UR16e vs UR20: Heavy Payloads in the Universal Robots Family

The UR16e has been on offer since 2019 and remains the strongest arm of the original e-Series: a 16 kg payload at a 900 mm reach. The source material does not give its dead weight, so we do not set it alongside. The UR20 was presented in 2022 and went on sale in 2023. It has a 20 kg payload, a 1,750 mm reach and a dead weight of 64 kg, and the manufacturer describes it as the first model of a new series of high-performance cobots with a new arm geometry.

The key difference is reach. The UR20 extends almost twice as far (1,750 mm against 900 mm), which in palletizing decides whether the robot can serve a full-size pallet without an extra linear axis. The UR16e has a modest reach, so it works well with cartons and parts in a confined space, but with a tall pallet it will run short of radius. The payload difference is 4 kg, or 25 percent. Both arms have a force/torque sensor at the tool flange, so they handle contact with people the same way; a risk assessment of the workstation still has to be carried out under the standards described in “Robot Safety Standards”.

The manufacturer gives no prices for either model. The distributor quotes them individually, depending on gripper, base, guarding and integration. With the UR20 the cost rises further if you plan welding: welding calls for welding equipment, guards against the arc and fumes and the integrator’s work, and those items can be larger than the arm itself. We do not know a public price gap between the UR16e and the UR20, so we do not state one.

In Poland, Elmark Automatyka carries Universal Robots collaborative robots in its range, and a partner list is on the manufacturer’s site. The CP Trade page describes only the older UR3, UR5 and UR10, so availability of the UR16e and UR20 at that supplier has to be confirmed directly. Ask each distributor about delivery time, service and ready-made palletizing kits.

The UR16e is the choice for machine tending and palletizing medium loads: sacks, cartons, castings, where the cell is tight and the part heavy. In a factory it will feed a machine tool or a press, in a warehouse it will stack cartons on a short pallet or in a container. Its asset is six years on the market, which means a large base of accessories and integrations.

The UR20 handles the same tasks with a longer reach, and in addition welding, which is one of its main applications. It works well with tall pallets, cells with several feeders and places where the robot has to reach over the structure of a machine. For vacuum grippers and palletizing accessories, look at the offers from OnRobot and Robotiq. When 20 kg is not enough, the next rung is the UR30; when it is too much and reach matters, consider the UR12e.