Across all milestones in Satisfactory, you’ll keep unlocking new ways to turn existing resources into other items. Automated machines do the heavy lifting here, and you’ll unlock more of them as you progress. While early lines are straightforward, late-game production becomes highly complex and consists of many interlocking parts. To help you keep track of what each machine is for, we’ve put together a clear, general overview!
Satisfactory Smelter: Smelt ore and produce ingots
Unlocks: Tier 0 - HUB Upgrade 2
Cost to build: 5x Iron Rod, 8x Wire
Ores are one of your most important production inputs and show up right at the start. With the Smelter, you can process mined deposits automatically. Smelters are small and compact and process iron, copper, and caterium. Later, they’re partially or entirely replaced by the Foundry.
Key outputs:
- Iron Ingots
- Copper Ingots
- Caterium Ingots
Satisfactory Foundry: Alloys and alternative ingot recipes
Unlocks: Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production
Cost to build: 10x Modular Frame, 10x Rotor, 20x Concrete
In the Foundry you can produce alloys from multiple ores, unlike the Smelter. One-to-one processing isn’t possible here, but later you’ll find alternative recipes for simple ingots as well. In fact, most of the Foundry’s options are alternates. Like the Smelter, the Foundry underpins many other production lines.
Key outputs:
- Steel Ingots
- Aluminum Ingots
- Other ingots (alternate recipes)
Satisfactory Constructor: Produce foundational items
Unlocks: Tier 0 - HUB Upgrade 3
Cost to build: 2x Reinforced Iron Plate, 8x Cable
The Constructor is one of your most important machines because it converts a single item into another. It’s used in a huge number of recipes and stays relevant through the end of the game. All basic items in Satisfactory are produced here.
Key outputs:
- Cable
- Wire
- Screws
- Biomass
- Iron Rods
- Concrete
- Iron Plates
Satisfactory Assembler: Combine two resources into components
Unlocks: Tier 2 - Part Assembly
Cost to build: 8x Reinforced Iron Plate, 4x Rotor, 10x Cable
From Tier 2 onward, the Assembler lets you combine two items into one new item. This becomes increasingly important as you progress. It doesn’t make alloys, but it covers almost all other fabrications. With over 60 recipes, it can produce all kinds of components, including many alternate options.
Key outputs:
- Nobelisk
- Modular Frames
- Reinforced Iron Plates
- Rotors, Motors, Stators
- Encased Industrial Beams
- AI Limiter
- Smart Plating
Satisfactory Manufacturer: Assemble 3 to 4 components
Unlocks: Tier 6 - Industrial Manufacturing
Cost to build: 10x Motor, 20x Modular Frame, 50x Plastic, 50x Cable
Mid-game you unlock the Manufacturer, which assembles three or four previously produced items into one. That makes your lines more complex, but it’s standard from Tier 6 onward. It will be the focus of much of your late-game work, so get familiar with its alternate recipes too.
Key outputs:
- Computer
- Supercomputer
- Crystal Oscillator
- Heavy Modular Frame
- Adaptive Control Unit
- Nuclear Fuel Rods
- Turbo Motor
- Radio Control Unit
Satisfactory Refinery: Oil, fuel, and by-products
Unlocks: Tier 5 - Oil Processing
Cost to build: 10x Motor, 10x Encased Industrial Beam, 30x Steel Pipe, 20x Copper Sheet
Oil is a key resource you can extract at Tier 5. You then process it in the Refinery. Many recipes produce Heavy Oil Residue and Polymer Resin as by-products. The Refinery is also essential for producing fuel and aluminum components.
Key outputs:
- Plastic
- Rubber
- Fuel
- Sulfuric Acid
Satisfactory Packager: Package liquids and gases
Unlocks: Tier 5 - Fluid Packaging
Cost to build: 20x Steel Beam, 10x Rubber, 10x Plastic
You’ll also handle fluids in Satisfactory, but they aren’t always easy to move (Satisfactory: Transport fluids and gases efficiently) . With the Packager you can package them into canisters or tanks and then send them along via conveyor belt. You can also unpack them again when you need the fluid form.
Key outputs:
- Packaged Fuel
- Packaged Gases
- Packaged Water
Satisfactory Blender: Mix solids, liquids, and gases
Unlocks: Tier 7 - Control System Development
Cost to build: 10x Computer, 10x Heavy Modular Frame, 20x Motor, 50x Aluminum Casing
The Blender combines different solid, gaseous, and liquid items. It’s used for several late-game products you’ll need to progress. A fun detail: the fluid’s color inside the machine changes depending on what you’re producing.
Key outputs:
- Rocket Fuel
- Cooling System
- Nitric Acid
- Encased Uranium Cell
- Battery
Satisfactory Particle Accelerator: Nuclear power and Dark Matter
Unlocks: Tier 8 - Particle Enrichment
Cost to build: 10x Turbo Motor, 10x Supercomputer, 25x Fused Modular Frame, 50x Cooling System, 500x Turbo Wire
The final three machines ramp up significantly in complexity and outclass all others. First up is the Particle Accelerator, which not only draws varying amounts of power but also looks suitably futuristic. Many of its recipes focus on nuclear power or Dark Matter, and a large portion are alternate options.
Key outputs:
- Dark Matter Crystal
- Diamonds
- Nuclear Pasta
- Plutonium Pellet
- Ficsonium
Satisfactory Converter: Transmute ores with Reanimated SAM
Unlocks: Tier 9 - Matter Conversion
Cost to build: 10x Fused Modular Frame, 25x Cooling System, 50x Radio Control Unit, 100x SAM Fluctuator
This is where Reanimated SAM finally comes into play. Use it to convert all sorts of ores into other variants. You can also only make the new FICSIT Ingots here. Lastly, the Converter also produces Excited Photonic Matter.
Key outputs:
- Ore conversion
- FICSIT Ingots
- Excited Photonic Matter
- Dark Matter Residue
- Time Crystals
Satisfactory Quantum Encoder: Working with Excited Photonic Matter
Unlocks: Tier 9 - Quantum Encoding
Cost to build: 20x Turbo Motor, 20x Supercomputer, 50x Cooling System, 50x Time Crystal, 100x FICSIT Trigon
Finally, the Quantum Encoder unlocks just six recipes. You’ll need the previously produced Excited Photonic Matter to run it. It leaves behind Dark Matter Residue, which you’ll need again in the Particle Accelerator. Like that machine, the Encoder also draws variable amounts of power—often with even stronger fluctuations.
Key outputs:
- Superposition Oscillator
- Neural Quantum Processor
- AI Expansion Server
- Ficsonium Fuel Rod
- Alien Energy Matrix
- Energy Fragment
Conclusion: Master Satisfactory’s machines and production chains
From simple ore smelting to quantum physics, Satisfactory spans a wide range of machinery. What starts out easy becomes a complex web of production lines that go far beyond familiar real-world physics. Use milestones and Space Elevator phases as guideposts to stay on track.
To unlock and experience all these machines yourself, rent one of our Satisfactory servers and play together with your friends: https://www.4netplayers.com/en-us/gameserver-hosting/satisfactory/ Support each other and make the planet your own!
