Medical Appliance Technicians
Production
A prescription names the device and materials such as thermoplastics, metal alloys, and leather, which are then formed to the required contours and joined by drilling, tapping, gluing, welding, bolting, or riveting. Casts or impressions of a torso or limb serve as patterns. Metal or plastic structures are covered or padded with rubber, leather, felt, plastic, or fiberglass. Devices are tested for alignment, movement, and stability with meters and fixtures; artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports are repaired or modified as specified. Suits people who like hands-on fabrication from a written order, fitting parts to a body contour, and checking that a device moves as intended.
Typical education: Associate’s Degree (2-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$48'030
Median Wage Market Position
$48'030
What you might do
- Read prescriptions and choose materials and tools
- Form braces and prosthetics from metal or plastic
- Rivet, glue, weld, or bolt device parts together
- Make casts of patients' limbs as patterns
- Repair and adjust existing braces and artificial limbs
- Check alignment and movement with fixtures and meters
Skills that matter
- Prescription reading for braces and limbs
- Cast and impression pattern work
- Riveting, welding, and bolting parts
- Shaping thermoplastic and metal alloys
- Alignment testing with meters and fixtures
- Repair of worn supportive devices
AI & the future of this role
Patient-specific braces and prosthetics still depend on hands-on shaping, fit adjustments, and repair judgment that machines struggle to finish alone. Digital design tools may speed patterning, but custom devices and clinical collaboration tend to protect this work.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details