Do you put Storage Units between the Steps of your Factories?

[. -.-. .-.. .. .--. ... .]

I was wondering if it would be beneficial to build Storage Units between the Steps of certain Factory Buildings.
Like I am pretty much at the start and am building reinforced Plates (Sorry im not playing on English) but i always produce more screws than plates, so the screws just sit there. I produce Screws too seperatly, but would it be beneficial for me to build another Storage Unit for the "overflow" of Screws, because otherwise the Constructor just sits there doing nothing and i am on Coal, so its not like Energy really is a big struggle anymore.

And yes i am really late to the party, but all my hours i have so far (around 23) are since last weekend, so this Game really got me good so far.
Really loving it

[Aven]

Doc✪Hollywood Enterprises a écrit :

Aven a écrit :

IMO storage containers are best used as spurs to a production line rather than in-line or end-of-line.

What is the meaning of "spurs to a production line"?

And where would you place your storage containers?

Myself I fork every part to 3 containers each, and in addition at the end of each production line I keep another 4 containers for the next product that gets concatenated.

Thinking about this now ... 4 is maybe too much? The more sophisticated a part gets the slower the machine. Thus 1 small container at the end of line would be sufficient to kick start a new production? Or none?

In-Line:
=====[Container]=====

End of Line:
==========[Container]

Spur(SS = Smart Splitter, ignore single dashes used only for text visual spacing):
=====[SS]========
--------||
----[Container]

. -.-. .-.. .. .--. ... . a écrit :

Aven a écrit :

IMO storage containers are best used as spurs to a production line rather than in-line or end-of-line. If you would like to store some product from a production line, use a smart splitter to branch off to the container itself, with overflow continuing on the production line(or to a sink). Use portable miners to fill the extra slots of the container that you don't want filled with product. This allows you to give priority to refilling the container as well as manage the capacity of the container.

Yeah im not that far yet. Just now finished my first Steel Factories.

You can build Smart Splitters in Tier 2.

[Flash✪Gordon]

Aven a écrit :

Spur (SS = Smart Splitter):

=====[SS]========
            ||
     [Container]

So you only fork to containers - absolutely no stockpile at the end of production lines if you wanna add a new step

like e.g. production line is Modular Frame, and now to decide to go one step further to Heave Modular Frame. So you just add a manufactorer and you wouldn't be happy if you had a container full of Modular Frames at the end of the former line?

P.S. Try ASCII-code ALT+255 instead of dashes (see the new graphic above)

P.P.S.S. found a translation now: spur = storage siding = dead end rail (in this case dead end conveyor belt) https://www.risknet.de/fileadmin/_processed_/1/0/csm_risk_2753_ad4c50bbb4.jpg

[. -.-. .-.. .. .--. ... .]

Aven a écrit :

Doc✪Hollywood Enterprises a écrit :

What is the meaning of "spurs to a production line"?

And where would you place your storage containers?

Myself I fork every part to 3 containers each, and in addition at the end of each production line I keep another 4 containers for the next product that gets concatenated.

Thinking about this now ... 4 is maybe too much? The more sophisticated a part gets the slower the machine. Thus 1 small container at the end of line would be sufficient to kick start a new production? Or none?

In-Line:
=====[Container]=====

End of Line:
==========[Container]

Spur(SS = Smart Splitter, ignore single dashes used only for text visual spacing):
=====[SS]========
--------||
----[Container]

. -.-. .-.. .. .--. ... . a écrit :

Yeah im not that far yet. Just now finished my first Steel Factories.

You can build Smart Splitters in Tier 2.

I'm not there yet :)

[nfgman]

Not generally. There are rare exceptions that gets complex.
If you/re not producing enough, intermediate storage runs dry too.
Storage for construction can be inline but that's not the way I do it.

[info]

Use of Containers also needs to consider the mode of delivery. Time between trains/trucks/drones makes for a pulsed delivery and trains in particular pause the platform while unloading.

In the end it can be a comfort to some just about anywhere having a backup. I had half million cu /m of Oil, Water and Turbofuel in The Baby Grand Save. That was only 3 banks of 8 in that storage. Also made it over to 8.2TW and you might notice I made it to 8.2 before CSS. All that liquid storage in the upper floors of the Factory, no pumps anywhere on the map.

Because it was fun for me :-)

[apdsmith]

I tend to work out the last common point and sink the excess there.

Copper, goes from ore to ingot and from there, it can go one of three ways. So I don't store any ore - literally all I do with it is smelt it into ingots, but the smelted ingots get fed into storage for later processing, and any overproduction gets dumped into the awesome sink.

Similarly, I don't keep aluminium scraps but I do keep the ingots. My only use for Caterium is quickwire, so the caterium line goes all the way to that before it gets stored or sunk.

Similarly, polymer resin oil waste is stored or sunk rather than the individual rubber, plastic, fabric, because I've got a big megafactory, I would rather build out over-production on those three and let each production line take the entire polymer resin supply, if needed, than force a three-way split and maybe come up short on something.

info a écrit :

I had half million cu /m of Oil, Water and Turbofuel in The Baby Grand Save. That was only 3 banks of 8 in that storage. Also made it over to 8.2TW and you might notice I made it to 8.2 before CSS. All that liquid storage in the upper floors of the Factory, no pumps anywhere on the map.

It's nice to know that you can black-start the place without having to start from scratch, isn't it? ;)

That's one of the things that I think I need to do some work on at Seaview. It probably won't happen, and I'm fairly sure I've got it covered off - all of the production rooms have their own power switches, so I can cut a room off from the grid and power it individually if, for instance, I need to make a batch of fuel for turbofuel synthesis, but I've not actually sat down and worked out quite how many biomass burners I would need to do this, and I fear it's rather a lot, even with all those isolation switches...

