When the crane is part of the process, its rating comes from the process. Give us the heat, the cycle and the load, and our engineering team sizes the machine to them.
A process crane is an overhead travelling crane (EOT crane) engineered around a specific production process rather than serving a facility in general. The conditions of that process — temperature, chemical exposure, dust, hygiene requirements, cycle time and load spectrum — set the design, and the duty class follows from them. Because no two processes are alike, a process crane is engineered project by project rather than selected from a rating table.
“The process writes the specification.”
Where the line is
A crane serving a facility lifts what comes, when it comes, and its duty class is set from an estimated average. A crane inside a process is production equipment: it repeats a defined move on a defined interval, and if it stops the line stops behind it.
That changes what the engineering has to answer. The duty class comes from a measured load spectrum, not an assumed one, because the cycle count over twenty years is the number that decides the structure. The conditions of the process are designed into the machine — ambient temperature, radiant heat, chemical or solvent exposure, abrasive or combustible dust, washdown and hygiene, corrosive atmosphere, or a classified zone; each of these changes component selection, material, protection class and lubrication. Positioning accuracy and control become part of the specification where the move has to land in the same place every time. And maintenance access is built into the structure, because a crane inside a line cannot wait for a shutdown to be serviced.
| Criterion | Standard overhead crane | Process crane |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Serves a facility; lifts what comes | Part of the production line; the line waits for it |
| Duty class | Set from an estimated average | Calculated from a measured load spectrum |
| Cycle | Irregular, operator-led | Defined and repeating, around the clock |
| Environment | Normal industrial conditions | Heat, chemical exposure, dust, washdown or a classified zone; protection engineered per project |
| Below-hook | Hook block, standard | Designed with the crane, against what it has to carry |
| Maintenance | Scheduled during a stop | Platforms and access designed in |
| Specification | Catalogue-based | Engineered per project |
| ABRA page | Double girder overhead crane | This page |
There is no fixed border between the two. Where a standard build answers the conditions, a standard crane is the right and more economical answer — the double girder overhead crane covers most heavy work. Where the process asks for something a standard build does not carry, the crane becomes a custom-engineered project. Send us the conditions and the cycle, and an engineer will work through which of the two you are looking at.
Our approach
Three variables decide whether a process crane runs for decades or fatigues early.
The environment. Every process puts something on the crane that a general-purpose build does not have to carry. In a foundry or a heat-treatment line it is radiant heat, which reaches the hoist unit, the ropes and the electrics long before it reaches the operator. In a galvanising or chemical plant it is acid vapour and condensate, which decide the coating system and the material of every exposed part. In powder and bulk handling it is abrasive or combustible dust, which sets the protection class and the surface temperature limit. In food and pharmaceutical work it is washdown and hygiene. The protection is specified for the position of each component and engineered per project — at Kılıçlar Hurdacılık, for example, a ladle crane works in an 85 °C ambient.
The cycle. A crane that repeats the same move every few minutes runs up load cycles at a rate a general-purpose crane never reaches, so the duty class is calculated from your load spectrum and your running hours rather than an estimate. A duty class chosen one step too low shows up as a fatigue crack long before the crane is due for one — and by then the structure itself is the repair.
Load behaviour. How the load behaves on the hook belongs in the calculation. A liquid load swings; a charging load drops into the furnace abruptly; a long load carried on a beam loads two points at once; a suspended coil or roll wants to rotate. Inverter-based sway control and inverter (VFD) travel keep the load steady at the point where accuracy matters, which protects the structure as much as the operator.
The hoist unit takes more punishment than any other part of a process crane. It is built alongside the steel structure, the end carriages and wheel groups and the operator cabin in the same plant in İzmir — so when a component has to leave the standard build for your process, it can be changed at the drawing rather than at the supplier.
Technical data
Capacity, span, lifting height and duty class come out of your cycle and conditions, and are confirmed in engineering before anything is priced. Across the whole range we build from 250 kg to 160 t; where a process crane sits inside that range comes out of the calculation.
