Sorter Mk.II

CategoryLogistics

Overview

Sorter Mk.II is an improved Sorter used to move items between Conveyor Belts and buildings, between buildings directly, or from buildings back onto belts. Like other Sorters, it can also be given a filter so that it handles only specific items. It is a core logistics component in nearly every production chain because most buildings need Sorters to insert inputs and remove outputs.

Compared with Sorter Mk.I, Sorter Mk.II operates at twice the speed. The sorter tiers scale their power use and transfer speed in the same proportion, so moving an item with Sorter Mk.I, Sorter Mk.II, or Sorter Mk.III costs the same amount of energy overall; the higher tiers mainly finish the job sooner. Because of this, upgrading or downgrading Sorters does not meaningfully change energy cost, except that an idle higher-tier Sorter draws slightly more power while waiting.

A Sorter can cover a maximum distance of three tiles. Transport rate depends on distance:

1 grid square: 3.0 items/s
2 grid squares: 1.5 items/s
3 grid squares: 1.0 item/s

Building-to-building connections always require at least two grid squares, while building-to-belt connections are usually one grid square. As a result, outputting to a belt and then later inputting from that belt is not more expensive than connecting buildings directly; the main difference is idle power draw from having more Sorters in use.

Sorters can be filtered, which makes it possible to route multiple item types along the same Conveyor Belt instead of dedicating one belt per component. Filtered Sorters are also useful for taking only a chosen product from a machine with multiple outputs, such as an Oil Refinery. To apply a filter, select an installed sorter and click Filter in the control panel, then choose the component it should handle exclusively. To remove the filter, select the installed sorter again and click the X beside the component icon.

A practical use of Sorter Mk.II is fuel delivery to Thermal Power Stations. Using at least Mk.II helps avoid severe brownouts, since Sorter Mk.I can slow enough that it fails to keep up with fuel demand. Sorter Mk.II can later be upgraded to Sorter Mk.III and then Pile Sorter.