Assembly Line

Separating and sifting

Screens, spinners, magnets, air streams or froth split a mixture by size, density or surface chemistry.

183 lines that use it

Acetaminophen 6 stations · 5 raw sources Acetic anhydride 5 stations · 2 raw sources Acrylic acid 6 stations · 4 raw sources Air 4 stations Almond milk 6 stations · 2 raw sources Almonds 4 stations Alumina 6 stations · 4 raw sources Aluminum 5 stations · 6 raw sources Aluminum foil 5 stations · 6 raw sources Argon 5 stations · 1 raw source Aspirin 7 stations · 12 raw sources Baker's yeast 6 stations · 3 raw sources Balloon 8 stations · 3 raw sources Beer 8 stations · 22 raw sources Beeswax 5 stations · 1 raw source Benzene 5 stations · 4 raw sources Biodiesel 5 stations · 6 raw sources Black tea 7 stations · 1 raw source Bleach 7 stations · 10 raw sources Borax 5 stations Bottled water 6 stations · 8 raw sources Brown sugar 6 stations · 4 raw sources Butter 7 stations · 3 raw sources Caffeine 7 stations · 7 raw sources Carbon black 5 stations · 3 raw sources Carbon monoxide 6 stations · 2 raw sources Cast iron pan 6 stations · 11 raw sources Castor beans 3 stations Caustic soda 5 stations · 2 raw sources Champagne 8 stations · 22 raw sources Chewing gum 8 stations · 13 raw sources Chromite 4 stations Clay 3 stations Cobalt 6 stations · 9 raw sources Cobalt ore 3 stations Coconut milk 6 stations · 22 raw sources Coconut oil 6 stations · 1 raw source Coconuts 4 stations Coke 5 stations · 1 raw source Condensed milk 6 stations · 22 raw sources Contact lens 6 stations · 9 raw sources Copper 6 stations · 4 raw sources Copper ore 4 stations Corn starch 6 stations · 2 raw sources Corn syrup 6 stations · 2 raw sources Cotton swab 6 stations · 19 raw sources Cotton yarn 6 stations · 1 raw source Cough syrup 8 stations · 18 raw sources Cream 5 stations · 1 raw source Cream cheese 7 stations · 3 raw sources Decaf coffee 7 stations · 7 raw sources Down 5 stations Durum wheat 3 stations Energy drink 7 stations · 19 raw sources Ethanol 6 stations · 6 raw sources Feldspar 5 stations Fertilizer 7 stations · 10 raw sources Fishing rod 8 stations · 24 raw sources Flour 7 stations · 9 raw sources Fluorspar 3 stations Frozen peas 6 stations · 4 raw sources Gallium 5 stations · 4 raw sources Germanium 5 stations · 6 raw sources Gin 7 stations · 13 raw sources Glycerin 6 stations · 8 raw sources Gold 6 stations · 7 raw sources Gold ore 4 stations Gravel and crushed stone 3 stations Gummy bears 6 stations · 7 raw sources Gypsum 3 stations Hazelnut spread 7 stations · 14 raw sources Hexane 5 stations · 3 raw sources Honey 7 stations · 1 raw source Honeycomb 4 stations Hot sauce 7 stations · 15 raw sources Hydrogen 6 stations · 2 raw sources Hydrogen peroxide 6 stations · 3 raw sources Imitation crab 7 stations · 9 raw sources Indium 5 stations · 4 raw sources Ink 8 stations · 15 raw sources Instant coffee 7 stations · 2 raw sources Insulin 7 stations · 11 raw sources Iridium 6 stations · 8 raw sources Iron ore 4 stations Jet fuel 6 stations · 3 raw sources Ketchup 8 stations · 15 raw sources Kimchi 6 stations · 8 raw sources Kombucha 5 stations · 12 raw sources Lacquer 8 stations · 8 raw sources Lead 6 stations · 6 raw sources Lead ore 4 stations Linen 6 stations · 2 raw sources Linseed oil 7 stations · 1 raw source Lithium brine 3 stations Lithium carbonate 8 stations · 12 raw sources Magnesium 5 stations · 4 raw sources Malted barley 5 stations · 2 raw sources Manganese ore 5 stations Maple syrup 7 stations · 1 raw source Mead 5 stations · 12 raw sources Microwave popcorn 8 stations · 20 raw sources Molasses 5 stations · 2 raw sources Motor oil 5 stations · 3 raw sources mRNA vaccine 7 stations · 11 raw sources Natural graphite 4 stations Neon 6 stations · 1 raw source Nickel 5 stations · 4 raw sources Nickel ore 5 stations Non-alcoholic beer 6 stations · 21 raw sources Oat milk 8 stations · 9 raw sources Olive oil 6 stations · 1 raw source Orange juice 8 stations · 2 raw sources Palm oil 8 stations · 2 raw sources Para-xylene 5 stations · 3 raw sources Paraffin wax 6 stations · 3 raw sources Pasteurized milk 6 stations · 1 raw source Peanut butter 6 stations · 12 raw sources Peanuts 5 stations Penicillin 7 stations · 11 raw sources Pentane 5 stations · 2 raw sources Perfume 7 stations · 13 raw sources Phosphate rock 3 stations Phosphoric acid 5 stations · 6 raw sources Photoresist 6 stations · 5 raw sources Pig iron 6 stations · 4 raw sources Pillow 6 stations · 18 raw sources Platinum 6 stations · 6 raw sources Platinum ore 4 stations Polyethylene 6 stations · 3 raw sources Polypropylene 5 stations · 3 raw sources Popping candy 6 stations · 6 raw sources Port wine 6 stations · 19 raw sources Potash 3 stations Powdered milk 6 stations · 1 raw source Printer toner 7 stations · 9 raw sources Propane 5 stations · 2 raw sources Prosecco 5 stations · 12 raw sources Quartz 5 stations Rare earth ore 4 stations Refrigerant 6 stations · 11 raw sources Roasted coffee 8 stations · 2 raw sources Rolled oats 6 stations · 1 raw source Rough diamond 3 stations Rye 5 stations Sausage casing 8 stations · 4 raw sources Seawater 3 stations Semolina 6 stations · 2 raw sources Sewing thread 7 stations · 8 raw sources Silica sand 5 stations Silver 6 stations · 8 raw sources Silver ore 4 stations Soap 8 stations · 19 raw sources Soda ash 8 stations · 9 raw sources Soy milk 6 stations · 2 raw sources Sparkling water 6 stations · 19 raw sources Spodumene 3 stations Stainless steel water bottle 7 stations · 25 raw sources Steel 6 stations · 12 raw sources Steel scrap 5 stations · 3 raw sources Sugar 8 stations · 4 raw sources Synthetic rubber 6 stations · 4 raw sources Tin 5 stations · 2 raw sources Tin ore 5 stations Titanium dioxide 6 stations · 6 raw sources Titanium ore 5 stations Tofu 7 stations · 3 raw sources Toluene 5 stations · 4 raw sources Tungsten ore 4 stations Vacuum flask 6 stations · 19 raw sources Vegetable oil 7 stations · 6 raw sources Vinegar 6 stations · 8 raw sources Vitamin C tablet 7 stations · 8 raw sources Vodka 7 stations · 15 raw sources Vulcanized rubber 6 stations · 7 raw sources Water 4 stations White rice 6 stations · 1 raw source Wine 8 stations · 21 raw sources Wood pellets 5 stations · 1 raw source Wool fleece 3 stations Wool yarn 5 stations · 2 raw sources Zinc 6 stations · 4 raw sources Zinc ore 4 stations Zinc oxide 5 stations · 4 raw sources

