Kanthal celebrates how electric heating technology has shaped modern life

Where would the world be today without electric heating technology? To celebrate its 90-year anniversary, Swedish heating technology provider Kanthal has produced a documentary short film that puts the spotlight on how electric resistance materials and heating solutions have helped shape modern society.

Home appliances such as electric stoves and toasters depend on resistance material to function. The same materials, in the form of advanced industrial heating solutions, have enabled manufacturing of products like photovoltaic cells, semiconductors and lithium-ion batteries. The six-minute-long mini-doc traces the industrial development of these materials back to 1931, when Kanthal was born. It shows that numerous things we take for granted have been touched by electric heating technology.

“In many ways, the development of electric heating technology and modern society goes hand in hand,” says Anders Björklund, President of Kanthal. “Looking back, we feel proud that our products and solutions have been part of shaping the industry and the society as we know it today.”

Kanthal was first built on the innovative iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloy, also named Kanthal^®, that changed how electric heating could be used. The company has continued to invest extensively in R&D and innovation developing new and game-changing materials and solutions for heating and heat treatment.

Meanwhile, climate change is forcing traditional industries such as steel, aluminum, cement and petrochemicals to electrify their processes to minimize CO₂ emissions.

“We are now in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, and there is no doubt that the future will see a need for electric heating processes in many fields,” Björklund says. “As in the past, electric heating will continue to be a central part of improving the lives of people all around the world.”

More information can be found on kanthal.com/kanthalstory

For questions, please contact Patrik Johansson, Global Marketing Communications Manager, Kanthal, at patrik.a.johansson@kanthal.com or +46 (0)70 616 2726

Kanthal^® is a world-leading brand for products and services in the fields of sustainable industrial heating technology and resistance materials. The company is part of the Sandvik Group and has a strong tradition in innovation and extensive investments in R&D.

The company revolutionized the heating industry in 1931 by introducing the iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloy. Since then, Kanthal has launched game-changing materials and products, such as the high-power molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2) Kanthal^® Super heating elements and the corrosion-resistant materials Kanthal^® APM and APMT. In 2019, Kanthal launched their additive manufacturing services with Kanthal^® AM100, the world’s first alloy for heating application that is specially developed for 3D-printing.