Ore Factory Squad Conveyor Automation Guide
Build efficient Ore Factory Squad conveyor lines: splitters, mergers, elevation, lift links, and bottleneck fixes for co-op factories.
Conveyor Basics
Conveyors are the circulatory system of Ore Factory Squad factories. They move ore from Modular Mining Lift dumps through crushers and smelters into bins and warehouse robot pads. Every belt tile has direction — intake arrows must face upstream output or machines idle with empty inputs while bins overflow elsewhere.
Build trunk lines first: lift → splitter hub → smelter rows → staging. Branch only after trunk throughput proves stable for one full mining cycle.
Machine compatibility on the machines page; placement keys on building and placement.
Splitters, Mergers, and Filters
Splitters divide one ore stream into parallel smelters or route Copper left and Iron right. Mergers recombine lines before warehouse loading when multiple wings feed one contract staging zone.
Improper splitter ratios starve downstream machines — if two smelters each need five ore per minute, a single splitter without balanced routing feeds one smelter constantly and the other never.
When filtering by ore type becomes available in your patch, use it before generic splitters on mixed lift dumps.
Elevation and Long Runs
Ramp pieces connect mezzanine smelter banks to ground-level lifts. Each turn and slope adds minor delay compounding on long distances from deep properties — minimize zigzags on cross-deed bridges if building elevated links.
Vertical separation also separates foot paths from belts reducing player collisions in co-op. Light elevated walkways if structures support them.
Factory grid planning on factory layout prevents ramp dead ends against property fences.
Linking Lifts to Surface Lines
Configure lift stops to deposit into intake crates or direct belt inputs. Test empty lift cycles before sending miners for full production — deposit misalignment dumps ore into void tiles in some edge cases.
Upgrade lift speed only when miners consistently fill bins faster than lift clears them — otherwise investment belongs in more smelters or splitters.
Mining pace coordination in the mining guide.
Debugging Stalled Belts
Walk from empty machine upstream to full bin downstream. Common fixes: rotate one misaligned segment, add splitter capacity, empty full output bin, or restart lift deposit timing after co-op player edits.
Announce factory pauses on voice chat before debugging live lines miners still feed — ore on belts during demolition wastes goods and contract margins.
Estimate fixes with the production calculator before adding expensive duplicate trunks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is ore stuck on one belt segment?
Downstream full bin or wrong machine input type. Clear bin or reroute splitter. Check rotation arrows on the stuck segment.
How many splitters do I need?
One splitter per ore type division at minimum. Complex factories use hierarchical splitters near lift hubs before wing-specific rows.
Can conveyors cross property boundaries?
Depends on deed adjacency and patch rules. Multi-property logistics often use trucks instead of cross-deed belt bridges.
Do conveyors consume power?
Belts typically run passively; machines consume power. Verify generator requirements on machine tooltips after updates.
What throughput do I need for Gold contracts?
Calculate Gold smelter output rate versus contract quantity and deadline. Use production calculator inputs for squad planning.