Ores

Currently, 8 raw-form ores exist for mining in Evospace. Processing ore lends massive bonuses to material efficiency at the cost of floor space, time, and energy. Only copper can made useful without some level of processing.

=Ores=

=Inactive Ore Dust= Alternative ore dust can be obtained, but has no uses.

Tungsten Ore Dust
Obtained by processing aluminum.

=Mining= Mining is Evospace is fairly straightforward. Select your multitool and left-click to dig. Digging on one of the oddly-colored areas of the map will produce ore of the associated type (or coal).

=Processing Ore= Copper and iron ores can be immediately smelted, but this is wasteful. Aluminum necessitates more processing.

Automatic Hammer
The autohammer is the first step in fully-processing ores. This machine turns each ore into 1.5 impure ore gravel.

Ore Washer
The ore washer takes in impure ore gravel and water. It produces 1.5 ore gravel per impure gravel it processes. It also generates Ore Water as a byproduct that needs to be dealt with to continue processing.

Macerator
The macerator can be used on ore in any form larger than dust (ore, impure ore gravel, or ore gravel). Regardless of the form, it returns 1.5 impure ore dust per unit ore accepted.

Processing Benefits

 * If an ore is put into the autohammer, it creates 1.5 impure ore gravel.
 * If an ore is put into the macerator, it creates 1.5 impure ore dust.
 * If an ore goes through the the autohammer, the the ore washer, it provides 2.25 ore gravel.
 * If an ore goes through the the autohammer, the the macerator, it provides 2.25 impure ore dust.
 * If it hits the autohammer, washer, and then macerator, it produces 3.375 impure or dust.
 * Any process that uses the ore washer also has the opportunity to dry ore water in clay dust.

Separator
The separator cleans impure ore dust, separating the impurities. Ore dust and a secondary ingredient are produced. Copper and iron ore dust smelt faster than impure ore dust, but separation also causes minor loss of material for copper and iron. It is necessary for aluminum. Note that using an Industrial Separator instead of standard Separator will result in no loss of material and will additionally produce trace amounts of certain rare mineral dusts.

=Smelting= Smelting is the process of heating ore into molten form to remove impurities and cast it into useful form.

Stone Smelter
The principle machine for smelting copper is the Stone Smelter. The Stone Smelter can also smelt iron ore in any of it's forms into iron ingots.

Blast Furnace
The blast furnace is the machine used for making steel from iron (impure iron ore dust, iron ore dust, iron ingots, or iron dust) and 2 coke pieces or 2 coke dust (dust being faster). This is a very drawn-out process, taking roughly 3 - 4 minutes.

Steel Alloy Furnace
The Steel Alloy Furnace is a smelting device with 3 heat inputs. It is used to make not-so-useful-right-now bronze and Aluminum Carbide - a necessary step in the production of Aluminum.

Arc Furnace
The Arc Furnace is a purely-electric smelter. It creates ingots from metal dust quickly, but at significant cost in electricity. It is necessary to use an arc smelter to form Aluminum ingots from Aluminum Carbide dust to enter the third tier of metals.