Side by side
Dobot CR16AL vs Universal Robots UR16e
Two collaborative arms a buyer shopping for machine tending would honestly weigh against each other, with the manufacturer-published figures in one table and a plain reading of what the differences mean on a floor. We sell across brands, so we have no reason to tilt it.
| Dobot CR16AL | Universal Robots UR16e | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Collaborative arm | Collaborative arm |
| Payload | 16 kg (35 lb) | 16 kg (35 lb) |
| Reach | 1300 mm | 900 mm |
| Sold as collaborative | yes | yes |
| Applications listed | machine tending, press brake tending, packaging | machine tending, press brake tending |
| Specs checked | 2026-08-26 | 2026-08-22 |
Every figure is a manufacturer-published claim, checked on the date shown against the maker's own material, and not one of them survives contact with your part, your rate and your floor without an applications review. Prices are deliberately absent: quotes are prepared by our team and confirmed with the manufacturer.
What the numbers mean on the floor
- Payload is effectively a tie at 16 kg and 16 kg. The gripper and the part decide it, not the arm: rated payload is measured at the wrist with no tool on it.
- The Dobot CR16AL reaches 400 mm farther than the Universal Robots UR16e. That matters for pallet height, bin depth and machine door clearance more than it matters at a bench.
- Both are sold as collaborative. That describes a feature set, not a safety verdict: the risk assessment on your part, your gripper and your speed is what decides whether anyone works beside it. Collaborative does not mean fenceless.
- Both are listed for machine tending, press brake tending. The Dobot CR16AL is also listed for packaging.
What a spec sheet cannot tell you
The gripper, the fixture and the integrator decide more of the outcome than the arm. Cycle time on your part is a test, not a datasheet figure. Service footprint, spare parts and who answers the phone at 2 AM differ by brand and by state. And the price difference between two arms in the same class is usually smaller than the difference between two integrators' quotes for the same cell. A model number is not a specification, and the gripper is the project.
From our matrix
Dobot CR16AL. Second generation CRA line, long reach 16 kg variant: 1300 mm working radius, 40 kg robot weight, repeatability 0.04 mm per Dobot's CRA specification table. Manufacturer specification.
Universal Robots UR16e. Short reach, high payload; heavy part tending.
Also on the shortlist for machine tending
- AUBO AUBO-i16, 16 kg
- Dobot CR16A, 16 kg
- Productive Robotics OB7 Max 16, 16 kg
- Rainbow Robotics RB16-900, 16 kg
- Doosan M1509, 15 kg
Ask about these two for your job
Free, about two minutes, no phone number. Joe will tell you which belongs on your shortlist, what beats both, and what has to be true for the math to work.