Swiss Welding Institute

The objectives of the SWI foundation are the promotion and development of the quality and safety of welded assemblies. To achieve these objectives, SWI provides training and certification, and conducts applied research & development projects for regional and national businesses. This includes:

International theoretical and practical training in welding and electronic soldering,
Welding and electronic soldering certification,
Services to companies (eg consulting and training),
R&D projects co-financed with public, industrial or public funds.

The Swiss Welding Institute is an independent organization. It is a nonprofit public interest foundation as defined by Articles 80 and following of the Swiss Civil Code. It is operated by welding professionals. Under the foundation’s bylaws, its Board includes representatives of the market, government and non-government bodies, and the academic community.

SWI issues welding certificates to physical people who demonstrate compliance with workmanship requirements and standards in force. SWI is accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service under number SCESe 116.

SWI is a Recognised third-party organisation (RTPO) according to Art. 20 of the European Directive 2014/68/EU on Pressure equipment PED as stated in the Notified Bodies list NANDO .

SWI is a member of:

IIS-IIW - International Institute of Welding
EWF - European Federation for Welding, Cutting and Joining
IPC Association Connecting Electronics Industries

Institut SWI - HEIG-VD

BOARD OF THE FOUNDATION

President : Prof. Nicolas WEBER

MORE information

Swiss Welding Institute
Rue du Nord 3
CH-1401 Yverdon-les-Bains

T : +41 24 557 73 90
F : +41 24 557 73 87

Areas of expertise

Theoretical training

The SWI is the undisputed leader in welding training in Western Switzerland. It is the only Swiss institution offering training in French recognized by over 50 countries. The SWI delivers the following qualifications:

International Welding Engineer IWE
International Welding Technologist IWT
International Welding Specialist IWS
International Welding Practitioner IWP

The SWI also provides short advanced courses.

ESA training & certification

The SWI training center at the Technopôle de Sainte-Croix is the 7th ESA-approved skills training school (ie accredited by the European Space Agency) and the only Swiss institution providing certified training in high-reliability soldering according to European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) standards:

ECSS-Q-ST-70-08 cat. 3 operator
Hand-soldering operator for through-hole technology
ECSS-Q-ST-70-26 cat. 2/3 operator/inspector
Crimping of high-reliability electrical connections
ECSS-Q-ST-70-28 cat. 3 operator
Repair and Modification of PCBs
ECSS-Q-ST-70-30 cat. 2/3 operator/inspector
Wire wrapping of high reliability electrical connections
ECSS-Q-ST-70-38 cat. 3 operator
High-reliability soldering for surface mount and mixed technology
ECSS-Q-ST-70-08 cat. 2 operator
Hand-soldering Operator for THT/SM

Practical training & certification

Practical welding training is a top priority at SWI. Each year, the SWI’s training center in Yverdon-les-Bains provides over 10,000 hours of courses. The vast majority of participants finalize their training with a welder’s certificate according to the standards :

ISO 9606-1
ISO 9606-2
ISO 9606-4
ISO 9606-6
ISO 14732 (operator)
ISO 13585 (brazer)

IPC training & certification

SWI is the only Swiss institution educating, training and certifying, in French, professionals of the electronics industry according to a standard recognized by over 50 countries. It is the industry standard program for quality assurance and visual acceptance of electronic assemblies based on the world's most widely used electronics assembly acceptability standard.

As a member of the IPC Association, the SWI trains and certifies :

IPC-A-610 CIS specialist
Acceptability of electronic assemblies

SWI provides training with certification and recertification as well as challenge-test recertification.