Inserters

Basics

Inserters are the fundamental structure of a factory. They take an item from behind it and place it in front of it. Inserters can pick up items off the ground, off a transport belt, or from any object that can hold items (eg. chest, furnace), and place them onto the ground, on a transport belt, or into any object that can hold items.

Inserter mechanics

Inserters will act differently depending on what they are moving items to/into so as not to monopolize all of the items being picked up and allow other machines and inserters on the same transport belt to have items. [1]

• Boilers/Burner Items: Inserters will only place up to 5 pieces of coal into a boiler, burner inserter, or furnace before stopping.
• Assembly Machines: Inserters will place up to twice the items needed to make one of the specified item.
• Transport belts: Inserters will always place the item on the further lane.

Types

Item	Total raw	Max power	Speed	Range	Special
File:Burner-inserter.png Burner inserter	File:Iron-plate.png 3	180 W (burner)	1	1	Only inserter using Fuel.
Inserter	File:Iron-plate.png 4 File:Copper-plate.png 1.5	12.6 W (electric)	1	1	Standard inserter.
File:Long-handed-inserter.png Long handed inserter	File:Iron-plate.png 7 File:Copper-plate.png 1.5	18 W (electric)	1	2	Only inserter with higher range.
File:Fast-inserter.png Fast inserter	File:Iron-plate.png 8 File:Copper-plate.png 4.5	31.5 W (electric)	2	1	Basic faster inserter.
File:Filter-inserter.png Filter inserter	File:Iron-plate.png 10 File:Copper-plate.png 8	40 W (electric)	2	1	Inserter configurable for which Items to move. Removed in 0.7.2. See Smart inserter.
Smart inserter	File:Iron-plate.png 12 File:Copper-plate.png 10.5	44.1 W (electric)	2.4	1	Only inserter connectable to Circuit networks and with configurable working condition.

Special behavior

• Inserters/Interaction with other Entities
• Research:Item Cargo Size Update: works only for transport from stack to stack
• Inserters:Focus/Grep-Points
• Inserters/Priority

[TODO: a picture, where two inserters grep the same point] This picture shows two inserters pointing at the same tile.

Good question: When an item is placed into the focus of the inserters, which inserter will take it?

Answer: The first placed inserter.

This behavior can be used for many tricks:

• Assembly1 produces wheels. Inserter1 gives it to assembly2 (which produces belt) or inserter2 puts the wheel into a chest or another assembly. The function is then: First produce belts, if you have enough then store wheels (or give it to the third assembly).

[more examples with pic]

• Storages/Sorting (extended filtering)

See also

• Electric network
• Transport network