Designing and building the factory from scratch is part of the challenge and intense addiction that Factorio has. From time to time, you will need to do some research on new technologies which will unlock new recipes, improve your methods of production, and provide you with the protection of your factory against alien invasions.
This blog post will concentrate on effective lab uses in Factorio for conducting technological study.
But first, don’t forget to set up your
Factorio server. Anyway, continue reading when you’ve already done that!
What Is a Lab in Factorio?
A lab in Factorio is a structure via which technological research exercise is being done. This particular game component is of indispensable demand as it is intended to be used for further levels. When it comes to usage, you are supposed to supply a lab with scientific packs. There are seven types of science packs in Factorio: automation, logistics, military, chemical, production, utility, and space.
As you unlock a new technology, this unlocks the recipes for every sort of science pack and it allows the creation of the science packs in assemblers. Science packs, once produced, can be transported to the lab through the transport belts and inserters. The research time of any given technology is a function of a number of labs, lab speed, and the research cost.
Streamlining and Automating the Research Process
To automate the research process, a manufacturing line that generates the required scientific packs and feeds them into the labs must be constructed. Inserters and transport belts are two items that might be useful in this operation. You may build up a chain of assemblers to produce the required scientific packets and feed them onto a conveyor belt. After that, you may use inserters to remove the scientific packs off the belt and feed them into the laboratory.
It's critical to understand that the number of labs employed to research a technology directly correlates with the length of time required. To accelerate the research process, aim to employ as many labs as feasible.
Furthermore, you can speed up the labs by including modules and beacons. These modules' and beacons' research speed modifiers can cut down on how long it takes to research a technology.
Optimizing lab setup
Regarding lab setup, Factorio allows for lots of methods. A common way of jamming all four scientific packs into a two-tile region is with subsurface belts that cycle between red and blue. Add two tiles' worth of red inserters to this for an easy pick from all four belts. The alternative way would be to have all the labs in one long, sprawling line and insert the research from one to the next with inserters. By the late game, with the advanced inserters, you can process up to 600 science every minute for each kind.
It's crucial to take into account the space needs, power usage, and resource availability while constructing your lab setup. For instance, if space is at a premium, you may choose a compact design that makes use of subsurface belts and inserters. On the other side, if you have ample room and money, you can employ a broader architecture that utilizes numerous lines of labs to simultaneously explore various technologies.
Mods to Improve lab setup
Many modifications are available in Factorio to improve lab setup. These changes can enhance the game experience by adding new features and functionalities.
An unlimited number of item producers are available in BlueprintLab_design, for example, to test builds, and unlimited objects may be used to directly input blueprints into the lab. The_Lab_016 comes with a tool for setting up lab areas in addition to lab tiles.
The Production Calculator Tool
There is a production calculator tool called FactorioLab that can be used to determine the resource and factory needs for desired output goods in Factorio. By using this tool, you can calculate the needed assemblers, furnaces, and other devices to produce a specific volume of items per minute.
Other games like Captain of Industry, Satisfactory, and Dyson Sphere Program can also use it. You may streamline your production procedures, reduce resource waste, and raise the general productivity of your firm by employing a production calculator application.
FAQ
The number of labs that can be used to explore a technology in Factorio is not in any way restricted. However, the number of labs used is in direct relationship with the time required to develop a technique. Thus, the more labs you run, the quicker the process of research. Factorio's modules and beacons can make your labs really fast.
This means that adding in an extra module to a lab will bring down the bonus given by each module incorporated. Using the modification of research speed from modules and beacons in a lab can take up to 50% less time to investigate a technology. Unlike beacons that can afflict several labs at once, beacons are a handy tool to speed up your procedures of research.
Factorio gives a very efficient way to bring in bulk those science packets into labs using transport belts and inserters. One of the widely used ways of doing this is to scrunch all four science packs within a two-tile space using subsurface belts, and in turn, they are substituted by a red and blue belts combination.
For a simple selection from all four belts, pair this with two tiles' worth of red inserters. The second way is to lay out the labs in a single long line and run inserters from one lab to another to pass the science through. In the late game, with fast inserters, it can be produced at a rate of up to 600 per minute of each type.
Final Thoughts
Factories play a very crucial role in Factorio gaming as this is what allows you to start testing out new technologies and unlocking new recipes. You will enjoy the overall productivity of your factory better by automatically scheduling research, proper lab configuration, together with some mods and production calculator tools, also by upgrading lab setup.
And always do balancing in order not to overwhelm labs, as this can also bring overconsumption of energy. Now, these tricks and resources are in your hands; go and win Factorio in no time!