Stretching machine for saw chains Chain production. The manufacture of the many individual components can certainly be described as mass production. Production of this nature also demands special technologies. After stamping the steel band, which requires quite specific demands on the tools used, the rivet holes are polished to a shining, mirror finish. This process is specific to STIHL and ensures easy movement of the chain. Before the individual components are assembled and permanently joined by cold-headed rivets, the "shoulders" of the teeth are chrome-plated and the cutting geometry is ground.

How do you ensure constant quality of your saw chains? To ensure constant high quality, we produce our saw chains with the latest high-precision NC-machines. The forces acting on the saw chain cause it to lengthen. How do you keep this elongation within acceptable limits? To minimize subsequent elongation during the first use, we subject every saw chain to high, constant tensile stress at the end of production. This "stretching" or "racking" process also indirectly increases the
operating life of the chain. A chain has to withstand quite a lot of stress. Is it specially tested? Naturally, our saw chains are subjected to comprehensive inspection and testing, from the incoming inspection of the raw material to the final quality test before shipment. The same rules apply for the chains. More and more customers are asking me for STIHL saw chains even for saws of other makes. Does that cause problems? No, absolutely not. Our saw chains can also be used without problem in other makes of saw. But naturally they work better with a genuine STIHL chainsaw as they were jointly developed