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English abstract


 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, brazing and electronic soldering certification,
  • Services to companies (eg consulting and training),
  • R&D projects co-financed with private, 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.

    For professionals or non, SWI is a certification body which issues certificates in the field of welding, brazing and electronic assembly to individuals who request them and meet the requirements of the standards in force.
    For the companies, SWI is a testing laboratory for the qualification of welding and brazing processes.

    SWI is a member of:

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


     Areas of expertise

     Theoretical training

    The SWI is the undisputed leader in welding training in Western Switzerland. It is the only Swiss ATB according the IIW offering a training in French recognized in 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

    IIW graduates are essential for certified companies according to ISO 3834-2, EN 15085, EN 1090 or EN 17660 standards, but also to companies subject to Federal Ordinances on containers of dangerous goods linked to the european ADR/RID agrement or linked to the pressure equipements under European Directives 2014/68/UE (PED) and 2014/29/UE (SPVD).

    The SWI also provides short advanced courses.

        iiw-logo         

    		 EWF    

     Practical training & certification

    According to the ISO 17024 standard, SWI issues certificates of Welder Performance Qualification (WPQ) or Welding Operator Performance Qualification (WOPQ) to professionals who demonstrate compliance with workmanship requirements and standards in force.

    SWI is accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service under number SCESe 0116.

    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 finalizes the training with a welder’s or brazer's certificate.

    Since 2013, SWI delivers welders and barzers qualification test certificates, on his behalf, according to the standards :

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

     Testing laboratory

    According to the ISO 17025 standard, SWI is a testing laboratory for destructive and non-destructive testing of base materials and welds as well as qualification of welding and brazing processes.
    ​
    If the requiered tests are compliants, SWI issues Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR)  based on clients Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) or Brazing Procedure Qualification Record (BPQR) based on clients Brazing Procedure Specification (BPS) according ISO 15613, ISO 15614 or EN 13134.

    SWI is accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service under number STS 0715.

     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 THT
       
    • 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 SMT and
        mixed technology
       
    • ECSS-Q-ST-70-08 cat. 2
        operator
        Hand-soldering Operator for THT/SMT
       

    logo ESA



     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
        Certified IPC Application Specialist
        Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies
       
    • IPC/WHMA-A-620 CIS
        Certified IPC Application Specialist
        Requirements and Acceptance for
        Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies

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


    IPCMemberLogo


     PED RTPO

    For approval of permanent joining personnel, 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 NANDO list of Europeans Notified Bodies.

    NANDO

     


     Our services

    SWI provides services to companies (eg consulting and training) such as :
    • Quality and standards linked to welding
    • Expertise of the welded / brazed assemblies
    • Expertise of the soldering and crimping of electronic components
    • Welding parameters and integration of the manufacturing processes

    As an independent and neutral third party, the SWI performs tests with its own equipment for :
    • Manual brazing and welding (TIG, MAG/MIG, MMA, micro plasma and OAW)
    • Automated arc welding on tilting bench or rotary positioner
    • Submerged arc welding (800 A)
    • Spot welding (Pmax = 210 kVA)
    • Laser welding metal / polymer (4 axes manual/CNC, pulsed fiber laser 1.5 kW)
    • Glovebox welding under controlled atmosphere (O2 < 2 ppm) manual/automatic
    • Induction brazing
    • Diffusion bonding in high vacuum oven and vacuum brazing
    • Heat treatment in vacuum oven (< 1240 °C)
    • Corrosion tests in artificial atmospheres - Neutral Salt Spray tests (ISO 9227)

     Expertise

    Thanks to a partnership with the HEIG-VD, the SWI has the appropriate equipment to carry out:

    • analysis of metallurgical, chemical and mechanical properties of your welded or brazed assemblies by:
    • numerical simulations with your load conditions,
    • bench tests with your operating conditions,
    • NDT non-destructive testing to detect welding defects, for example.
    These mandates may relate to failures or malfunctions. And depending on your needs, we can go from describing the phenomenon to proposing a solution.

    metalographie
    micrograph diffusion bonding

     Assistance mandates

    With their experience and network, our engineers can support you in:

    • setting up a quality system adapted to your structure and your needs to meet the requirements of your customers, or your "business" standards,
    • the choice of materials, the determination of the welding process, the optimization of the welding parameters and conditions,
    • the dimensioning of welded assemblies statically or dynamically stressed.

     Applied R&D services

    The acquisition and especially the transfer of new skills in the field of welding and related techniques is essential for SWI.

    • Do you need to improve your productivity and the quality of your assemblies?
      Together, we can set up R&D projects, some of which may be partially funded by public funds.

    • Do you need to put your manufacturing processes, design or choice of materials "flat" during development?
      You can mandate us for each of the stages: design, analyzes, tests, simulations, or validation of options considered.


     Contact us

    SWI Swiss Welding Institute
    Rue du Nord 3
    CH-1400 Yverdon-les-Bains
    Switzerland

    phone :  +41 24 557 73 90
    fax :      +41 24 557 73 87
    ​​e-mail address
    ​Internet form



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