Fibre cranes

“Fibre rope is extremely robust and tolerates operating errors. If minor damage does happen, a quick and simple rope repair directly on site is often enough.”

Knud Feurig, Managing Director and Partner at Feurig Baumaschinen GmbH

The test bench trials carried out prior to market launch, which used a realistic load profile, revealed a service life of up to 14 years. The service life of a rope is primarily determined by the number of possible bending cycles. Test bench analyses showed that the fibre rope core’s special structure achieves up to 13 times as many bending cycles compared to steel rope.

Field tests confirm the findings from test bench analyses regarding the exceptional robustness of fibre rope when exposed to sources of failure e.g. concrete edges. Fibre rope is less susceptible to damage due to the flexible cover surrounding the load-bearing core and, compared to steel rope, is more forgiving of significant errors in crane operation without rope damage being caused.

Fibre rope has an extremely high repair rate. It can usually be repaired quickly on site using the fibre repair kit. This is a clear advantage over steel rope, which doesn’t have such repair options. If the damage is irreparable, the rope can be shortened as with steel rope, whereby shortening the rope is more economical due to the fibre rope’s higher value.

“The massive increase in lifting capacity when using existing towers and substructures is amazing. It’s why Utleiecompagniet AS has been using Fibre cranes since 2020.”

Kjetil Tettum, Head of Construction at Utleiecompagniet AS

Fibre cranes use the same tower sections and substructures as corresponding steel rope counterparts, so no additional investment is required. The same structural heights also apply, so that extra complexity can be minimised both internally and externally. Benefit from a lifting capacity increase of up to 40 %.

The likelihood of the bottom hook block twisting increases with high lifting heights. This can be prevented by adding extra modular weights to the bottom hook block. Structures with high lifting heights require a lot of rope. The reduced weight of the fibre rope therefore has a much greater effect and compensates for the additional weights. The lifting capacity of the 370 EC-B 12 Fibre, for example, increases from + 400 kg at a lifting height of 50 m to + 780 kg at 200 m.

Increase in handling capacity

The Fibre cranes’ modern control system achieves shorter lifting times under load through adapting speed to the reduced weight. This means that more load cycles are possible on site in the same amount of time.

Reduced energy consumption during operation

Where increasing the number of lifts isn’t an issue, Fibre cranes offer an energy advantage. Up to 5 % of energy costs can be saved during operation.

Carbon footprints are often assessed in the form of a cradle-to-grave analysis, which includes all the environmental impacts of a product from the extraction of raw materials through to its disposal. The results of such an analysis show that Fibre cranes are 12 % more carbon efficient and therefore 12 % more sustainable than their steel rope counterparts. As the main component of fibre technology, fibre rope is 100 % energetically recyclable.

Liebherr cranes are known for their quality and consequently their long service life, which forms the basis for high resale prices throughout the product life cycle. Fibre technology takes this a step further by significantly increasing the service life of the main wearing part. We are innovative, responsible and deliver the highest quality across everything we do.

Fibre cranes particularly excel in terms of their high performance, significantly improving the lifting capacities of existing systems, especially towers and substructures. As well as the rope itself being 80 % lighter, components such as the hook block are also lighter as a result. The reduced load on the crane through the use of fibre technology is directly reflected in the crane’s performance – dead load becomes working load.

An overview of the lifting capacity increase for each crane model can be found on the next page.

240 EC-B 10 Fibre – lifting capacity increase 250 kg (13%)

240 EC-B 12 Fibre – lifting capacity increase 350 kg (21%)

300 EC-B 12 Fibre – lifting capacity increase 400 kg (22%)

370 EC-B 12 Fibre – lifting capacity increase 400 kg (20%)

370 EC-B 16 Fibre – lifting capacity increase 400 kg (24%)

520 EC-B 20 Fibre – lifting capacity increase 700 kg (39%)

1188 EC-H 40 Fibre – lifting capacity increase 2,100 kg (18%)

258 HC-L 10/18 Fibre – lifting capacity increase 1,100 kg (43%)

Responsibility also means making sure that safety risks don’t arise during crane operation. Fibre technology makes it possible to combine this awareness with economic efficiency by being able to determine the latest possible time for rope replacement as precisely as possible. The rope’s outer cover, which reliably indicates the level of wear on the load-bearing rope core, makes it all possible. As the cover wears over time, the red signal layer underneath appears. This is clearly visible, even from far away.

A crane with fibre rope delivers reliable performance and outstanding handling over many years. To give you peace of mind throughout this time, we offer you our Fibre Care extended warranty. In the event of unforeseen damage, we will contribute towards the purchase of a new fibre rope. Depending on the age of your rope, this contribution can be up to 75 % of the new purchase price.

This allows you to combine the advantages of innovation in crane construction with financial security. Fibre Care is based on 15 % of the gross sales price of the new fibre rope. Fibre Care can be conveniently added when purchasing a new crane and as part of the spare parts service via the relevant portals.