UR30

Overview

The Universal Robots UR30 is Universal Robots' highest-payload collaborative robot, carrying 30 kg over a 1,300 mm reach across 6 axes. It shares the PolyScope X controller platform with the UR20 and is aimed at the heaviest palletising, machine tending, and welding applications where conventional cobots are underpowered. The UR30 represents Universal Robots' response to the increasing demand for collaborative robots capable of handling full cartons, heavy castings, and large welded fabrications without requiring a dedicated industrial robot cell. Universal Robots manufactures it in Odense, Denmark.

At 30 kg payload, the UR30 operates in a category that was previously only addressed by traditional industrial robots with full safety fencing, making it a significant specification step beyond the earlier UR16e.

Key Specifications

• Payload: 30 kg (35 kg extended reach configuration)
• Reach: 1,300 mm
• Degrees of freedom: 6
• Repeatability: ±0.1 mm
• TCP speed: 4 m/s
• Weight: 63.5 kg
• IP rating: IP65
• Controller: PolyScope X

The PolyScope X controller is shared with the UR20, so maintenance engineers familiar with the UR20 will find the UR30's software environment identical. The full UR+ certified peripherals catalogue is compatible, including heavy-duty grippers from Robotiq and Schunk.

Use Cases

The UR30 is deployed for palletising heavy cartons, bags, and cases in food, beverage, and distribution warehousing; tending large press brakes and injection moulding machines requiring heavy mould handling; and welding on heavy fabrications where the torch and fixture weight pushes beyond lighter cobot limits. In UK food and beverage manufacturing, the 30 kg payload covers the handling of full retail cases and multi-packs at the end of packaging lines, reducing manual lifting injuries.

Buying Used

The UR30 is a very recent product and the secondhand market is thin. As units become available from early adopters and lease returns, expect pricing from £40,000 upwards. The PolyScope X controller is shared with the UR20, so maintenance expertise and spare parts requirements are aligned. Mounting structure requirements are significant given the arm's weight, and any used installation should include a full base and column assessment.

Alternatives to Consider

• Universal Robots UR20: 20 kg payload with 1,750 mm reach, at potentially lower price, better suited when reach matters more than lift capacity.
• Universal Robots UR16e: 16 kg payload at lower cost for applications where 30 kg is excessive.
• FANUC CRX-10iA: Lower payload at 10 kg but with FANUC's industrial-grade service infrastructure across the UK.