How to increase the input of assembling machines

[Sander_Bouwhuis]

I have a question regarding assembling machines. I have bottlenecks with the machines because the inserters stop putting resources in the machine before they are full.
For example, an object requires 3 copper cables. The machine can hold 100 copper cables in its stores. But, the inserter doesn't put them in! When an object is being made
only THEN does the inserter add a few resources. So, the machines constantly have to wait for the resources to be loaded.
When I manually fill the machines the assembling machines go much faster.

I'm obviously doing something wrong. How can I make the inserters fill the machines up to 100 so that I don't have to run around manually filling the machines?

[DaveMcW]

More inserters.
Faster inserters.
Bigger inserter item stack size.

[Sander_Bouwhuis]

Thanks for the help Dave.

So with the 'bigger inserter item stack size' setting I can fill the machine completely?

I couldn't find 'bigger inserter item stack size' in the settings.
Could you please tell me where to find it?

[Phillip_Lynx]

No, you can not made the inserters fill up the machines. Dave is wrong this time . They put enough into it to work continuosly and no more. It is a feature .

Why do you want to put more into it then it is needed?

[Sander_Bouwhuis]

Hi Phillip,

I want there to be more in the machine because the machine stalls after making 1 object. If I fill the machine, the machine outputs objects MUCH faster. It often can take a while before the right object comes by on the treadmill if you combine resources on a treadmill.

I guess I could have a setup where I have the treadmill, then a smart inserter, then a chest, then a smart inserter, then the assembling machine. Then at least the chest would always have enough items. But, a chest is too much. I would much prefer the machine to hold, say, 25 resources or so. That way it won't stall constantly.
Can I limit how much a chest holds?

[Phillip_Lynx]

If there is not enought material on the belt produce more (and do not mix materials on a belt ). And if a machine stops producing even if the minimum is in them from inserters, then your output is full

And yes, you can limit the chestes. There are some ways .

1.) click on the red X in the chest and then click on a field up. All field right and down will be marked as unaviable. So you can limit the stacks wich will put into a chest.
2.) If you can make inteligent boxes and red or green wires, then you can connect the intelligent ches and the intelligent inserter wit the cables (attached to a powerpole) and tell the inserter exatly he has only to work if the box held less than you want (1, 5, 7, 11, 129 or any number you say ).

And you do not need a smart inserter from the box to the machine. Ther any inserter will do, because in the box are only the things you wish.

[ratchetfreak]

Thanks for the help Dave.

So with the 'bigger inserter item stack size' setting I can fill the machine completely?

I couldn't find 'bigger inserter item stack size' in the settings.
Could you please tell me where to find it?

it's something you research.

With a smart chest you can wire the chest tot he smart inserter and say that it should only work if there is less that 25 of the items you want in the chest.

[Sander_Bouwhuis]

Ok, thanks for the tips guys/girls.

I'll do the 'limit chest to certain amount of items' trick. Hopefully that will keep my assembling machines humming along.

[BlakeMW]

You can maximize throughput of assembly machines by balancing the input and output inserters to the recipe.

For example a gears assembler consumes 2 iron plates and outputs 1 gear, that means you need a ratio of 2 input inserters to 1 output inserters

In contrast a copper wire assembler consumes 1 copper plate and outputs 2 wires, so you need a ratio of 1 input inserter to 2 output inserters

A green circuit assembler consumes 3 copper wire and 1 iron plate and outputs 1 electronic circuit, so you need a ratio of 3 copper wire inserters to 1 iron plate inserter to 1 output inserter.

This all assumes you're using the same inserter types in all places and they're inserting to/from the same source (i.e. belts, or logistic chests). Long arm inserters insert at exactly half the speed of fast inserters, so with a gears assembler you could have 1 fast inserter for iron plates, and 1 long arm inserter for gears, this meets the 2:1 ratio.

Without balancing the inserters if the assembler is running at maximum speed you'll either be input or output limited. If it is output limited (i.e. the output slot fills up) it wont accept any new inputs.

[byronczimmer]

Technically, because of the input buffer, you do not need to match the input/output inserter ratio, you need to match the input/output of materials.

Having two inserters for a gears assembly is a waste of power and materials. You only need one inserter, and the inserter will try to keep the current level of material at 4 iron plates (exactly twice the output). Assuming it can keep up (it can), a second inserter is redundant.

Same for copper wire output. There's a buffer of storage in the assemblers. provided an inserter can remove from that buffer as fast or faster than the coils being created, again, no reason to have two inserters removing stock.

The multi-inserter requirements may come into play if modules are used to speed up production, and if that's the case, it should be stated when the assembler is moving faster than input/output inserters are moving.

[BlakeMW]

In some cases you need more than one inserter surprisingly early if you want an assembler to operate at full capacity. With assembler 1 and only yellow inserters you'll be inserter-limited with any 0.5s recipe. With assembler 2 and fast inserters then any recipe with more than a 1:1 input:output and a crafting time of 0.5s will be inserter limited when using belts, there are many such recipes; gears, copper wire, electronic circuits, belts, inserters and so on. If not even a fast inserter can keep up with the assembler then the long arm doesn't have a chance, you'll definitely need 2 or 3 long arm inserters on such recipes to keep up (or insert into a chest).

When it comes to assembler 3 and modules, now that's when it gets fun, even with maxed out inserter item stack bonus and using logistic chests if you use optimal speed beacon setups (+340% crafting speed, +40% productivity) you will need multiple inserters, for most 0.5s recipes you'll need 5 or 6 fast inserters to keep the assembler 3 busy (that's even with stack bonus and chests), and throughput will be improved by having them in as close to optimal ratio.

[byronczimmer]

Is there a list somewhere of which assembly recipes need 1/2/3 inserters?

[Koub]

There is no such thing as a recipe needing n inserters. anything can be built with a single inserter if all the items cross the inserter's picking area. On the other hand, you can cram zillions of inserters (in this case, zillions is 8), and watch your inserters spend 90% of the time sleeping.

[Smarty]

There is no such thing as a recipe needing n inserters. anything can be built with a single inserter if all the items cross the inserter's picking area. On the other hand, you can cram zillions of inserters (in this case, zillions is 8), and watch your inserters spend 90% of the time sleeping.

Koub.....
Only 8? Lets make it 17 with long handed inserters

[Koub]

If you add long handed and normal inserters, you'll put the long handed where the short ones pickj items, preventing them to do so.