What it looks like on the line

  • Rolled oatsStrip off the hulls. Dehulling removes the inedible outer husk and leaves the bran-covered seed, called a groat.
  • BleachCollect the products. Chlorine gas, hydrogen and caustic soda leave the cell by separate pipes. Each is a commodity chemical on its own.
  • Sausage casingStrip fat and contents. Workers or machines remove the fat and mesentery, a step called running. The contents are then pushed out, which is called stripping.
  • DownBlow it through a sorter. Clean plumage enters a chamber with air jets below and floats over a row of open cubicles. Heavy feathers drop into the first, and pure down drifts to the far end. Blending then makes set mixes such as 90/10.
  • Titanium oreScreen off the oversize. Rotating screens called trommels throw out oversize material. The rest moves on as a slurry to the concentrator.
  • Phosphate rockFloat and calcine. Froth flotation concentrates the phosphate into marketable rock phosphate, and some plants calcine it as well. Grade matters, since raw ore varies widely in how much phosphate it holds.
  • Hydrogen peroxideWash the product out. The new peroxide is extracted from the organic solution. The carrier goes back to the hydrogen step, and the loop starts over.
  • NeonRemove helium and hydrogen. Contact with activated charcoal separates out the helium. Added oxygen reacts with the hydrogen to form water, which is then condensed away.
  • PhotoresistRefine the crude polymer. Unwanted short and overlong chains left over from polymerization cause scum and bridging in the final pattern. One patent dissolves the crude resin at a lower strength than the finished resist uses, then filters it to remove them.
  • Rough diamondSort out the stones. Diamonds are concentrated by density, since they are heavier than most of the waste rock. Between 25% and 35% of natural diamonds fluoresce under X-rays, a property that sorting machines can use to find them.
  • Titanium orePull with magnets. At a separate plant, magnetic separators divide the concentrate. The magnetic share is dried and treated further to make ilmenite products, while the rest goes through wet gravity circuits that remove silica and trash minerals.
  • CreamSpin the whole milk. Milk runs into a fast-turning centrifugal separator. The less dense butterfat collects apart from the skim milk, and the two leave separately. Before these machines, milk sat in a container until the fat rose and could be skimmed by hand, sometimes going sour first.