Grinder Block
| Grinder | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category: | Functional Block |
| Function: | Dismantles blocks and retrieves their components |
| Fits small grid | |
| Mass: | 513.4 kg |
| Capacity: | 3,375 L |
| Power: | -2 kW |
| Range: | 1.5 m |
| Fits large grid | |
| Mass: | 777.4 kg |
| Capacity: | 15,625 L |
| Power: | -2 kW |
| Range: | 2 m |
| Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
Grinder Block is a massive, ship-mounted version of the handheld Grinder used to dismantle blocks and salvage components from wrecks. Grinders are helpful ship tools in Survival Mode where Grinder and Welder Blocks are often used together on salvage ships or on RC repair drones. Stationary grinders are referred to as Grinder Pits. Grinders are redundant in Creative Mode.
Usage
The Grinder Block is used to speedily and efficiently salvage ships and bases in survival scenarios, which would take much longer to do by hand. While the speed is the same as a handheld grinder, the Grinder Block can grind multiple blocks at once because it has a larger area of effect.
Grinders are essential when building salvage ships, remote controlled repair drones, grinder pits, or articulated salvage salvage cranes.
What can it grind
Consider the following before use:
- A Grinder Block does not have any effect on voxels or ores. Use a drill instead.
- A Grinder Block does not disassemble nor pick up free-floating items. Use a Collector for that.
- Exception: If you grind a container full of items, the grinder first picks up the contents from inside, and then the components of the container.
- Grinder Blocks will not grind their own grid (e.g. the grinder pit). However, Grinder Blocks attached by a piston or rotor are not considered the same grid and the subgrid may be affected.
- Players in the area of affect get hurt.
How to use a ship welder
You activate a Grinder Block from the cockpit through the grid's Control Panel Screen. If you need to switch it on and off often (e.g. in a repair ship), assign its Block Tool functions to action keys on the cockpit toolbar.
For immersion in a station, you can assign a Grinder Pit de/activation action to a Button Panel.
To comply with Operational Health and Safety laws, install a Sensor and configure it to activate only when grids are in the area of effect, or to deactivate when players are near!
How to build a grinder pit
A Grinder Pit is a room full of Grinder Blocks whose areas of effect overlap, typically with a large opening on top. You throw wrecks and cargo drops in the pit to have them dismantled automatically.
Instead of dropping the wrecks, you can also hold them in place using landing gear on pistons, and push the wreck into the Grinder Pit in a more controlled fashion, similar in structure to a 3D Printer, but opposite in function.
When dismantling mobile grids, be prepared for loose blocks being ejected from the grinder pit, or parts drifting off in low gravity and crashing into your ship. Wrecks of mobile grids no longer stabilise themselves and are affected by physical forces that can damage other grids.
Wreck pieces ejecting and damaging your salvage ship are no issue when grinding down static (!) stations using a grinder ship. One of the World Settings determines whether unsupported parts of stations will drift away or remain static.
Damage
When active, the area of effect of the grinder blades is lethal to players in Survival Mode.
Similar to 
Landing Gear and Wheels, the Grinder itself is resistant to damage from collisions.
Assuming one approaches the wreck at reasonable speeds, there should be little danger of harming the Grinder during normal use.
Range
The Grinder Block's range is 3 small blocks (1.5m) on small ships, and 4 small blocks (2.0m) on a large ship. Range is spherical and centered roughly at the center of the grinder blades.
Power
The Grinder uses 2 kW of power, regardless of whether it's mounted on a small or large ship. Its power usage doesn't change when it has something to grind away versus when it's just idly spinning.
Inventory
With "Realistic" settings, the Grinder Block has an inventory with a capacity of 13,500L on large ships and stations and 2,500L for small ships. The inventory holds typically component type items, which is the type of salvage collected while it operates. But it accepts ores and other items as well — in case you grind a cargo container, the Grinder Block can hold the contents.
If attached to a conveyor system, Grinder Block will automatically push its contents to other valid inventories. The inventory is flagged to send items to blocks that pull them, for example, an Assembler in Disassembler mode.[1]
Gallery
Three Grinders on the front of a large Salvage ship (2014).
A player-controlled repair ship with both Welder and Grinder.
Construction
The Grinder Block exists for large and small grid. The block is quite unwieldy as it takes up 2x1x1 blocks space on large ships and 6x3x3 blocks space on small ships. It has mount points on the five sides of its cubic back half.
It has a large conveyor port on the backside and it has a small inventory. Always connect Welders to a conveyor system or cargo containers to store the salvage. On small grids, to be able to transfer all salvaged components, use 3x3 Hinges and Advanced Rotors, do not use small-grid pistons nor Small Conveyors.
Leave space in front and next to the Grinder Block for the area of effect.
Engineers typically engage multiple grinders to dismantle large wrecks quickly -- but on multiplayer servers, be aware of PCU limits prohibiting that.
Recipe
| Grinder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
 Computer | 2 | — | 2 | — |
 Motor | 4 | — | 4 | — |
 Large Steel Tube | 1 | — | 1 | — |
 Small Steel Tube | 4 | — | 4 | — |
 Construction Comp. | 25 | 5 | 15 | 2 |
 Steel Plate | 15 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
