Kanthal is the

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...

for a family of iron-chromium-aluminium (FeCrAl)

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metal, metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have prop ...

s used in a wide range of resistance and high-temperature applications. Kanthal FeCrAl alloys consist of mainly

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

chromium Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium ...

(20–30 wt%) and

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

(4–7.5 wt%). The first Kanthal FeCrAl alloy was developed by Hans von Kantzow in

Hallstahammar Hallstahammar () is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Hallstahammar Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 10,478 inhabitants in 2010. Overview The King Gustaf Vasa built Strömsholm Castle along the lake about 1558. Its ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The alloys are known for their ability to withstand high temperatures and having intermediate electric resistance. As such, it is frequently used in

heating element A heating element is a device used for conversion of electric energy into heat, consisting of a heating resistor and accessories. Heat is generated by the passage of electric current through a resistor through a process known as Joule heating. He ...

s. The trademark Kanthal is owned by '' Alleima AB''.

Characteristics

For heating, resistance wire must be stable in air when hot. Kanthal FeCrAl alloy forms a protective layer of aluminium oxide (

alumina Aluminium oxide (or aluminium(III) oxide) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula . It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides, and specifically identified as aluminium oxide. It is commonly ...

). Aluminium oxide has high

thermal conductivity The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to heat conduction, conduct heat. It is commonly denoted by k, \lambda, or \kappa and is measured in W·m−1·K−1. Heat transfer occurs at a lower rate in materials of low ...

but is an electrical insulator, so special techniques may be required to make good electrical connections. Ordinary Kanthal FeCrAl alloy has a melting point of . Special grades can be used as high as . Depending on specific composition the resistivity is about 1.4μΩ·m and temperature coefficient is +49ppm/K ().

Uses

Kanthal is used in heating elements due to its flexibility, durability and tensile strength. Its uses are widespread, for example in toasters, home and industrial heaters, kilns and diffusion heaters (used to make crystalline silicon). In comparison to the other types of resistance wire used in vaping such as

Nichrome Nichrome (also known as NiCr, nickel-chromium or chromium-nickel) is a family of alloys of nickel and chromium (and occasionally iron) commonly used as resistance wire, heating elements in devices like toasters, electrical kettles and space he ...

titanium Titanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

-alloy and

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

, Kanthal is durable enough to withstand the temperatures required, but flexible and cheap enough to be practical for vaping purposes.

References

External links

The brand website for Kanthal products

Resistance wire technical information tables
{{Authority control Chromium alloys Ferrous alloys Refractory metals Swedish inventions de:Heizleiterlegierung#Kanthal

Characteristics

Uses

See also

References

External links