PEI 2022

UR20 Palletizing Application Debuts at PACK EXPO International

Oct. 25, 2022

In a demonstration with partner Robotiq, Universal Robots shows how its new UR20 cobot can address U.S. and Euro palletizing operations.

David Greenfield, editor in chief

The UR20 can stack items to a height of 1800mm (5.9 feet).

Earlier this, year, Universal Robots announced the arrival of its newest 6-axis collaborative robot (cobot)—the UR20. The UR20 is Universal Robots’ highest payload, longest reach robot to date. And at PACK EXPO International, it’s capabilities in palletizing applications are being highlighted as part of Robotiq’s palletizing system. Robotiq is a UR partner company.

The demo in Universal Robots' booth (N-4925) highlights the improvements in UR cobot performance made possible with the UR20, such as improved overall motion control capabilities and a more than 30% increase in speed and torque.

Key features of the UR20 include:

A 20kg (44.1lbs.) payload capacity, which is 4kg more than UR’s previous heaviest load capability of 16kg with its UR16e cobot.
Reach of 1750mm, which is 450mm more than longest previous UR cobot reach of 1300mm with the UR10e.

The UR20 in action taking boxes from a conveyor and stacking them on a pallet.

Anders Beck, vice president of strategy and innovation at Universal Robots, notes that the UR20 is not just a bigger version of existing UR cobots, its new joint design increases all joint torques by approximately 25% and joint speeds by as much as 65%. The UR20 also features an increase in tool center point of 100% (2 m/s vs. 1 m/s).

The extended reach capability of the UR20 is demonstrated in the Robotiq palletizing system, as it shows how the UR20 can be used to stack items to a height of 1800mm (5.9 feet). With its extended reach, the UR20 can be used to stack across two standard U.S. pallets. With Euro pallets, the UR20 can stack up to 2m in height.

Updated software for the UR20 delivers smoother motion, which is especially beneficial for dispensing applications. It also causes less wear on the joints for increased uptime and decreased maintenance.

The UR/Robotiq palletizer system operates via a standard single-phase power outlet (110-220 V AC) for ease of deployment in any facility.

Read more about the UR20 cobot.

About the Author

David Greenfield, editor in chief | Editor in Chief

David Greenfield joined Automation World in June 2011. Bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and media experience to his position, David’s contributions can be found in AW’s print and online editions and custom projects. Earlier in his career, David was Editorial Director of Design News at UBM Electronics, and prior to joining UBM, he was Editorial Director of Control Engineering at Reed Business Information, where he also worked on Manufacturing Business Technology as Publisher.