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I was monitoring my factories being busy for the greater good and thought "Why do they have an entrance/exit at the bottom/southern wall but don't use it?"

Thinking of something like a car factory with a permanently moving belt or monorail it would make sense that the inserters take the materials from outside and place them inside the factory.
But why not make the factory itself push the product outside through that opening allowing you to just place a conveyor next to it to transport it off?
On the one hand, it would help reduce the amount of inserters needed to set up a factory and it might even make the whole construction more compact. On the other hand you would be dependant on the exit direction. At least without being able to turn the factory (hint hint).

Maybe even allow both? The inserter could "signal" the factory to not use the exit but wait for pickup when there's an inserter to take from the factory. In all other cases the factory would simply spit out the product.

I think you pretty much answered your own question. Also, this would prevent the assembling machines from finishing an entire stack before halting production.

Mysteria9 wrote:... Also, this would prevent the assembling machines from finishing an entire stack before halting production.

Care to elaborate?
I can't see a reason this wouldn't at least assemble one product and then wait for more room.
The whole idea behind this is to enable the factories to directly feed the conveyors without the need to use an inserter to take it out.

I prefer to dictate where things enter and exit my factories. Usually it's a pretty hectic setup.

Well.. my current setup could really use that - I have a long line of assembling machines that makes smart inserters.

My machines don't make a full stack anyway. The inserter that is supplying them stops once there is a handful.
(And then it looks as if the machine ran out of resources. It would be nice if the assembling machine stopped on it's own and the inserter kept it supplied)

I think that this idea needs only one thing polished - when would that output activate?
Hmm.. "always when there is no outbound inserter" could work well enough.

I actually like the idea of preventing output to pile up in the assembling machine.

There would also be an important benefit if this gets implemented - conveyor belts can be walked though.
I wouldn't have to go around that smart inserter making machine line.

Kadaban wrote:

Mysteria9 wrote:... Also, this would prevent the assembling machines from finishing an entire stack before halting production.

Care to elaborate?
I can't see a reason this wouldn't at least assemble one product and then wait for more room.
The whole idea behind this is to enable the factories to directly feed the conveyors without the need to use an inserter to take it out.

I actually didn't think that one over. I thought the entire "output slot" would be moved outside the machine, but you are of course right. I withdraw!

There are some ideas going into this direction of

automation streets, assembly lines, Star Wars like robot factories, car production

This one is good enough to keep it for the moment, because it describes some clever general stakes a normal player will have with it.