Automation

New Collaborative Robot Features a 30-kg Payload

Launched in Tokyo this week, Universal Robots’ new UR30 cobot boasts a 30-kg payload. All images courtesy of Universal Robots

Denmark’s Universal Robots’ latest cobot has a small footprint with high torque

Universal Robots A/S, the Danish maker of collaborative robots, launched its latest model this week in Japan –– a cobot with a 30-kg (66-pound) payload. The UR30 is the second in the firm’s new range of cobots and is built on the same architecture as its award-winning UR20 model.

Unveiled at iREX 2023, the international robot exhibition, the new robot offers 25 percent more torque, and “extraordinary lift with superior motion control ensuring the perfect placement of large payloads.” (This video shows the cobot in action at the show.)

Hefty payload with a small footprint

This rendering of the UR30 showcases its compact footprint.

The company says that with its 30 kg payload, it is ideal for material handling and palletizing of heavy products across all industries. Its compact footprint allows it to fit into almost all workspace –– relieving humans of the heavy lifting. Users can easily move the machine, which weighs only 140 pounds, between work cells.

The UR30 effectively supports high-torque screw driving as it can handle larger and higher-output torque tools. This, the company noted, will be useful to the automotive industry, among other sectors.

Heralding ‘a new era in automation’

Universal Robots President Kim Povlsen said at a Nov. 29 media event at the Tokyo show that “The higher payload and greater flexibility underpin a new era in automation. Industries around the world are embracing more agile manufacturing and modularity in production –– part of achieving that modularity and agility is about mobility and this cobot delivers that despite its payload.”

UR30’s superior motion control ensures the precise placement of large payloads allowing it to work at higher speeds and lift heavier loads. This makes it ideal for several applications, including machine tending, as shown here.

He went on the assert that, as industries evolve, the UR30 not only meets but anticipates shifting demands, enabling businesses to adapt and respond to changing needs effectively.

The 1,000-employee Universal Robots, founded in 2005 in Odense, Denmark, reported 2022 revenue of $326 million. Since introducing “the world’s first commercially viable cobot” in 2008, the company has sold more than 75,000 cobots worldwide.

By Robert Grace | December 1, 2023