Factorio Forums

With 5.1 i started a new design which i would call an "oscillating bus".

The core idea was to deliver all ressources over a single belt (and maybe then extend this mixed belt to a double-belt or triple-belt).
The funny thing about this design is, that the ressources will be pushed on the belt in intervals and not consistent.

Prototype:


The pink line is the (currently red) belt which is used as a bus.
The green segment is the control-storage.
The yellow lines are the raw-ressource-feeders.

Main concept:
-The control-storage stores fast and puts items slow out (all in the same belt)
-Each item is moved on the belt by a smart inserter
-All inserters are connected with the storage (one green wire which follows the bus)

Now an example with gear-wheels. Assume there are no wheels stored. This will cause the smart inserters of all wheel-factories to empty the production-line in the bus.
For a short moment the bus is floated with wheels, until they reach the storage.
It takes some times until the storage is filled with a given amount (actual 40) wheels, which causes the wheel-inserters to stop.
Now the wheels can be used by other factories, until the amount in the storage falls below 40 again.


Advantages:
-Easy to extend (just put another wheel-factory right before a wheel-consumer sits)
-Control-Storages and ressource-input can be placed in multiple places everywhere on the belt (currently i have only one of each)
-If one line finishes (e.g. target amount of blue belts is reached) ressources of this line are available for other items and vice versa

Disadvantages:
-The control-storage is tricky (when to put out what in the belt again, when to stop produce something)
-The longer the bus gets the slower it reacts to changes (can be fixed with multiple input and multiple control-storages)
-Bound to the speed of a single belt (i will try to double the belt later and then mix the two belts to handle them as a single one)
-Bad placement might cause some production-lines to starve (e.g. if no iron plates get through the belt to the last factories)

Todo:
-Multiple control-storages
-Upgrade to blue belts
-Better distribution of factories for specific items on the belt
-Real storage for large amount of items
-Overall optimization.

Best regards

I started with the same concept as you did. I wanted to make a smart factory where the smart inserters controlled the supply, But it quickly got out of hand for me.
This is my new experience where I use one main line to transport everything but I don´t let inserters decide the production. Instead I make a part of the mainline got throu every supply station to refill a certain material but before the line comes to the station I fill it with the material that is supposed to be refilled.

So by using filter inserters I try to move over all ammo to one particular belt from the mainline (mainline is 16 belts) before it enters the ammo factory. that way if there is enough ammo in the mainline the belt going throu the ammo factory is already filled and I wont overflow the factory.

My biggest problem with smart inserters is the delay of materials witch as you said can be overcomed with more storage stations but it quickly became much work extending the factory when I had to add extra storage stations all the time