Orthotic technician vs tool technician

The differences between orthotic technicians and tool technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an orthotic technician, becoming a tool technician takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a tool technician has an average salary of $42,908, which is higher than the $37,091 average annual salary of an orthotic technician.

The top three skills for an orthotic technician include patients, orthotics and grinders. The most important skills for a tool technician are grinders, hand tools, and CNC.

Orthotic technician vs tool technician overview

	Orthotic Technician	Tool Technician
Yearly salary	$37,091	$42,908
Hourly rate	$17.83	$20.63
Growth rate	2%	1%
Number of jobs	5,562	78,258
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 31%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	44	54
Years of experience	2	6

Orthotic technician vs tool technician salary

Orthotic technicians and tool technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Orthotic Technician	Tool Technician
Average salary	$37,091	$42,908
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $57,000	Between $29,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	Fort Wayne, IN
Highest paying state	-	Indiana
Best paying company	-	Rivian
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between orthotic technician and tool technician education

There are a few differences between an orthotic technician and a tool technician in terms of educational background:

	Orthotic Technician	Tool Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 31%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Duke University	-

Orthotic technician vs tool technician demographics

Here are the differences between orthotic technicians' and tool technicians' demographics:

	Orthotic Technician	Tool Technician
Average age	44	54
Gender ratio	Male, 82.4% Female, 17.6%	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 9.4% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 2.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	5%	3%

Differences between orthotic technician and tool technician duties and responsibilities

Orthotic technician example responsibilities.

Manage inventory for all orthotic and prosthetic products and supplies.
Supervise, manage, and train new technicians in the fabrication of foot orthotics and foot inserts.
Work within EMR systems to maintain patient records.
Apply casts and splints make of plaster, fiberglass.
Fabricate prostheses, inserts, AFO's, and other custom-mold braces.
Assist in the reduction of fractures and in pin placement for traction set-ups.

Tool technician example responsibilities.

Use specialize tools and machinery (CNC milling machine, manual lathe, manual milling machine and surface grinders . )
Program and operate wire EDM machine, milling machines, drill presses, surface grinders, lathes and jig grinders.
Perform mig, tig, and stick welds.
Skil welder utilizing TIG, MIG and stick welding processes.
Work on and troubleshoot the press machinery using calipers, micrometers and other precision tools.
Learned to use a TIG welder . )

Orthotic technician vs tool technician skills

Common orthotic technician skills

Patients, 32%
Orthotics, 27%
Grinders, 9%
Prosthetic Devices, 8%
Prosthetics, 7%
Vacuum Forming, 5%

Common tool technician skills

Grinders, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
CNC, 9%
Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Jigs, 6%