New 20 tonne closed tower crane from Krupinski

New 320 tonne-metre column-mounted slewing jib crane from Krupinski Cranes in Poland

Polish tower crane manufacturer Krupinski Cranes has a new column mounted type likely to mostly be used in ports, shipyards and large factories.

The SZK320 is a 320 tonne-metre rated slewing jib crane mounted on a closed round tubular mast. It is designed to meet the EN 14439 standard for tower cranes. Capacity can be up to 20 tonnes all the way along the jib which can be a maximum length of 20 metres.

Typical applications are likely to see the crane permanently installed on its column at a quayside in ports and harbours or for industrial manufacturing and in workshops. One unit has already been sold, built, delivered and installed. It is for the Polish Army, mounted at a quayside where ships are launched.

“When designing our crane, we decided to use a design like that of hammerhead tower cranes to reduce the weight of the upper structure by over 40 per cent compared to a similar crane from our German competitors,” explained Daniel Gwóźdź, Krupinski Cranes CEO and co-founder.

The maximum 20 tonne capacity is available all the way to the maximum 20 metre radius on the new Krupinski SZK320

Reduced weight

Saving that much weight has the positive effect of reducing the forces in the foundation, Gwóźdź said. It can allow installation directly on a quay.

The slewing part of the crane follows the design of conventional top slewing tower cranes, including the slewing drive with two 3 kW motors. Rotation is continuous and there are sliprings for the electrical connections through to the jib.

The H-beam steel jib can be between 15 and 20 metres long and it carries a wire rope hoist from Abus. Capacity can be specified from 5 to 20 tonnes and it is linear – all the way along the jib to the maximum radius. Hoisting speed is between 0.8 and 5 metres a minute and it has an 18.8 kW hoist.

The crane can be built to meet different duty cycle classifications.

Hook height is up to a maximum of 18.5 metres with the tubular mast in one piece. The closed tube design is cheaper than a lattice type tower, Krupinski said, and offers better weather resistance. It can be divided into shorter sections or more can be added to increase the hook height as an option.

Inside the tower there is a ladder for access to the upper but there is no operator cabin. Control is via a radio remote transmitter and there is a frequency converter drive.

On the 20 tonne capacity Polish Army crane the counterweight consists of six concrete slabs each of 5.8 tonnes for a total of 34.8 tonnes. Rear swing radius is 7.3 metres.