Storage
Storage is the concept of storing items. Under normal circumstances, it's unnecessary to store many different types of items. Instead, the player should keep items flowing by passing them as fast as possible/affordable from production step to the next step to create higher level items, instead of storing them.
Overview
- Storage/Stack: a stack is the basic element to store items. A stack goes into a slot in an inventory.
- Chests: the most common form of storage.
- Vehicle: Vehicles can store a significant amount of items, more than chests.
- Car: The car has a very huge inventory.
- Cargo wagon: Has 30 slots for storage.
- Transport belts: The amount of items on a transport belt can be deceivingly high, especially at train stops and in production where this must be taken into account. Splitters and underground belts also hold a small amount of items.
Simple buffers
The most common form of storage, buffers, are useful when a factory only uses a resource intermittently. By creating a buffer, one can assure that the resource being buffered is always present when it's needed, very important for items that are slow to produce. Buffers can also be used to ensure that certain items are always being produced or mined.
Some examples of buffers include:
- Belts store about 72 items per 10 belts when both sides of the belt are used.
- Chests can be used to create larger buffers of items.
- Machine Buffer
- Assembling machines and other production machines can hold a very small amount of items in their output slot. They will stop working until these items are emptied.