FANUC CRX-20iA/L

What it's for

The FANUC CRX-20iA/L makes sense wherever people stack heavy cartons on pallets: the manufacturer names palletizing and machine tending as the main applications of this model. The cobot carries 20 kg, has a reach of 1,418 mm and six axes, and is electrically driven.

The key difference from the smaller models in the CRX series is payload: twice that of the FANUC CRX-10iA/L at the same reach. Once you count the weight of the gripper, and a vacuum or mechanical carton gripper weighs a fair amount, those 20 kg are used up faster than you would think, so choosing the tooling matters as much as the arm itself. Grippers for cobots are supplied by companies such as OnRobot and Robotiq.

Other tasks include feeding heavier parts into machine tools and moving parts between stations. The robot has internal force sensors in all axes, which in many applications allows working alongside people without a cage, provided the risk assessment confirms it warehouses. Palletizing is nonetheless a task where the station often still needs a scanner and a fenced pallet-feeding zone.

Who it's for

Yes: for companies that palletize cartons or bags up to 20 kg including the gripper and do not want to invest in a classic caged palletizing cell. Yes for manufacturers with short runs and frequent changes of pallet patterns, since a cobot is easier to reprogram. Yes for those who want to shift the load from people to a machine and keep people on quality control.

No: for heavy palletizing of 25 kg bags or multipack water cases, where you should look at the larger FANUC CRX-30iA. Not for very high-throughput lines that need a dozen or more cycles per minute: a cobot works more slowly than a classic industrial robot. Not for a buyer without a prepared risk assessment. And not for anyone counting on a public price: FANUC does not publish one.

Deployments

We know that the model is offered by the Polish distributor spawalnictwo.pl, but there is no list of actual installations.

What the category looks like: palletizing is one of the most common applications of higher-payload cobots, including in Polish food and logistics plants. You will find a market overview in “How to Buy a Cobot Step by Step”, and the safety rules in “Robot Safety Standards”.

A direct relative is the FANUC CRX-30iA, the series flagship with a 30 kg payload and 1,756 mm of reach; choose it when 20 kg is not enough. The FANUC CRX-10iA/L needs less preparation if your loads are lighter and the reach is the same.

From other brands: the UR20 from Universal Robots has a 20 kg payload and 1,750 mm of reach, very similar specifications with a different software and accessories ecosystem. Another option is the Doosan H2017, also 20 kg. The choice often comes down to who services and integrates locally, so ask your integrator which brand they work with day to day. For palletizing, pay attention to pallet height and gripper weight: from the same nominal payload, different brands deliver different amounts of load actually lifted. Ask the integrator for a cycle simulation with your cartons.

The CRX-20iA/L is one of the models in the FANUC CRX family, introduced in 2019 by the Japanese company from Oshino. The series has six models and an 8-year warranty. The launch date of the 20iA/L variant itself is not stated, so we do not guess. In the family it occupies the middle ground: above the FANUC CRX-10iA/L and below the FANUC CRX-30iA, in the payload class that marks the boundary between assembly and palletizing. You will find the manufacturer's profile under FANUC.