The STIHL MS 400 C-M, that the manufacturer describes as the world’s first chainsaw with magnesium piston technology, has been recognised by the International Magnesium Association (IMA) with the Award of Excellence 2020.

Hartmut Fischer, general manager of STIHL Magnesium Die-Casting
 
The IMA’s Awards of Excellence is an annual award ceremony that brings together companies who demonstrate outstanding magnesium products and innovative manufacturing technologies. The component and the production process specially developed for the magnesium piston technology utilised in the MS 400 C-M was the winner of the Commercial (non-automotive) Cast Product or Process category.
 
Paul Hicks, marketing and product manager at STIHL GB, said, “At STIHL, we have more than 60 years’ experience working with magnesium and fabricating it and we constantly strive to set new benchmarks in machinery development and production.
 
“Although we use magnesium in many products, the desire to continue to enhance machinery performance led us to using magnesium piston technology in a chainsaw for the first time. Thanks in no small part to this and the consistent lightweight design, we have succeeded in reducing the weight of the piston and increasing the rpm in the MS 400 C-M, providing more power and torque to the pro user.”
 
The IMA Award of Excellence win follows the MS 400 C-M receiving the top prize at the Euroguss 2020 industry trade fair in the “magnesium components” category.