What is fixed is the platform underneath. Supply is 380–415 V / 50 Hz (60 Hz for export), with IP54 / IP55 protection on motor and panel. Motion runs under inverter (VFD) control, and an overload switch with a load cell is standard equipment.
| Parameter | Value | Consequence / note |
|---|---|---|
| Lifting capacity (SWL) | Per project | Set by the process. Company-wide build range: 250 kg – 160 t |
| Span | Per project | Runway geometry and the process layout decide it; the capacity-to-span pairing is calculated per project |
| Lifting height / hook path | Per project | Pit depth, load height and clearance are taken from the site |
| Girder type | Double girder as a rule | Carries the hook height, the cabin and the below-hook equipment. See double girder |
| Duty class | Defined per project, at the high end of our build range (FEM 1Bm–5m / ISO M3–M8) | Continuous process duty sits high in that range |
| Hoisting motion | Main and auxiliary hoist where the process needs two independent motions; speeds set per project | Slow, accurate lowering wherever the load has to be placed rather than dropped |
| Motion control | Inverter (VFD), with inverter-based sway control | Soft start and stop; the load stays steady and the structure takes less shock |
| Reeving (wire rope) | 2/1 · 4/1 · 6/1 · 8/1 · 12/2 | Selected for capacity, hook path and load-guidance requirements |
| Power supply | 380–415 V / 50 Hz (60 Hz for export) | Matches local and export grids |
| Protection class | IP54 / IP55 (motor and panel) | Dust and moisture protection for production lines |
| Ambient temperature | Standard equipment range −10 … +50 °C; higher ambient engineered per project | A ladle crane at Kılıçlar works at 85 °C ambient |
| Overload protection | Overload switch + load cell, standard | The crane refuses a lift beyond its rating (overload protection under EN 14492-2) |
| Control | Operator cabin / radio remote / pendant | Cabin made in-house; where the conditions below the crane are hostile, the cabin is usually the right answer |
| Max wheel load | Provided per project | Needed for runway beam and foundation verification |
| ATEX | Option, engineered to the site’s zone map (gas Zone 1–2, dust Zone 21–22) | Scope set against the specific ATEX code → Explosion-protected cranes |
| Standards | EN 13001 series · EN 15011 · EN 14492-2 · EN ISO 13849-1 / -2 · EN IEC 60204-32 · FEM 9.511 (complementary) · CE · ISO 9001 | Duty class stated per project |
Equipment
Every item below answers a problem a process throws at the crane, and each one is specified against your conditions rather than offered as a package.
Where the process is hot, dusty or otherwise hostile below the crane, the operator needs to see the load from above and be shielded from what is under it. Fixed or travelling with the trolley; radio remote and pendant control are the alternatives. See operator cabins.
If one brake circuit fails, the second holds the load. Specified where a dropped load would be a safety event rather than a production one.
Two cranes sharing one runway stop before they meet.
Routine maintenance is done on the crane, so the visit does not have to wait for a production stop.
Movement is announced where hearing protection is worn.
Position memory, target positioning and repeat moves for a cycle that never changes. The operator stays in control at every step; this is assisted automation. ABRA Crane Tracking adds the usage, condition and maintenance data layer.
Where a section of the plant is classified, the same crane can be engineered for gas Zone 1–2 or dust Zone 21–22. The build follows that site’s own zone map; details on the Explosion-protected cranes page.
Applications
A process crane belongs wherever the crane is part of the production line rather than a service to it, and that is true across very different industries.
Ladle transport, scrap handling and charging duty, where radiant heat and a continuous cycle meet.
Hot loads on a repeating cycle, with the structure designed for the thermal load as well as the mechanical one.
Acid vapour and condensate decide the coating system and the material of every exposed part.
Corrosive atmosphere, and often a classified section where the same crane is engineered under ATEX.
Roll and reel handling on a fixed cycle, frequently under assisted automation.
