Iron Plate Maintenance

[Tyr4el]

A friend and I started a multiplayer game over the weekend and we're looking to continue it. I'll try to explain this as best as I can without a picture (at work).

Right now we have about....10-12 (maybe more) steel furnaces all producing iron plates (and sometimes stone due to an electric drill being on a small patch). Those iron plates are getting places on conveyor belts (fast) and going down to our assembling area where they are being used for everything they are required for up until red chips. Some are being split by splitters, but it feels like we aren't getting enough iron plates to our different assemblers. We're making enough I think (last count was about 357/s). I think the problem is they are only on one side of a belt and so it's not as efficient as it could be. I can't figure out how to get them onto both sides of the belt though.

If anyone can help from this really bad explanation, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise...I'll have to post a picture later .

Our setup right now is this:
O = Furance
|| = Belt
X = Inserter

O X ||
O X ||
O X ||
O X ||
O X ||
etc...

So any help on getting it to place on both sides of the belt would help! Thanks!

EDIT: Sorry, this should've gone in Gameplay Help

[sillyfly]

Umm... if you have enough mining and processing, but one side of the belt can carry all of that, why not put the plates on both sides?
Simply move half the furnaces to the other side of the belt, to use both sides.

[Tyr4el]

Umm... if you have enough mining and processing, but one side of the belt can carry all of that, why not put the plates on both sides?
Simply move half the furnaces to the other side of the belt, to use both sides.

I think that's what we'll do lol. Idk why I didn't think of that. We're going to be upgrading to electric furnaces soon so that will be a good point to reset everything.

[sillyfly]

If you don't want to redesign your entire line, you can just add a kink in the belt to achieve a similar effect. Something like this -

belt-kink.png (164.79 KiB) Viewed 9966 times

This way everything before will be on one side, everything after - on the other.

[Tyr4el]

We're going to have to completely redesign the entire layout because of the amount of space the electric furnaces take up. So instead of two columns of furnaces placing on two different belts on one side, we'll take those two columns and use one belt and place on both sides. Because we won't need coal anymore, it will be a lot easier than if we were to try and do it now with our setup (I think we'd have a hard time right now if we were to still use coal just due to how things are laid out).

[Xterminator]

Yup just have your output belt go down the middle of two lines of furnaces, works much better. For future reference though, one easy to get items going from one side of the belt to both sides is using a splitter. Stick a splitter on the belt in question, and place it so the other output of the splitter is on the side of the belt that is empty, and then just put a belt going from the second output turning on to the main belt. Bat to use a faster belt for this sense it is a corner turn.
Hope that made sense, I will try to add a quick picture later.

Here is a dinky little diagram:
ll = belt
__ = splitter
\ = curved belt

__ll <-- side with iron on it
\ ll

[Tyr4el]

Yup just have your output belt go down the middle of two lines of furnaces, works much better. For future reference though, one easy to get items going from one side of the belt to both sides is using a splitter. Stick a splitter on the belt in question, and place it so the other output of the splitter is on the side of the belt that is empty, and then just put a belt going from the second output turning on to the main belt. Bat to use a faster belt for this sense it is a corner turn.
Hope that made sense, I will try to add a quick picture later.

Here is a dinky little diagram:
ll = belt
__ = splitter
\ = curved belt

__ll <-- side with iron on it
\ ll

You lost me at "Yup"

[Lee_newsum]

Have a look at this post= https://forums.factorio.com/forum/vie ... f=5&t=3920
and the wiki on https://forums.factorio.com/wiki/inde ... %26_Tricks

[Tyr4el]

That helps some! I think I know how I'm going to redo the layout though. One belt down with furnaces on both sides. I think that will be easiest. It will clean up a lot too.

[york2dx48]

What you can do is building a balancer. Don't worry about the sort of the belt.

[R4CLucky14]

I disagree with balancing AFTER the furnaces. Your throughput will still essentially be one lane of belt. The only differences is that the belt will have a larger buffer/storage.

If you want to increase throughput, you need to directly output to both sides of the belt. I also suggest, if you want 100% efficiency, to not use inserters to place directly on the belt, as they won't take use of smaller gaps. I would suggest, rather, to place a belt leading into the through belt, and that is where the inserter places it. This will increase throughput, as the material will just slide in whenever there is an opportunity, and will often lead to better density.

[sillyfly]

I disagree with balancing AFTER the furnaces. Your throughput will still essentially be one lane of belt. The only differences is that the belt will have a larger buffer/storage.

Indeed!
Balancing after the last output hardly helps throughput, but I guess it's simple and people like seeing a full belt...

[Koub]

This is what I did in my last game :

Code: Select all

FF FF FF FF FF 
FF FF FF FF FF 
i  i  i  i  i  
B  B  B  B  B  
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB =>
B  B  B  B  B  
i  i  i  i  i  
FF FF FF FF FF 
FF FF FF FF FF 

F = Furnace (4 tiles)
i=inserter
B=Belt

[Tyr4el]

Yeah that's another good option. I may do it that way as well.

[york2dx48]

What you can do is building a balancer. Don't worry about the sort of the belt.

Sorry.You actually need to worry about the sort of the belt, because in the curves or corners the Ore or whatever you would like to transport the concentration or density goes down. So use in curves belts with one grade better, but don't mix 2 different grades on straight belts, because what will happen is you will loose the nice compression on your belts as well and then you start building a second belt and wasting recources and space.

greetings

york2dx48

[DerivePi]

furnace.jpg (532.05 KiB) Viewed 8278 times

This layout seems to work still working on it though

[Tyr4el]

I have no words...

That's incredible, really.