How to deal with empty canisters to and from resource nodes?

[ThemePark]

One of the things I'm struggling with finding a solution for, for my current factory, is how to pack fluids, send them to my factory, unpack the fluids, and then send the canisters back to the same node.

I'd like to hear everybody elses input on this, assuming you don't just transport the fluids via kilometers of pipes (which isn't an option). How do you deal with it? Do you just make a canister building factory at each fluid node or what?

I'd especially like to hear infos thoughts, since I know you base your factory on a drone setup just like me.

[Ranayna]

Fluid trains.
But the only fluid i transport over long distance is Nitrogen Gas. In all other cases, the factory gets build near the source, and only the finished product is transported.

[ThemePark]

Originally posted by Ranayna:

Fluid trains.
But the only fluid i transport over long distance is Nitrogen Gas. In all other cases, the factory gets build near the source, and only the finished product is transported.

Huh...I only unlocked trains yesterday, and that's just for building a station next to my factory as part of the whole setup, not for actual usage, so I didn't know there was a fluid train.

However I'm drones all the way, baby, and I don't wanna leave stuff all over the map, so trains like pipes are out. It's a better backup solution than pipes though, so I'll keep it in the back of my mind.

But when you say you build the factory near the source and transport the finished product, what do you mean? Do you transport everything else needed to make your items to where the fluid ore is, or what?

[Fenix]

You have multiple options.
Make the containers at the fluid packager, unpack then sink the old containers at the end location.

Use whatever you used to the get the filled containers to the end location, to take back the empties.

If you use trucks, you will need 4 truck stations, 2 for loading and unloading each.

Don’t package them at all and use a fluid train cars.

[Ranayna]

I spread my factories quite wide. I my current save, where i finished phase 4 for the first time, i started in the dune desert, and essentially expanded counter clockwise across the map with trains.

The first production lines for phase 3, that use plastic and rubber where completely built at the oil wells in the canyon. Only the Elevator stuff was exported, first with a long belt, later with a train.
The next thing requiring oil, Assembly Directors, was made similarly, only transporting the finished assemblers to the elevator.

For Thermal Propulsion Rockets i changed this a bit: Rubber is made as a byproduct of a large fuel power plant on the west coast and transported to a factory in the green fields.
As mentioned, Nitrogen, if required, is trained in.

Everything requiring water, mainly coal power and aluminum is build on or near large bodies of water, keeping the pipes very short. I only use alternative recipies that require water, when water is directly available.

[tdb]

Originally posted by ThemePark:

But when you say you build the factory near the source and transport the finished product, what do you mean? Do you transport everything else needed to make your items to where the fluid ore is, or what?

Since you just unlocked trains, I assume you're making plastic and rubber from oil. Those don't need anything other than oil, and with some alt recipes it's possible to avoid byproducts as well. I produce the plastic and rubber near oil node and then transport the solid products via train to other locations.

[Wolfgang]

Is there a specific reason why you aren't processing the resource at its source and only send the needed product via trains or belts to the current factory?

[tdb]

Originally posted by ThemePark:

Huh...I only unlocked trains yesterday, and that's just for building a station next to my factory as part of the whole setup, not for actual usage, so I didn't know there was a fluid train.

More specifically there's fluid platforms at train stations. Trains only have one kind of cargo wagons, and the platform determines whether the cargo is solids or fluid.

[PsYcHo_O]

Originally posted by ThemePark:

...
I'd like to hear everybody elses input on this, assuming you don't just transport the fluids via kilometers of pipes (which isn't an option).
...

I actually did that with water for my first coal power plant, which was incredibly stupid in hindsight. But this actually works quite well for nitrogen as it does not require pumps.

I personally avoided transporting fluids altogether, as I found the packing and unpacking too tedious. The only thing I do transport is packaged fuel for my jetpack, but the rest gets processed right at the resource node.

[ThemePark]

Originally posted by Fenix:

Make the containers at the fluid packager, unpack then sink the old containers at the end location.

I've thought of that, but that then just requires sending even more resources across the map, making it even less efficient.

Originally posted by Fenix:

Use whatever you used to the get the filled containers to the end location, to take back the empties.

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do, but specifically, the problem I'm running into, is that not the same amount (a lot less actually) of canisters are being returned to sender.

The problem with drones, being the only transport to not clutter the map, is that they don't wait around for the input to be filled, so barely any canisters gets unpackaged before the drone is off again. And even at full overclock, the drone is a lot quicker than unpacking its 9 slot storage of fluids is, so eventually I'll end up with no canisters at the resource node. And it adds the problem that I'll have to divide canisters coming from different resource nodes correctly. It's its own problem, but it's better than the alternative.

Originally posted by Wolfgang:

Is there a specific reason why you aren't processing the resource at its source and only send the needed product via trains or belts to the current factory?

I don't understand this mindset at all. Yeah, rubber and plastic has been mentioned, but you know what else can be made from oil? Fuel. And from that, Turbofuel. No matter how you look at it, you'll end up having to transport fluids across the map, so processing a resource and crafting stuff at the node just adds a second problem and more resources and time wasted to the already existing ones.

Anyway, I use drones because I don't want to drag train tracks or pipes all over the map, and transporting the raw resource to a main factory is better than processing it at the node. Plus I'm sure I'm not the only one who has tried to get fluids across the map using drones (hence why I mentioned info), so I'm sure someone has figured a solution to this problem that I just cannot see.

So far it seems my best options are, either a fluid transporting train or crafting canisters at the resource node, but that just means having to transport several resources rather than just the canisters.

I just feel like I'm overlooking something obvious here.

[tdb]

Originally posted by ThemePark:

I don't understand this mindset at all. Yeah, rubber and plastic has been mentioned, but you know what else can be made from oil? Fuel. And from that, Turbofuel. No matter how you look at it, you'll end up having to transport fluids across the map, so processing a resource and crafting stuff at the node just adds a second problem and more resources and time wasted to the already existing ones.

I prefer transporting compacted coal (or sulfur if using the blender recipe, but I'm not there yet) to the oil node. That way the chain from oil to fuel to turbofuel to generators is on-site and I don't have to transport fluids anywhere.

I haven't made detailed plans for tiers 7 and 8 yet, so I'm not sure how I'll end up dealing with nitrogen.

The obvious solution for closed-loop canister-based transport is to have a second drone (or dedicated wagon on a train) for transporting the canisters back. But I find this annoying because Satisfactory's lack of logic circuits makes it impossible to automatically regulate the amount of canisters in a fully closed system.

[XistenZ]

I transport fluids via trains without packaging, but if you want/need to do the package/unpackage method then simply send the empty cans back.
You'd want to first create all the packages needed, and then completely seize production.
At both stations, have a buffer container with empty packages, possibly even have one train filled as well. This makes sure you always have enough canisters, and they will rotate between the stations. No need to sink excess or create new ones.

[Ranayna]

When you send the empty packages back via train, you can just as well use a second fluid platform to get the same total throughput.

[Fenix]

Originally posted by ThemePark:

Originally posted by Fenix:

Make the containers at the fluid packager, unpack then sink the old containers at the end location.

I've thought of that, but that then just requires sending even more resources across the map, making it even less efficient.

There is usually iron and copper near by and with the Coated Iron Canisters alternate recipe, which is, Iron Plate + Copper sheets you can just belt over a short distance the containers.

[kLuns]

make a loop and prefill the packagers from a container.
Have a basic refill in your storage room for canisters and later fluid tanks

[Vectorspace]

I try and avoid transporting fluids in the first place. Stuff that needs oil or water or nitrogen, I will build near oil/water/nitrogen sources.