[sansee]

I more or less buffer every step of the way while I build to "cheat" a little to have short bursts on-demand, and also to provide a place for me to quickly get resources if I need it. Resources are limitless anyway.

As an example, let's say I make 2x270. With enough industrial containers I can easily triple that for a short amount of time (6x270, depending on how many containers I use), until the next container in the chain is filled up. This way I can support a smaller side chain even thought the mathematics doesn't directly support until one take time into the equation.

It's definitely beneficial, but you have to be a little careful not to draw the containers too fast too furiously.

[. -.-. .-.. .. .--. ... .]

sansee a écrit :

I more or less buffer every step of the way while I build to "cheat" a little to have short bursts on-demand, and also to provide a place for me to quickly get resources if I need it. Resources are limitless anyway.

As an example, let's say I make 2x270. With enough industrial containers I can easily triple that for a short amount of time (6x270, depending on how many containers I use), until the next container in the chain is filled up. This way I can support a smaller side chain even thought the mathematics doesn't directly support until one take time into the equation.

It's definitely beneficial, but you have to be a little careful not to draw the containers too fast too furiously.

I right now do this too. I find that really useful.
I mean a not running Building is basically a waste of time, so it can fill up a Storage and as soon as you need something it is right away available in full abundance.

[Flash✪Gordon]

sansee a écrit :

As an example, let's say I make 2x270. With enough industrial containers I can easily triple that for a short amount of time (6x270, depending on how many containers I use)

We probably we play in a different style. I don't build ceaselessly in the base, I explore a lot the world or just dash with my explorer around the map. I always find that one line (in this case 1x270) is more than enough as long there are 3-4 containers at the end to store everything till I am back. But even when I dont dash around with my Explorer, in Satisfactory are always many tasks waiting. Till I solved the next task the production line I build before has already filled some containers.

[apdsmith]

sansee a écrit :

I more or less buffer every step of the way while I build to "cheat" a little to have short bursts on-demand, and also to provide a place for me to quickly get resources if I need it. Resources are limitless anyway.

As an example, let's say I make 2x270. With enough industrial containers I can easily triple that for a short amount of time (6x270, depending on how many containers I use), until the next container in the chain is filled up. This way I can support a smaller side chain even thought the mathematics doesn't directly support until one take time into the equation.

It's definitely beneficial, but you have to be a little careful not to draw the containers too fast too furiously.

I did do this on the third factory of this save (I'm building the fourth now) - it works OK, but I found I had a huge mass of extra belts running around and masses of containers that I just never used. Once set up, I never even got off the stairwell on the raw material processing floor, much less rummaged through the containers of stuff there...

[Ranayna]

I place containers for quite a few things, but not for everything.
Everything except Elevator parts is produced for storage somewhere though.
But for example i have a small factory dedicated to Quickwire, Copper Sheets and AI Limiters. Any factory using those will not get additional buffers.
On the other hand, i do not yet have a factory dedicated to HMFs. These are buffered in an Advanced Control Unit Factory, easily meeting my demand.

I do not care if any production stalls because some buffer is full. For production lines that would stall without sinking i do that, but nowhere else.

One of my next projects on my current save might be to consolidate storage somewhere, since i have now spread out quite far. I started in the Dune desert, and expanded into the Spire Coast, the Swamp and recently the Blue Hole.

[Flash✪Gordon]

It's also a lot less power consuming if you fill a buffer instead of continuous sinking.

[Chris Solomon]

i use containers in portions of asssembly line just so that if there is a supply chain disruption, there is a buffer to prevent sudden supply shortages. ( i got the idea after the pandemic supply shortage events after reading up on the underlying causes.) i don't have containers for things like raw ore, because they are able to be produced rapidly and in large numbers via miners. I sometimes use containers for ingots, but not usually. but for intermediate stage items such as rotors, motors, and heavy frames, and encased industrial beams, and of course steel pipes and steel beams, i definitely use containers. another critical factor is taking the time to go seeks out the crash site and retrieving the HDD's from the wreck to be processed at the M.A.M. the alternate recipies are critical to sucess in this game. for instance the main recipe for screw goes something like this: Iron Ore> Iron Ingot> Iron Rod> Screws. but one of the alternate recipes shortens that recipe and actually makes more and in faster amounts. it's recipe goes something like this: Iron Ore> Iron Ingot> Screws. when the next step after screws in making something like reinforced iron plates (iron plates, Screws), having alot of screws is neccessary. using the alt recipe, cuts down on the steps needed, and on the machines needed to make the final item. now, there is also an alt recipe for even the reinforced iron plates, but i will stop there.

one last tip. once you unlock fluid storage, build the fluid storage way up high (think water tower high) and let the gravity help you supply whatever you you need the fluid for. of course you will need pumps to get the fluid up to the storage, but you will not regret setting it up that way later.

[info]

In the current save I am transporting everything to a Central Distribution hub, everything produced goes there if it is not used in the factory it is produced in.

Any Factory that wants something goes to the hub to collect what it needs.

Using Drones for this but it is certainly doable with other transport means.

ETA, meant to mention almost all Sinks are located at the Hub and every item Input/Output has one so Buffer there fills it sinks the rest.

[Chris Solomon]

drones are good for short haul loads, but for long distance, you should look at building a rail loop. trains cars can carry enormous loads compared to drones. for your setup, you could build a huge rail depot where things come in to stations to unload, and anything needing to go out could use drones for things nearby and another rail line for things farther away. keep in mind rail can carry both liquid AND solid items. so you can ship in liquid nitrogen gas or water to use for whatever project you need it for.