Compressor
alaindustrial:compressor
Summary
The Compressor is an LV machine that squeezes raw materials into denser forms: metal dust into ingots, coal and gem dust back into items, ice and snow into denser blocks, sugar cane into paper. Its standout job is closing the ore-doubling loop for non-metals — it's the only machine that restores coal, diamond, emerald and lapis dust to a usable item, so ore → 2 dust → 2 items works for those too.
Mini-example: grind a diamond ore in the Macerator to get two diamond dusts, then run both through here. You end up with two diamonds from one ore — and only this machine can do that last step.
Energy
The Compressor only consumes EU/FE and keeps a small buffer so it doesn't stutter when the supply is uneven.
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Internal buffer | 800 EU/FE |
| Max input | 32 EU/FE/t (LV) |
| Consumption | 2 EU/FE/t while working |
An LV machine — it draws up to 32 EU/FE per tick. Any surplus in the network isn't taken, the block isn't damaged. Energy comes in on the five working faces. The front face (the one the machine "looks" toward) is inert — cables don't connect there and hoppers don't work through it.
Processing
Each press takes 130 ticks (~6.5 s) and costs 260 EU/FE. The finished result doesn't eject on its own — pick it up by hand or with a hopper.
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Duration | 130 ticks (~6.5 s) |
| Cost per operation | 260 EU/FE |
| Auto-output | no |
Inventory
One input slot, one output slot.
| Slot | Takes | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Input | items the Compressor can press | 1 |
| Output | the result | 1 |
Interface
One screen shows the energy buffer, the progress, the input slot and the output slot.
Block Properties
An ordinary solid block, softer than stone. Any pickaxe breaks it, but it does NOT keep its charge when broken.
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Tool | pickaxe |
| Keeps charge on break | no |
Recipes
The Compressor is crafted at a workbench (the same casing layout as the other LV machines). What it presses, grouped by job:
| Input | Output | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Non-metal dust (coal, diamond, emerald, lapis) | the item back | only machine that restores these — closes non-metal ore-doubling |
| Metal dust (copper, iron, gold) | ingot | an alternate route to the Electric Furnace |
| Clay ball | brick | pressing clay under pressure |
| Ice | packed ice | 1:1, vs 9 ice at a crafting table |
| Packed ice | blue ice | 1:1, vs 9 packed ice at a crafting table |
| Snow block | ice | a new route to ice, no loop back |
| Sugar cane | paper | 1:1, vs the 3→3 crafting recipe |
The headline: for coal, diamond, emerald and lapis, the Compressor is the only way to turn the dust back into the item — the Electric Furnace won't smelt them. That's what makes it the partner that completes ore-doubling for non-metals. (Lapis dust still gives ×1 back per dust, so there's no extra duplication: item → 1 dust → 1 item.)
Progression
Tier: LV. The densifying machine and the closer of the non-metal ore-doubling loop. It doesn't evolve into anything in v0.1. Needs power from an LV source, e.g. a Generator.
Related
Macerator — produces the dust this machine presses back into items. Electric Furnace — smelts metal dust (the Compressor is the non-metal counterpart). Electronic Circuit — a component along the processing chain. Generator — the power source.
Crafting
Shaped Crafting
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Compressor