Salary by experience
View as table
| Experience | Salary (CHF) |
|---|---|
| 0-2 yrs | CHF 57'714 |
| 3-5 yrs | CHF 59'900 |
| 6-8 yrs | CHF 70'000 |
| 9-11 yrs | CHF 67'860 |
| 12-21 yrs | CHF 68'000 |
| 21+ yrs | CHF 65'315 |
Top HR
Swiss professionsMetal, Machinery & Watchmaking
Formenbauer/in EFZ
You manufacture precise molds and models for the industry.
01 · Overview
What this profession is about
You plan, build, and inspect molds and models for foundries and design studios.
Quiet workshops lay the foundation for industrial mass production. As a mold maker, you read technical drawings, plan material needs, and craft precise models with skilled hands and modern machines. Your work combines technical know-how with careful manual work. This ensures that later cast parts or components match the specifications exactly.
FieldMetal, Machinery & Watchmaking
Education pathVocational Training (Apprenticeship)
IndustryMechanical Engineering
Swissdoc 0.553.38.0
02 · Salary
What you can earn
✓ Strong salary match
Salaries reflect Swiss market data. Range covers entry to senior. Salary reference based on Molder. Based on 24 observations, updated 7 months ago.
Salary trend
+8% over decadeView as table
| Period | Salary (CHF) |
|---|---|
| 2014-2016 | CHF 59'150 |
| 2017-2019 | CHF 56'714 |
| 2020-2022 | CHF 67'860 |
| 2023-2025 | CHF 63'600 |
Top paying industries
View as table
| Industry | Salary | Obs. |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial operation / Skilled crafts | CHF 64'450 | 6 |
| Industry various | CHF 57'850 | 17 |
03 · Pathway
How to enter and grow
- 🎓 Formenbauer/in EFZ
- ⏱ 4 Jahre
Official education path
The training lasts four years. It combines workshop practice with weekly vocational school days.
Typical training path
Formenbauer/in EFZ
Curriculum
- Konstruktion von Werkstücken
- Manuelle Fertigung von Werkstücken
- Konventionelle
- Maschinelle Fertigung von Werkstücken
- Grundlagen CAD-Konstruktion
Prerequisites
- obligatorische Schule abgeschlossen
Requirements
- strong spatial awareness
- manual dexterity
- technical understanding
- analytical thinking and recognition of connections
- drawing talent (technical drawing)
- precise and careful way of working
- quick comprehension
- 1Konstruktion von Werkstücken
- 2Manuelle Fertigung von Werkstücken
- 3Konventionelle
- 4Maschinelle Fertigung von Werkstücken
- 5Grundlagen CAD-Konstruktion
04 · Skills & fit
What it takes
Required skills
- Spatial awareness
- Manual dexterity
- Technical understanding
- Careful working style
Personality fit
- Swiss career path
- Career transition
- Professional growth
05 · Daily reality
What the work feels like
Typical day
You stand at your workbench. You check CAD data and start sawing and sanding a new mold body. After setting up the machine, you carefully check the measurements. Then you prepare the surface for handover to the foundry.
- You read technical drawings and adjust CAD data for production.
- You plan workflows, estimate costs, and order needed materials.
- You set up machines and operate them to process materials.
- You saw, sand, glue, and mill metals and plastics.
- You let molds dry, harden them, and take the impression.
- You check quality, correct errors, and treat surfaces.
- You maintain machines, clean tools, and document work processes.
Working conditions
You work alone or in small teams in a well-equipped workshop. Your workplace is usually in model-making companies or foundries of small to medium size.
Where to learn
- SWISS FORM Verband Schweizerischer Modellbaubetriebe StadthofBahnhofstrasse 7b, 6210 Sursee
Strengths
- Spatial awareness
- Manual dexterity
- Technical understanding
- Careful working style
Trade-offs
- Physical strain
- High precision requirements
- Material contact
- Seasonal workload
06 · Similar
