FANUC CRX-10iA vs UR12e: The Japanese Classic Meets Universal Robots' New Generation

The CRX-10iA has six axes, an electric drive, a 10 kg payload and a reach of 1,249 mm according to FANUC’s materials. Contact force is detected internally, on all axes, so the arm reacts to a collision without extra skin sensors. The UR12e also has six axes and an electric drive, but a 12.5 kg payload and a 1,300 mm reach. According to the manufacturer, 12.5 kg is the real capacity, not a rounded figure from the old e-Series naming. The force/torque sensor sits at the tool flange rather than in every joint.

In practice these are two different philosophies. FANUC, according to the manufacturer, spreads force sensing across the whole kinematic chain of the arm. UR measures force where the tool works, which is convenient for tasks that need controlled pressing, such as sanding or press-fitting parts. The UR12e offers 2.5 kg more payload and 51 mm more reach. Keep in mind that in both cases the gripper’s mass reduces the usable payload, and you need to read from the datasheet how the manufacturer counts it; the article “How to Read a Robot Datasheet” helps with that.

Neither FANUC nor Universal Robots publishes an explicit price for either model. The final cost depends on the gripper, the controls, the guarding and the integrator’s work, which can be as significant an item as the arm itself. It makes sense, therefore, to request quotes for an identical work cell.

In Poland the CRX-10iA is listed with spawalnictwo.pl as its distributor, but availability of a specific version has to be confirmed by enquiry. Universal Robots keeps a public distributor page at universal-robots.com/pl, and Elmark Automatyka carries UR collaborative robots in its range. The CP Trade page describes only the older UR3, UR5 and UR10, so do not treat it as confirmation that the new UR12e is available. When buying, also check service support in your region and the delivery time.

Both models go into similar jobs. FANUC names machine tending and assembly, and UR adds palletizing. In a factory, the CRX-10iA is the natural choice where the machine park is already FANUC: the same controller, the same service, similar programming logic. The UR12e wins when you want a broad library of ready accessories, grippers and third-party applications, because the UR ecosystem is the largest in the industry.

A 1,300 mm reach and 12.5 kg payload give the UR12e an edge when loading larger pallets or stations with several feeders. In a warehouse, for light palletizing and packing, that matters. For grippers and accessories, consider suppliers such as Robotiq or OnRobot, which serve both arms. We cover the FANUC family in more detail in “FANUC CRX: The Cobot Series with 8 Years of Zero Maintenance”.