Automate · Clear responsibilities · Verified August 15, 2026
Sandustry Automation Basics
Reliable automation starts when each component has one visible job and every material state has a destination.
Quick answer
What to do
Use Conveyor Belts for horizontal solid movement, Launchers for elevation, Filters for a vertical split, and later Pumps/Pipes/Liquid Vents for controlled liquid delivery. Processors still need open input and output space.
Give every component one job
| Component | Primary job | Failure to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Conveyor Belt | Move solids horizontally | Backpressure from a full destination |
| Launcher | Move launchable solids upward | Wrong aim or obstructed landing |
| Filter | Drop a configured pixel out of a mixed stream | Blocked exit, dense pile, state change |
| Pump + Pipe + Vent | Move liquids to a controlled outlet | No receiving capacity or overflow |
Separate reaction, transport and storage zones
Water can change Sand or Seeds; fire can change or destroy Residue. Keep those reactions in dedicated chambers, then transport stable outputs through Filters. This makes a stopped line diagnosable: you can see whether the material failed to react, failed to move or failed to enter storage.
Design for backpressure
Every output eventually fills. Add a visible buffer before storage and an accessible way to stop the input. A Filter with no space below can trap pixels, and a blocked Kinetic Press can stop all impacts. Overflow is a normal factory state to plan, not an edge case.
Commission in four passes
- Run each transport segment empty and verify direction.
- Run one known material through each processor.
- Verify every product and byproduct reaches its own buffer.
- Introduce continuous input slowly and watch the first point where a pile grows.