Early History of Industrial Electronics
William A. White · Proceedings of the IRE · 1962
Industrial electronics is the phrase usually employed to cover the use of vacuum tubes in fields outside of communication. The term was originally applied to the Tungar Rectifier (about 1915) and the use of phototubes (about 1927). By 1930 Industrial Electronics became a growing business. However, its early growth was slow, because there was a general mistrust about the dependability of tubes. Wider use of thyratrons that could handle currents in amperes was an important contribution; the development of ignitron tubes, and the use of steel envelopes for them, were considerable factors; also, such new applications as high frequency for induction and dielectric heating helped in the advancement.