The Kanthal® fine wire program includes aluminium in three different conditions - bare aluminium, coated aluminium and anodized aluminium.
The aluminium wire is used primarily as electrical conductors due to its inherent ability to rapidly dissipate heat and resist corrosion as well as its reduction in weight over other alloys.
Kanthal® aluminium wire is widely used for hard disk drive coils, audio speaker coils with heat resistant enamels and high strength bond coats.
| Alloy | Chemical composition | Ultimate tensile strength | Electrical conductivity IACS 20°C (68°F) | Electrical resistivity | Density | Coefficient of thermal expansion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1350 | 99.5% Al | 82.7 MPa (12.0 ksi) | 61.2 | 2.79 Ω cm 10-6 (16.782 Ω cir-mil/ft) | 2.70 g/cm3 (0.0977 lb/in3) | 23.8 µm/m-°C (13.2 µin/in-°F) |
| 8176 | 98.5% Al | 117 MPa (17.0 ksi) | 65.2 | 2.83 Ω cm 10-6 (17.0 Ω cir-mil/ft) | 2.71 g/cm3 (0.0979 lb/in3) |
23.6 µm/m-°C (13.1 µin/in-°F) |