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Metallic Heating Elements
Advantages:
- Available in wire and strip form, so they can be formed and fabricated by conventional metal-forming techniques into a variety of shapes and sizes
- Heating systems employing them can be designed to operate on line voltage, while systems using SiC and MoSi2 elements generally require transformers
- Typically less expensive than SiC and MoSi2 elements for the same power output
Disadvantages:
- Relatively low MET
- Not self-supporting
- Resistance increases with time due to reduction in cross-section by oxidation and elongation (creep), resulting in decreased power output and eventual failure
