Fibre rope – The new way of lightness

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Fibre cranes

The new way of lightness

Work without compromise:

> 15 years of development

> 87,000 hours of testing

> 10 years of experience in the field

The future is fibre rope

Innovation and progress have shaped lifting for thousands of years, from the natural fibre rope used for the pyramids to the steel rope on modern construction sites. Fibre technology has undergone years of field testing and sets new standards in terms of lifting capacity, stability and weight – it’s a step into the future of lifting technology.

Success in figures:

~ 300 Fibre cranes sold

>30 % sales share

85 % repair rate^*

2 % downtime rate^**

The fibre rope success story

Vision put to the test

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.

Minimised downtimes

Rope damage can’t always be avoided, even on today’s construction sites. Thanks to our innovative, flexible and competent services, we are able to restore the fibre rope’s full performance capability, and in most cases directly on site.

In harmony with our customers

Innovation paired with a passion for delivering the highest quality are values that drive our company every day. A combination of experience gained in recent years, feedback from construction sites and the needs of our customers have influenced three key developments.

Maximum uptime through rope shortening

If a fibre rope is irreparably damaged at one point, it can be shortened and re-bonded again so that the rope can continue to be used at a reduced length. The new end connection can be fitted both on site and at our factory – a flexible solution that fits in with site conditions and can be specified by our customers. The combination of rope shortening and fibre repair kit achieves a repair rate not possible with steel rope.

Increase in overall service life

We are increasing overall service life from 10 to 14 years. This covers duration of use and storage time. Rope wear is still indicated by the rope cover. The increase in overall service life is independent of the rope’s purchase date and also applies to all ropes in the field.

Flexibility both ways

When you buy a Fibre crane, your options are open. The ability to convert to a steel rope crane gives you the security you need when investing in a technology that is new to you. And as believers in fibre technology, we also offer the option of converting a steel rope crane into a fibre version. This opportunity makes it easier to get started with our technology.

Strong arguments: 4 advantages through innovation

1. Simple handling

The technology saves you time and increases both convenience and safety on site.

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2. Cost-effective operation

Optimise your total cost of ownership (TCO) with our technology. Years of test bench and field experience prove the rope’s robustness and repairability.

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3. Investment security

We support you throughout the technology’s entire life cycle, from offering our expertise for the new rope to the option of retrofitting your crane.

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4. Efficient and responsible

Use our technology to increase lifting capacity by up to 40 % with efficient use of resources, based on existing steel rope crane systems.

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1. Simple handling

“Working with the rope day-to-day is genuinely fantastic. Lubrication isn’t required so the crane needs less maintenance – and work gear stays clean.” Jochen Braunger, Service Technician

Short assembly times

The new fibre rope is 80 % lighter than comparable steel rope, so replacement takes less time and needs fewer people. This saves installation costs and reduces downtime.

Low maintenance and clean

Fibre cranes are low maintenance and don’t require lubrication like steel rope cranes. This keeps the crane, assembly engineers and catwalks clean. Despite lubrication, steel rope cuts into the rope pulleys and then needs to be replaced. This task is a thing of the past with Fibre cranes.

Increased safety

The fibre rope cover has a red signal layer to indicate the discard level, which becomes visible as the rope wears. This warning can also be seen at a distance. Plus, the rope is made of high-strength synthetic fibres, ruling out injuries caused by protruding wires.

Water and rust don’t stand a chance

The fibre rope core consists of high-tensile synthetic fibres that make it difficult for water to penetrate and therefore prevent corrosion. Undetected corrosion isn’t a risk, which increases safety, especially in maritime environments.

2. Cost-effective operation

“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

Low total costs (TCO) due to long service life

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.

Robust in the face of projecting edges

Excellent repairability

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.

3. Investment security

“We want to convert our entire rental fleet to Fibre cranes here at Beutlhauser Holding GmbH. So we opt entirely for fibre technology when buying new machines and want to convert our existing cranes to fibre technology too.”

Benjamin Grillmeier, Head of Construction at Beutlhauser Holding GmbH

“Nagel Mietservice GmbH has exclusively chosen Liebherr tower cranes with fibre technology since 2020. Our rental customers specifically ask us for tower cranes with fibre technology.”

Nagel Mietservice GmbH

Getting started made easy

You can use virtually all steel rope crane components in the same way for your Fibre crane, except for the hoist drum, rope pulleys and hook block. This means that a high proportion of identical parts can be used, especially in the case of cost-intensive tower sections and substructures. The structural design of the Fibre crane is the same as that of its steel rope counterpart, so the only additional expertise required is for the fibre rope itself.

Added flexibility

The flexibility of being able to convert a Fibre crane into a steel rope crane offers additional security when investing in fibre technology. Discover the benefits of fibre technology for yourself – and if you do decide to convert, we are happy to help.

Performance-orientated spare parts price

Consistent demand, a wealth of experience and internal optimisations, e.g. in fibre rope storage, make improvements possible. This results in an optimised service life to price ratio.

Our extended warranty, a secure promise

Our extended warranty is designed to give you additional security when using fibre rope. Low downtime rates coupled with our performance-orientated spare parts price make cost improvements to the existing extended warranty possible.

4. Efficient and responsible

“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

Maximum utilisation of existing systems

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 higher the better

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.

The choice is yours

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.

Reduced carbon footprint

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 core values taken further

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.

Download

Further advantages and details can be found in our brochure ‘The new way of lightness’.

Unrivalled performance with maximum safety

Unrivalled performance

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.

Lifting capacity increase of up to ~40 %

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%)

Determining when the rope requires replacing

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.

Fibre cranes overview

Results 1-2 of 8

metric

imperial

240 EC-B 10 Fibre

Flat-Top

Standard - EN 14439
EN 14439
Max. hook height - 68.20 m
68.20 m
Max. lifting capacity - 10,000 kg
10,000 kg
Max. radius - 68.00 m
68.00 m
Lifting capacity at max. radius - 2,500 kg
2,500 kg

240 EC-B 12 Fibre

Flat-Top

Standard - EN 14439
EN 14439
Max. hook height - 68.20 m
68.20 m
Max. lifting capacity - 12,000 kg
12,000 kg
Max. radius - 68.00 m
68.00 m
Lifting capacity at max. radius - 2,400 kg
2,400 kg

High-tensile fibre rope for tower cranes

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Guaranteed safety with Fibre Care

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.

Fibre Care refund model

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.

^*_{Rope shortening possible in future, evaluation based on existing crane configuration and its functionality after rope shortening}

^**_{Measured on the basis of past service feedback}

^***_{Based on the current price of a fibre rope in the length of the covered rope. Wilful intent, action by third parties and force majeure are not covered}