I did now long testing this sorting ideas and as long as we don't have wireless circuit network or so it makes no sense to sort.
Reason:
* sorting means, that we split a stream of items into two (or more)
* for that, it is absolutely necessary, that the resulting streams are all used. Completely used.
* because otherwise the unused part of the stream must block the used. This can be seen often, either you have too less iron or too less copper. That it is exactly even used is in really, really seldom and only, unless one mine gets empty.
* so the unused item will block the needed. There is no way around it!
We can make many things to go over this blocking:
* first: storages.
* second: bigger storages.
* third: enormous storages
At some point in thruput your storage will be filled extremely fast and you need a bigger storage.
And the only thing, that can be done to avoid that is by regulating the production. And regulating means, to measure how full a storage gets and if too full, then stop production before the storage gets too small to avoid the blocking.
And that means, that I need to have to transmit this information over a long way (train) to the mining-site, because only there I can switch it of.
Hmm... What do I want to say is: a sorting splitter has been suggested many times yet. But before that I can sort with smart inserter and before that I need to have control over the production.