▲Universal Robot Korea CEO Nae-hyung Lee

Weighs 63.5kg, can carry 30kg, rotates 360 degrees
Expected demand for collaborative robots in the secondary battery and automobile industries
Focus on collaborative robot education and high-quality business in 2024

Universal Robots has unveiled the high-load collaborative robot 'UR30' with improved speed and stability in Korea. Universal Robots has revealed its ambition to focus on the collaborative robot education business and providing differentiated high-quality, high-end collaborative robots in 2024.

The world's No. 1 collaborative robot company, 'Universal Robots', held a press conference at the Seongsu robot cafe 'Botbotbot' on the 1st, introduced and demonstrated the 'UR30', a collaborative robot with a payload of 30 kg that was released at the end of last year, and revealed the outlook and plans for the collaborative robot industry.

■ The world's heaviest payload: 30kg

The 'UR30', which was unveiled this time following the UR20 released about a year and a half ago, is Universal Robots' innovative next-generation collaborative robot series. It boasts the heaviest payload among collaborative robots on the market.

The newly released UR30 provides excellent lift despite its compact size of 63.5 kg. The minimum radius is 1300 mm, and the robot installation space is only 245 mm. It is also the only robot in the industry that can rotate 360 degrees at 6 joints, minimizing dead zones.

In addition, it has various strengths such as: △efficient placement of large payloads through motion control, △innovation of machine tending work through simultaneous use of grippers, △effective support for high-torque screw driving, and △easy installation in work spaces of all sizes without additional equipment.

In particular, the 'UR30' is a 5th generation product that maximizes the advantages of collaborative robots and complements their shortcomings. While the main purpose of existing collaborative robots was to assist human work, the UR20 and UR30 have significantly improved speed and stability.

Even though it is a collaborative robot, the joint speed has been rapidly improved to increase acceleration, and the joint parts have been reduced by 50% to minimize minor breakdowns. In addition, the replacement time in case of breakdown is less than 1 hour, and it is easy to repair.

The software has also been improved. 'Polyscope' has been updated to 'Polyscope X' to enable smooth control, and anyone can easily control it without specialized knowledge even if there are changes or modifications to the solution.

“We have improved on the shortcomings compared to industrial robots, making it perfectly suited for smart factories for future customized processes,” said Jaeho Shim, Vice President of Universal Robots. “We have transformed into a robot that can compete with industrial robots.”

The UR30 is the ideal solution for a variety of tasks including machine tending, material handling, and high-torque screw driving. It can use multiple grippers at once, removing finished products in a single movement, loading more materials, reducing changeover times, and maximizing productivity.

It is expected to be useful in the secondary battery and automotive industries as it provides linear and consistent screw driving through the stable mode function.

■ 2024 Collaborative Robot Education and High-Quality Customer Focus

Universal Robots will focus on its collaborative robot education business and providing high-quality collaborative robots in 2024.

Universal Robots cited its know-how in the collaborative robot market and 'UR Plus' as its differentiation strategy. The representative said, "Universal Robots may not differ much from other companies in terms of numerical specifications, but it is differentiated by providing high-quality robots obtained through numerous references accumulated in the industrial field for nearly 20 years."

Based on this, Universal Robots plans to adopt a premium strategy this year, targeting large corporations that want to be guaranteed higher quality than other companies as their main customers.

The representative also said, "Recently, collaborative robots have been gaining attention in the AMR (autonomous mobile robot) market, which attaches robots to mobile robots to move and work," adding, "There was also a need from customers for the UR20."

Universal Robots has 460 UR Plus products. These products can be used directly by attaching them to the robot, increasing their usability. Vice President Shim said, “There are limits to what a robot can do on its own, so by using UR Plus products together, we can get them into the production line much faster than other companies.”

Meanwhile, Universal Robots is focusing on fostering next-generation talent through collaborative robot education. We currently have 11 training centers across the country and provide online education.

Last year, Universal Robots made efforts to foster specialized talent in the field of collaborative robots nationwide, including providing summer vacation robot education for elementary school students, designating Ulsan University as an authorized training center, and signing a business agreement with Inha Technical College.

The representative said, "We will lead the development of future talent through collaborative robot education to raise awareness of not only universal robots but also the collaborative robot ecosystem."