- This article is about the block named "Assembler". For its early-game counterparts, see Basic Assembler and Survival Kit.
Assembler | |
---|---|
Category: | Facility |
Status: | Functional |
Function: | |
Used to turn materials like ingots from the Refinery into components. | |
Fits large ship and station | |
Mass: | 3,608 kg |
Capacity: | 1,000 L |
Power: | Standby -1 kW Active -560 kW |
Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
The Assembler is a functional block in Space Engineers. You control it through the Production tab.
This is the advanced variant of the Basic Assembler. It is essential to be able to produce components for mid- and end-game blocks. It also has better blueprint queuing than its basic variant.
If Progression is on, you unlock the Assembler only after completing the Basic Assembler.
Construction[]
The entry point for building the first Assembler is obtaining Metal Grids. Either you assemble Metal Grids from Cobalt ingots in the Basic Assembler, or alternatively, you salvage them by grinding down e.g. heavy armor.
The Assembler is available only for large grid, where it takes up 1x1x2 blocks of space. The block has four conveyor ports (Cargo access points), one on either end, and two more on an opposing pair of tall sides.
The four tall sides are covered with eight module attachment points (two on each side) where you can optionally place Upgrade Modules. This means that two of the conveyor ports double as module attachment points. If you intend to benefit from modules, consider the extra space needed, and the potentially covered up conveyor ports.
The Assembler will consume a maximum of 560 kW of power when running at full speed. It will function on less power, but will work at a proportionately slower rate.
Usage[]
Engineers use Assemblers to produce all the components in Space Engineers (assembly). Its secondary function is recycling (disassembly).
- Either fill the Basic Assembler with materials (such as ingots), or conveyor its ports to a (Basic) Refinery or Survival Kit.
- Open the Production screen in the Terminal.
- Choose one of two modes, Assembler or Disassembler, and queue up items from the list.
Find details in the Production article.
Tip: To queue up items in separate assemblers on a single ship, use the drop-down menu in the top-left corner of the production tab to select a specific assembler to interact with.
Cooperative Mode[]
If you have several Assemblers, configure them on the Production screen to run in Cooperative Mode, so they parallelise their workload, and you get components faster.
- Build several Assemblers whose ports touch (or are conveyored).
- Choose one of them to be the primary assembler (the one you will interact with) and disable "Cooperative Mode" in it.
- Enable "Cooperative Mode" in all the secondary Assemblers.
- Queue up components only in the primary assembler.
The secondary Assemblers will distribute the workload automatically.
Pros are increased speed and free attachment slots for Power Efficiency modules. Cons are the higher component cost because you’re building several assemblers instead of speed modules.
Upgrade Modules: Speed and Power[]
On May 7, 2015, update 1.081 brought upgrade modules to the game that let you improve the capabilities of the Assembler.
Each Speed Module that you attach to the assembler increases your production speed and power consumption as would building one extra Cooperative Assembler. Pros are that speed modules takes less space and cost fewer components than a whole Assembler. Cons are that for each Speed Module, you lose a possible slot for a Power Efficiency Module.
The Power Efficiency Module reduces the power usage of the Assembler.
You will need to find your balance between power consumption, component cost, and speed.
Repeat Mode[]
On the Production screen, you can configure your Assembler to run in different modes. Repeat Mode automatically repeats the current queue when ever it can pull the items necessary.
You can, for example set aside one Assembler, enable Repeat Mode on it, and queue up Disassembling recipes for items that you always want to get rid of when ever they enter the conveyor system.
Inventory[]
With Realistic settings, the Assembler has two inventories, both with a capacity of 1,000L on large ships and stations. The input inventory accepts material type items. The output inventory accepts component type items, typically ones that have been assembled or the player places there for disassembly.
If attached to a conveyor system, the input container is flagged to receive pushed items from other inventories. The output inventory is flagged to send pulled items to other blocks. It will automatically issue pull requests if it has an active job and is low on materials. If its output is getting full, it will automatically issue push requests to connected cargo containers.[1]
Recipe[]
Assembler | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | ||
Computer | 160 | — | ||
Metal Grid | 10 | — | ||
Display | 10 | — | ||
Motor | 20 | — | ||
Construction Comp. | 80 | — | ||
Steel Plate | 120 | 20 |
Total materials for Assembler in Survival:
Refined material | Quantity |
---|---|
Iron Ingot | 3,868.00 |
Nickel Ingot | 40.00 |
Cobalt Ingot | 40.00 |
Silicon Wafer | 28.00 |
Tips and Tricks[]
Use the Build Planner to speed things up! Ctrl+Clicking will add 10 of the selected item to the queue. Similarly, Shift+Click will add 100, and Ctrl+Shift+Click will add 1000. These shortcuts work on the Production tab, as well as when clicking a connected inventory port with a block selected from the toolbar.
A common reason why an Assembler doesn't seem to be assembling anything is that it is still set to disassembling on the Production screen. An Assembler can only process one queue at a time, either assembly or disassembly. Don’t forget to set at least one Assembler to assembly. If your only Assembler is set to disassembly, the Build Planner won’t work, either.
Are you certain that you have the neccessary ingots in your conveyor system, but the assembler seems to be ignoring them? Check the Inventory tab whether the input slot of the assembler is full with gravel (or another common resource) which prevents the Assembler of pulling the variety of materials that it needs.
Can't find this Assembler in the Inventory? Go to the Production tab and click Inventory in the bottom right to identify it quickly.
Can't find this Assembler in the Control Panel Screen? Go to the Production tab and click Control Panel in the bottom right to identify it quickly.
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