Chemnitz – September 2019. WOLFFKRAN invested in the TROWIS GmbH – a startup in Chemnitz focused on designing and manufacturing high-performance fibre ropes for applications in conveying engineering and materials handling. The WOLFFKRAN leadership identified the potential of the TROWIS fibre rope while it was still in the research phase for use in slewing tower cranes and pro-actively encouraged the firm’s establishment in July 2019. The managing partners, Dr. Thorsten Heinze and Peter Streubel, became CEO and CTO of the TROWIS GmbH.
TROWIS high-performance fibre ropes are a highly innovative addition to the fibre rope market. They are characterized by the integration of a self-monitoring fibre composite design – a technology that is unique in comparison with competitors and guarantees maximal operational reliability on sites.
Smart, safe, economical
Sensor elements integrated into the rope monitor potential fibre fractures in the load-bearing component and inform the crane operator about this ahead of time. In this case, the load is assumed by a redundant load-bearing mechanism inserted in the rope, thus guaranteeing smooth and safe setting down of the load. Thanks to the integrated smart detection of the state of wear, TROWIS fibre ropes are particularly safe in comparison with conventional high-performance fibre ropes, in which the state of wear can only be determined by means of an optical rope inspection. This feature is enhanced by an economic advantage: the rope will not be replaced too early based on assumed wear but rather can be utilized up to its actual end of service life. TROWIS ropes have, due to a specifically developed thermofixing process, extremely high tenacity and low initial elongation – two characteristics that are essential for safe load positioning and that make the efforts required for preloading the rope to stretch it unnecessary.
Steel vs. fibre
In comparison with conventional ropes made of steel, there are other beneficial properties of the TROWIS fibre ropes for crane operation. Enormous reductions in weight of up to 80 % not only make possible higher load-bearing capacities, but also make handling during assembly and rope exchange clearly safer and easier. A substantially reduced rope sag and, in turn, use of lighter lifting hooks additionally increases the crane’s load-bearing capacity. Optimal utilization of the load-bearing component and the use of a high-performance lubricant in rope production meant that we achieved a service life seven times higher than that of steel ropes. As a result, maintenance/ repair costs are much lower, and we obtain longer available crane operation times, thereby conserving resources and avoiding waste at the same time.
Currently in the test phase
We produce the TROWIS ropes at the company headquarters in Chemnitz on a rope finisher we customized ourselves. After comprehensive tests in a laboratory environment, the new fibre ropes are currently tried out on a test stand in the WOLFFKRAN plant in Brandenburg, and then in field tests performed on WOLFF cranes under real load conditions. Upon completion of the practice tests, TROWIS and WOLFFKRAN intend to launch this promising new product on the fibre rope market as soon as possible.