UR18

Universal Robots announced the UR18 on 6 October 2025, adding it to the UR Series that began with the UR20 in 2022 and continued with the UR30 and the UR15. It occupies the slot the UR16e has held since 2019, and the comparison between the two shows what six years of redesign bought. On paper the step is small: 18 kg of payload against 16, and 950 mm of reach against 900. The movement figures are where the new generation shows. The UR16e runs its base and shoulder at 120 degrees per second and everything else at 180. The UR18 runs base and shoulder at 180, the elbow at 240 and all three wrist joints at 300, and lifts maximum tool centre point speed from 3 m/s to 4 m/s. This is a machine built for cycle time in pick-and-place work, and the manufacturer says so directly. The sealing changes too. The UR18 arm is rated IP65, against IP54 on the whole e-Series, which moves it from dusty to washdown-adjacent environments. The data sheet also lists compliance with UL 1740 alongside the European EN ISO 13849-1 PLd Category 3 and EN ISO 10218-1, and describes the arm as a 2-1-3 joint architecture. A light ring at the base shows robot state, a feature the e-Series does not have. Weight is the one place where care is needed when comparing. Universal Robots quotes the UR18 at 39.2 kg without its cable, while the e-Series sheets quote weights including the cable; the numbers are not directly comparable and the manufacturer does not publish both conventions for both generations. The footprint grows to 204 mm across, from 190 mm on the UR16e. Pose repeatability is +/-0.05 mm per ISO 9283, the same as the UR16e and the UR15, so the extra speed and payload were not bought at the cost of accuracy - but they did not improve it either. The force-torque sensor at the flange covers +/-150 N and +/-10 Nm with an accuracy of +/-8.3 N, a wider range but a coarser reading than the +/-5.5 N of the e-Series. The arm draws 570 W at maximum and around 350 W under moderate settings, works from 0 to 50 degrees Celsius at up to 90 percent non-condensing humidity, and stays below 67 dB(A). Universal Robots, founded in Odense and owned by Teradyne, sells through integrators and publishes no list price. Figures come from the manufacturer's technical data sheet, revision of September 2025, and its launch announcement.

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