Doosan M1013 vs UR12e: The Korean Challenger Meets the Danish Standard

The M1013 has six axes, a 10 kg payload and a 1,300 mm reach. There is a torque sensor in every joint. The UR12e has six axes, a 12.5 kg payload and the same 1,300 mm reach, with a force/torque sensor at the tool flange only. The UR manufacturer stresses that 12.5 kg is the real, not a rounded, capacity.

The reach is therefore identical, and the payload differs by 2.5 kg in the UR12e’s favour. The fundamental design difference concerns sensing: Doosan places torque sensors throughout the arm, UR measures force at the tool. The first approach lets contact be detected on every link, the second works well in tasks with controlled pressing. We state the weight of neither robot because it is not in the sources. Nor do we have verified speed data, so we do not rule on which is faster. The method for reading such comparisons is described in “How to Read a Robot Datasheet”. In practice you only see the payload difference after subtracting the gripper’s mass: with a 2 kg gripper per part, 8 kg remains on the M1013 and 10.5 kg on the UR12e, provided both manufacturers count payload without tooling, which has to be confirmed in the datasheet.

Neither manufacturer gives an explicit price. For Doosan the price is set individually by the distributor, and for the UR12e the cost information comes from distributors. We therefore cannot say which is cheaper, and we encourage comparing quotes for a complete cell with gripper and integration.

In Poland, according to the trade press, Doosan Robotics is represented by Transition Technologies-CS as distributor, and the model is sold through a specialised integrator; sales sites need confirming. The UR12e is carried by Elmark Automatyka (Universal Robots collaborative robots). The CP Trade page describes only the older UR3, UR5 and UR10, so availability of the UR12e there needs confirming. Ask each about delivery time, service and operator training, and about what is included in the price: controller, programming pendant, software, initial training and warranty.

The M1013 is promoted as a solution for standard machine tending and assembly, with no standout special features. That is a weakness and a strength at once: it seeks no niche but is enough for many tasks in a factory. Torque sensors in the joints suit cells where a person works close to the robot. A relationship with a local integrator can be more practical than with a general supplier.

The UR12e has the ecosystem advantage: the largest library of grippers, cameras and palletizing applications, for example from OnRobot or Robotiq, and the most integrators. In a warehouse, for palletizing medium loads, that is a real time saving. If you are considering another arm in the 10–12 kg class, check the FANUC CRX-10iA and the Techman TM12.