Professional requirements
For the production of welded components, production companies must employ qualified welding supervisors to ensure that the welding technical personnel such as welders, operators receive the necessary Welding Procedure Specification (WPS), work orders and welding instructions and that all welding work is carried out and supervised with care.
Practice-oriented trained welding technicians are a guarantee for the quality of welded products, since the right selection of welding processes and materials combined with the use of suitable welding devices and testing equipment guarantees an economical use of joining by welding.
Achievements
The further training to become an International Welding Technician (IWT) leads to an additional qualification for state-certified technicians, e.g. in the fields of construction, mechanical engineering, machine technology, materials technology, mechatronics, bodywork, vehicle and environmental technology.
In the further training, the focus is on imparting extensive practical knowledge from the fields of welding processes and equipment, materials and their behavior during welding, construction and design as well as production technology and safety instructions. The course participant develops key qualifications that enable him/her to prepare and control the production of welded components both nationally and internationally and to manage production companies in a responsible position.
Content of the course
The International Welding Technicians (IWT) work in the same industrial fields as international Welding Engineers (IWE), from design to manufacturing. In medium-sized and small companies they act as the responsible welding coordinator, in large companies they often act as a representative of the welding engineer.
Note: International Welding Specialists (IWS) with proven professional experience (career path) can also gain access to the International Welding Technician (IWT) course.
The IWT course comprises a total of 369 hours and is divided into 3 modular parts and 4 main areas in terms of content:
Part 1 and 3 – Theoretical training
IWT Part 1 can also be completed as a face-to-face or distance learning course. IWT Part 3 can also be completed as a face-to-face course or in blended learning (distance learning course with face-to-face phases).
Main area 1 – Welding Processes and Equipment (86 Hours)
Oxy-fuel technology, cutting, power sources, arc welding, inert gas welding, submerged arc welding, resistance welding, special welding processes, spraying, soldering, joining, automation
Main area 2 – Materials and their behavior during welding (96 hours)
Steel production, Alloys, Heat Treatment, Cracking, Corrosion, Wear, Non-Ferrous Metals, Metallography
Main Area 3 – Construction and Design (44 hours)
Strength of materials, weld seam calculation, design, construction, behavior of welded connections under different loads and fracture mechanics
Main area 4 – Manufacturing and Application Engineering (83 hours)
Quality assurance, welder testing, procedure testing, occupational safety, residual stresses and distortion, workshop equipment, non-destructive material testing, cost-effectiveness, repair welding, case studies
IWT Part 2 – Practical exercises (60 hours)
Gas welding, manual metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, demonstration of other welding processes
Exams
Written and oral (8 hours)
Requirement
Technician examination at a recognized technical school or requirements for participation in the International Welding Engineer (IWE) course. Direct entry to the intermediate examination is possible if there is a certificate from a recognized technical school that the contents of part 1 of the welding technician training were taught in the training.
Perspectives
The qualification as an International Welding Technician (IWT) is a useful supplement to technician training with an internationally recognized qualification, since welding technicians have extensive knowledge in the areas of welding and joining technology, oxyfuel technology and non-destructive material testing. There is an ever-increasing need for qualified personnel in the areas mentioned above. In many cases, a welding technician qualification enables or facilitates climbing further steps on the career ladder.
Career opportunities
Welding technicians work in the same sectors as welding engineers, both in production and in development or quality control. They can also fill the role of the responsible welding coordinator in small, medium-sized and large companies. In large companies, they often act as deputies for the responsible welding engineer. The International Welding Technician is an attractive additional qualification and enables you to work as a welding supervisor, in the legally regulated industrial areas and for certified welding companies by standards.
Areas considered to be regulated by law include: the construction supervision area, rail vehicle construction, the offshore area, aircraft and spacecraft construction, pressure vessels and equipment construction, plant construction for the chemical industry and power plant construction.
Production companies from this important and diverse environment require responsible welding coordinators named by name, who independently and with great care ensure the high quality requirements for welded constructions with the knowledge they have acquired.
Even in an environment that is not regulated by law, e.g. In mechanical engineering and road vehicle construction, for example, welding supervisors with interdisciplinary knowledge are increasingly employed in order to keep the product liability risk for welded components as low as possible.
Certificates after the course completion
After passing the exam, the participant receives a German-language DVS-IIW welding engineer certificate and an English-language International Welding Engineer (IWT) diploma.
