Assembler

The Assembler is one of the main machines used to automate crafting. It can handle most regular recipes, making it the backbone of early- and mid-game production lines as well as many late-game factories. When placed, it occupies a 4×4 footprint and is 3 tiles high, with sorter connection points in the middle of all four sides.

There are four assembler variants: Assembling Machine Mk.I, Assembling Machine Mk.II, Assembling Machine Mk.III, and the Re-composing Assembler. The variants do not unlock different recipe sets or special abilities; they differ only in appearance, power consumption, and production speed. In practice, lower-tier models are more power-efficient, while higher-tier models trade that efficiency for compactness and throughput. The listed production speeds are 0.75× for Mk.I, 1× for Mk.II, 1.5× for Mk.III, and 3× for the Re-composing Assembler. Their power consumption also rises sharply with each tier, from 270 kW to 540 kW, then 1.08 MW, and finally 2.70 MW, with correspondingly higher standby draw.

The Assembler is designed for broad recipe coverage, from simple component crafting to large-scale manufacturing. It can even be used for tasks as varied as winding copper wire around magnets or building structures larger than itself, which reflects how many recipes fall under its scope. Because of that breadth, it is often more practical to remember which production buildings are specialized and treat everything else as an Assembler recipe.

Assemblers have sorter ports on the middle of each side, with three connection points per side. When lined up closely, they still leave a one-tile gap between adjacent machines, which usually allows conveyor belts, Sorters, and Tesla Towers to be placed in the space. This makes them convenient for dense production layouts and power distribution, and the Mecha can also pass through these gaps.

By contrast, buildings such as Storage, Smelters, and Chemical Plants can be placed fully flush against one another. In that state, there is no space for belts to pass between them, no room to connect them with Sorters, and the Mecha cannot walk through the gap. If you need belt access or movement space, leave at least one tile between those buildings. A gap between a Storage Tank and another structure still allows Mecha passage, but ground placement of objects in that space is not possible.