Turbine hall and fuel handling duty, where availability rather than capacity is the specification.
Abrasive dust and continuous duty in the same machine.
Press, body and assembly lines where positioning accuracy is part of the cycle.
Sorting and feeding duty at the demanding end of the duty range.
Washdown, hygiene and material requirements on top of the lifting duty.
Each sector page describes its own lifting conditions in detail.
Project process
A process crane is bought by a committee, so here is the whole route before anyone commits to it.
Ambient temperature and radiant heat where there is any; chemical, solvent or dust exposure; humidity, washdown and hygiene requirements; whether any part of the area is classified; cycle time and load spectrum; runway geometry; what hangs under the hook and what the crane has to clear. A site review is where most of the real specification comes from, and it is where the conditions that are not in the enquiry usually surface.
We set the duty class from the measured cycle, size the structure and the hoisting mechanism, choose materials and coating for the environment, and place whatever protection the conditions call for. Any deviation from a standard build is written down and flagged before you sign.
Hoist unit, steel structure, end carriages and wheel groups, and the operator cabin are built in our own plant, on drawings your engineers have approved.
Erection, load test and handover on your site, with your maintenance team present so they know the crane before they own it.
Scheduled maintenance under an annual contract, spare parts, modernisation and one number to call.
References
“Behind everything we say, ” there’s a real job.
The condition: a steel mill working around the clock, an 85 °C ambient over the crane, and a ladle of molten metal on the hook.
The decision: a 75 / 25 + 25 t ladle crane with an auxiliary hoist for tipping, engineered and drawn for that installation. Heat protection was placed component by component. The customer walked our plant before deciding, and the decision was made on engineering.
The result: still running the same cycle.
A double girder installation where a fixed, repeating storage cycle runs under assisted automation, with ABRA Crane Tracking recording usage and condition data. The operator stays in control of every move.
From our plant to your line.
Send us your cycle and we’ll come back with the duty class. Let’s read your conditions together →
After-sales
A process crane is a long-life asset, and its second decade decides what it really cost. Maintenance is agreed under an annual contract: 4 visits a year, spare parts from the plant that made them, and on-site response within 48 hours of a call, anywhere in Türkiye. Warranty is 2 years, fixed.
We also service, supply parts for and modernise other manufacturers’ cranes, and ABRA Crane Tracking can be retrofitted to them. Crane Contact Center 444 8 440.
FAQ
A ladle crane is a process crane that carries and tips a ladle of molten metal, usually between the furnace and the casting line. It has a main hoist for the load and an auxiliary hoist for tipping, high safety margins and very controlled lowering. Because it works in radiant heat on a repeating cycle, it is engineered to the temperature and the duty of that specific line.
It comes from the load spectrum and the running hours; the maximum load on its own does not decide it. A crane lifting near capacity around the clock, or in continuous charging duty, needs a high duty class; a crane lifting occasionally does not. We build in the FEM 1Bm–5m (ISO M3–M8) range and set the class per project from your measured cycle. Write “FEM 5m” or “ISO M8” — the two systems are never merged.
Yes, with heat protection engineered for the position of each component. Our standard equipment range covers −10 … +50 °C; above that the specification is written for the site. The ladle crane we built for Kılıçlar Hurdacılık works in an 85 °C ambient, in continuous duty.
Most often a ladle or a lifting beam. We have installed many lifting-beam systems. Other below-hook equipment is defined per project, against the load and the cycle it has to survive. The below-hook choice changes the duty class and the structure above it, so it is decided during engineering.
Get a recommendation
Send us the load, the cycle, the ambient temperature and what hangs under the hook. An engineer works through the duty class with you and, where it helps, comes to see the installation. No obligation.
Or call 444 8 440
Your details are used only to answer your request
Designed and built to EN, FEM and ISO standards · CE marked · duty class defined per project (our build range: FEM 1Bm–5m / ISO M3–M8) · manufacturing in İzmir since 2004
