Electric Kilns (电窑)

Electric kilns (电窑, dian yao), developed and introduced to Yixing in the late 1980’s through early 1990’s, are the most recent technological introduction to zisha production, set apart from their antecedent kiln-brethren by their fuel-less nature. Electric kilns are simple in construction, moving all complexity to computerized PID controls[1]; the kilns themselves are often simply insulated boxes with electric-powered heating elements wired throughout the inside of the kiln-body. The computerized electric kilns have programmable time-temperature set-points through the PID controller, which can be easily varied between firings with any programmable pattern.

Electric kilns are generally much smaller than all other kiln-types, fitting anywhere from approximately 8 – 30 medium-sized Yixing teapots; they were rapidly adopted by smaller Yixing studios as an affordable method for small-batch production and economical experimentation. The majority of electric kilns are installed and used in private zisha studios and, unlike other kiln-types, are not shared between independent zisha producers. Electric kilns are in widespread use today, with many smaller Yixing ceramic artists opting to use their own electric kiln for all firings, test firings, or the first firing in a double-firing process.