Demag FSS gives KBK crane systems a ready-calculated steel structure

The problem it addresses

Light crane systems are frequently installed in halls whose roof or ceiling cannot take the load, or where the existing structure has no spare capacity. The usual answer is a free-standing frame, designed and certified project by project — typically by an external steel fabricator or consulting engineer, and typically on the critical path.

Demag’s Free Standing Structure (FSS) turns that into a catalogue item. The complete load-bearing structure has already been calculated, designed in accordance with European rules and the Machinery Directive, and documented including the structural analysis. Partners ordering an FSS receive the certificate with the system rather than commissioning one.

What the range covers

The FSS is built from two basic elements — portal frames and cantilever supports — which can be combined and, where required, supplemented with longitudinal beams. It covers crane girder lengths up to 8,000 mm and support heights up to 6,500 mm, and is designed for the full range of steel and aluminium profile sections in the KBK programme. Fixing is by chemical composite anchor, which Demag specifies for industrial floors and dynamic loading.

Configuration is handled in the Demag Designer, where the variants are already stored. Once a KBK system has been selected, the matching FSS structures in the available heights and designs are offered directly. Because the combinations are pre-defined, the configurator will only return arrangements that have already been verified, which is where the time saving against a one-off design sits.

Two ways to buy it

Customers can take an engineering package — a complete drawing set with parts lists, from which the partner either fabricates the steelwork or has it made locally — or a complete package in which the steel structure is delivered ex works together with the associated KBK system.

For Demag’s partner network the commercial argument is the removal of an interface. Structure and crane come from one supplier, with one set of documentation, which shortens planning time and removes the coordination risk that sits between a steel fabricator and a crane supplier on a conventional free-standing installation. The FSS was presented at LogiMAT 2026.