Having to smelt with coal to make steel??

[Denton]

Small rant... I understand that there is a requirement to make recipes increasingly complex but I don't like it when it is done for no apparent reason... I have huge generators, why would want to smelt my iron into steel using coal?? I think you should just have to re-smelt the iron to get steel (reduce the carbon content).

[Suzaku]

Tap more coal nodes.

[Denton]

Originally posted by Suzaku:

Tap more coal nodes.

Not really my point.. I don't understand the requirement of using coal to make steel, it makes no sense.

[phillip_lynx]

Originally posted by Denton:

Originally posted by Suzaku:

Tap more coal nodes.

Not really my point.. I don't understand the requirement of using coal to make steel, it makes no sense.

You can place foundations in thin air.

This is a game and not reality.

[Coyote]

Originally posted by Denton:

Originally posted by Suzaku:

Tap more coal nodes.

Not really my point.. I don't understand the requirement of using coal to make steel, it makes no sense.

You need coal or something similar to make steal irl

[LittleEngineer]

Originally posted by Denton:

Small rant... I understand that there is a requirement to make recipes increasingly complex but I don't like it when it is done for no apparent reason... I have huge generators, why would want to smelt my iron into steel using coal?? I think you should just have to re-smelt the iron to get steel (reduce the carbon content).

Sorry but quoting from google when searching for "how is steel made" returns the following

Originally posted by https://www.keenovens.com/articles/steel-furnance.htm:

To make steel, iron ore is first mined from the ground. It is then smelted in blast furnaces where the impurities are removed and carbon is added. In fact, a very simple definition of steel is "iron alloyed with carbon, usually less than 1%."

Which is the opposite of what you have said of reducing the carbon content, instead adding carbon. Which is exactly what the game does add carbon to iron ore to produce steel.

Edit: When I typed this the 2 above replies didn't exist.

[sansee]

Technically, you don't "smelt" coal. Coal can't smelt. Rather, Iron is smelted and then mixed with coal...

But yes, this IS a game after all, and there are many nodes around the map. https://satisfactory-calculator.com/en/interactive-map#2;50302;0|gameLayer|coalPure;coalNormal;coalImpure

If you want realism then don't play games ;)

EDIT: and coal is basically carbon.

[talenti]

Sorry this game is too complex for you.

Go find more coal.

[Belariean of Canada]

there is a alt recipie that takes iron ingots and adds coal to them, rather than use raw iron and coal for steel

[East]

Originally posted by sansee:

EDIT: and coal is basically carbon.

SHOTS FIRED

[sansee]

Coal is the latin name....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon

[Xaamatu]

So, you can melt the iron down to make iron tools and whatnot (i.e. Cast Iron), but in order to make Steel, you need for the fire to get HOTTER, the coal makes the fire hotter, which will burn those impurities that you talked about out. There is a quenching process in here as well, but the game doesn't get that far into the metallurgical world. Look up further how different metals are created. I work in Aluminum Extrusion for my job, we can make extrusions that you can bend with your bare hands, and from the SAME metal make it near as strong as Steel with quenching/heating recipes.

[sansee]

Originally posted by le0rick:

So, you can melt the iron down to make iron tools and whatnot (i.e. Cast Iron), but in order to make Steel, you need for the fire to get HOTTER, the coal makes the fire hotter, which will burn those impurities that you talked about out. There is a quenching process in here as well, but the game doesn't get that far into the metallurgical world. Look up further how different metals are created. I work in Aluminum Extrusion for my job, we can make extrusions that you can bend with your bare hands, and from the SAME metal make it near as strong as Steel with quenching/heating recipes.

Yes, and historically iron was discovered and used first, mostly due to lower working/smelting point and very basic techniques.

Truly fascinating actually!

[Falaris]

think you should just have to re-smelt the iron to get steel (reduce the carbon content).

TL;DR version:

Ah, here's the thing. Iron is the base element. You add carbon to iron to get steel. Pig iron, or low quality iron, is when you use inferior quality heating sources so you get too much carbon (unintended).

A little extra carbon=good. Too much extra carbon = bad. That little extra carbon is from the coal.

[Mansen]

Why? Because this has been the tried and tested video gaming trope for decades. Factorio does it as well. You get iron, then you smelt it again to get steel.

[JasonS]

But you DO have to add carbon to iron to make steel though.

"Pig Iron" and "Cast Iron" are not pure iron. Cast Iron is a very high carbon content alloy. That's not what you're making when you make iron ingots, you're making pure iron.