: Measure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, and a measuring gauge.
• Perform test run: Perform tests putting a system, machine, tool or other equipment through a series of actions under actual operating conditions in order to assess its reliability and suitability to realise its tasks, and adjust settings accordingly.
• Maintain equipment: Regularly inspect and perform all required activities to maintain the equipment in functional order prior or after its use.
• Identify customer’s needs: Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
• Read standard blueprints: Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.
• Wax imperfections: Wax the cracks and the imperfections of finished stones, selecting the wax according to the stone colour.
• Operate engraving equipment: Operate mechanical engraving tools and machines, set controls of cutting tools. Make adjustments if necessary.
• Monitor automated machines: Continuously check up on the automated machine’s set-up and execution or make regular control rounds. If necessary, record and interpret data on the operating conditions of installations and equipment in order to identify abnormalities.
• Consult technical resources: Read and interpret technical resources such as digital or paper drawings and adjustment data in order to properly set up a machine or working tool, or to assemble mechanical equipment.
• Report defective manufacturing materials: Maintain required company records and forms in order to report any defective materials or questionable conditions of manufacturing machinery and equipment.
• Measure flatness of a surface: Measure the evenness of a workpiece’s surface after it has been processed by checking for deviations from the desired perpendicular state.
• Operate lifting equipment: Transport heavy objects using lifting equipment such as cranes, forklifts etc.
• Record production data: Keep a record of data such as name, colour and quantity of the produced goods.
• Produce different surface finishes: Create special surface textures on stone using specific tools and techniques such as blasting, grinding, etching, polishing, bush-hammering or flaming. Take the characteristics of the stone into account to choose the technique.
• Design objects to be crafted: Sketch, draw or design sketches and drawings from memory, live models, manufactured products or reference materials in the process of crafting and sculpting.
• Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
• Mark stone workpieces: Mark planes, lines and points onto a stone workpiece to show where material will be removed.
• Polish stone by hand: Polish by hand the stone parts which cannot be polished by a machine, rubbing it with abrasive blocks.
• Operate grinding hand tools: Operate a variety of hand tools designed for grinding production materials, such as angle grinders, die grinders, grindstones, bench grinders, and others.
• Pack stone products: Use lifting equipment to lower the heavy pieces into boxes and guide them by hand to make sure they take the right place. Wrap the pieces in a protective material. When all the pieces are in the box, secure them with separating material such as cardboard to prevent them from moving and from sliding against each other during transportation.

8114 – Cement, stone and other mineral products machine operators

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References

1. ESCO