Logistic network
A Logistic network (LogNet) is a series of different chests and Logistic robots all covered by one or more Roboports.
Depending on the type and configuration of the chests and area of the Robotic network the robots will transport items between these chests as a power-hungry alternative to moving items manually, by belts or Railway network.
The player character can also act as Requester chest in the Logistic network, allowing you to 'request' various items be kept at a set limit within your personal inventory. After researching [[Character logistic slots] you can configure an amount of Items and Logistic robots will start to move the specified Items from the network to your characters inventory.
Do not mix up LogNet and Circuit network. They share a common component (smart inserter), but are otherwise disconnected and do not exchange any information.
Items
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Centre of the Robotic network in which the Robots can move and with its coverage forming the logistic network. |
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Moves items between Logistic Chests. (*) |
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Logistic Chest: Supplies the contained items to the Logistic network. (**) |
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Logistic Chest: Supplies the contained items to the Logistic network. (**) |
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Logistic Chest: Stores Items currently not requested. (**) |
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Logistic Chest: Will be filled by Logistic robots until the configured amount is reached. (**) |
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Smart inserter: Can be turned on/off depending on the contents of a logistic network it is located in. |
(*) At the beginning each robot can carry only 1 item. This amount can be increased by researching Logistic robot cargo.
(**) Logistic chests are also usable for a Circuit network by using wires.
Basic
To start with, just use provider- and requester chests! Place the provider chests at the output inserters of assemblies and requester chests at the input (let them request the needed items). Place a Roboport, which covers these chests with the inner area. Place some logistic bots.
Details
This technique is very capable for creating more and more complex items in your main factory. Low complexity and high volume activities ( like smelting) can (and should) be left using belts.
The basic thing you need are Roboports. When you placed the port and hover it, you see a orange and a larger green area.
- The orange zone is the Logistic Network area. This is also the maximum distance for connecting two roboports.
- The green zone is the Construction area.
When the zones of two or more roboports touch or overlap they are linked together to form a single network. This will show as a dotted line between the linked roboports (if they have power).
The inner area covered by a Robotic network is identical to that of the Logistic network. You see that also, when you build a roboport, if the Roboports are connected. All Logistic network/Chests inside the area are connected and build the Logistic network. Imagine the logistic chests send their containments to the Roboports.
There can be many separate logistic networks. Two roboports are in the same network if you could fly from one to the other without leaving logistic network coverage. To prevent roboports from linking, you need to build them far enough away from each other so that the orange zones don't touch. If you don't link a roboport, the construction area isn't linked, too!
Bots do normally not fly from one network into another (exception: when running out of charge).
How it works
Place some logistic bots anywhere or in a Roboport, they will immediately begin to work.
The logistic bots try to fulfill the configured requests (requester chest) by moving items from storage- or provider chest to requester chest or from provider- to requester chest.
Order of movement
The bots fulfil all requests with the same priority. The algorithm looks for the next free robot, then the next request in the queue and after giving orders to the robot, this request is put at the end of the queue, so that first all other requests are done. (The results are not optimal; it can happen, that the furthest next bot will be requested, even if there is a much closer. Because of this, it's recommended to use the bots not for high throughput. For that the Railway network is much more useful.)
Requests come from the requester chests and storage chests.
- a requested item is first looked up in the storage chests, then in the provider chests (storage chests are emptied first)
- if robots are free and there is space left in storage chests, and there are unrequested items in provider chests, the items are moved from provider to a storage chest.
- if any storage chest already contains items of different type, empty storage chests are filled first. This should prevent having storage chests with different items inside.
In other words: the storage chests are filled last, emptied first and try to store the items they already have.
Danger of losing bots
Biters love bots!
Also - pay attention to robotic networks which form some kind of U-shape (where the shortest way between two chests goes over an uncovered area): if a bot runs out of charge in this area, and could not return fast enough to a roboport, the bot falls to the ground and will be destroyed (along with anything it was carrying). This behaviour may change in future.
Advanced
Network info
A Logistic network knows the numbers of all Items stored in all logistic chests and also the number of all items currently carried by Logistic robots. This information can be seen by hovering over a logistic chest: you see the sum of all items in logistic chests or on the way in this logistic network.
Negative numbers
For some reasons, you can see negative numbers in the network info. This is not a bug. This means, that the bots can transport more than available (Logistic robot cargo).