An aluminium section that behaves like steel: the KBK A28 buys planners half as much space again between suspensions
Demag has added the A28 profile section to its KBK Aluline light crane range. It allows suspension distances up to 50 per cent greater than before, reaching 10.5 metres at a profile capacity of 400 kg.
Why suspension spacing matters
On a suspended light crane system, every suspension point has to be tied back to the building structure — and every one of them is an obstruction for the plant layout underneath. Increasing the distance between them therefore does two things at once: it cuts the number of fixings into the roof, and it frees up floor and ceiling space for the factory planner.
That is the argument Demag makes for the KBK Aluline A28. The company had already reached the two-tonne capacity range with the established A22 section; the A28 keeps the aluminium construction but pushes the achievable suspension distances up by as much as half, to 10.5 metres at a profile section capacity of 400 kg. Demag describes those figures as unusual for an aluminium profile and close to the values of its KBK II-H steel section.
Load and handling
The design brief was a low-weight section with a high load capacity, usable either as a crane girder or as a crane runway. The smooth-running characteristics that KBK is generally specified for are retained, which in practice means an operator can move a heavier load by hand without a disproportionate increase in effort.
The result, in Demag’s framing, is lightweight construction applied to overhead handling: a system with low deadweight that takes up little space at ground level, while still moving heavier loads comfortably. For users of the Aluline system, planners and operators alike, the A28 opens up load capacities and unsupported spans that were previously out of reach in aluminium.
Detail and retrofitting
The A28 shares the fittings of the wider Aluline range — articulated suspension fittings, joint connections designed for straightforward assembly, and smooth-running trolleys. The profile carries a high-quality anodised surface that Demag describes as corrosion and impact resistant and suited to bright working environments.
Because KBK is a modular construction kit, existing Aluline installations can be retrofitted or extended rather than replaced, which is the main commercial argument for the system in plants where layouts change. The accessory range is broad enough, Demag says, to adapt the system to almost any application. The A28 was shown at LogiMAT 2024.
Source: Demag — Photos: Demag
Profile facts
- Product: Demag KBK Aluline A28 profile section
- Use: crane girder or crane runway
- Suspension distance: up to 10.5 m at 400 kg profile capacity
- Improvement: up to 50% greater suspension distance than before
- Predecessor: A22 section, up to the 2 t capacity range
- Surface: anodised, corrosion and impact resistant
System
- Articulated suspension fittings and joint connections
- Smooth-running trolleys
- Modular — existing Aluline systems can be retrofitted or extended