Aluminum scrap is the first step of the aluminum chain, refined from bauxite. It then smelts into ingots for casings and sheets.
What you need
- A miner on a bauxite node.
- A refinery to make alumina solution and then scrap.
- Smelters to turn scrap into ingots.
Step-by-step build
- Place a miner on a bauxite node.
- Refine bauxite into alumina solution.
- Refine alumina solution into aluminum scrap.
- Smelt the scrap into aluminum ingots.
- Belt ingots to the next line.
- Overclock the miner or refinery if scrap runs low.
Throughput tips
- Keep the refinery ahead of the smelter
- Overclock the bauxite miner
- Belt ingots to storage
- Watch for water input needs
Practical notes
The aluminum chain starts with two refinery steps, and both need to scale together or the line stalls between them. Bauxite becomes alumina solution, then alumina solution becomes scrap, and only then does a smelter turn scrap into ingots.
Water is an input along the way, so keep the water extractor fed and the pipes short. Overclock the bauxite miner first, because every step downstream inherits its output limit.
Buffer scrap between the refinery and the smelter so a brief hiccup upstream does not idle the smelters. This chain is long, so build it with expansion room rather than wedging it between existing lines. Ingots feed both casings and sheets, so split the output with a splitter once the line is stable.
Common mistakes
- Under-supplying bauxite
- Too few refiners or smelters
- Ignoring water or byproduct inputs