Refining · Drop trigger
The Kinetic Press is Sandustry's gravitational refining workhorse. It does not run on electrical wattage alone; it strictly requires falling momentum across an uninterrupted 25-block vertical drop to crush Burnt Residue into Gold and Seeds.
Quick answer
The Kinetic Press processes ONLY Burnt Residue. The Burnt Residue must fall through an unobstructed vertical drop of at least 25 tiles directly onto the Kinetic Press's top intake. Each impact immediately converts into 1 Gold and 1 Seed out of the bottom port. Use side-angled Launchers along the top rim to eject any resting debris that fails to trigger.
01
A Kinetic Press strictly requires incoming material to free-fall through a vertical shaft of at least 25 uninterrupted blocks. If material enters horizontally from a conveyor belt or drops from 24 blocks or less, the press will refuse to cycle, causing pixels to pile up endlessly at the intake.
Plan your factory on two vertical elevations: stage your Shakers and Lava Burners on an upper bluff, then drop processed Burnt Residue down a sheer 25-block vertical drop chute directly into the top of the press.
02
The #1 complaint among Sandustry players is a Kinetic Press that stops cycling. In 99% of cases, the stoppage is caused by one of three issues:
1. Sub-25 Block Drop Height: Count your vertical blocks carefully. The fall distance is measured from the release point of the top conveyor to the top plate of the press. 2. Unburnt Residue Contamination: The press only converts Burnt Residue. If raw Wet Sand, unburnt coal, or regular Residue drops down the chute, it cannot be compressed and will block all following items. 3. Output Saturation: The press ejects items from its bottom face. If the catch hopper beneath is full, the cycle freezes.
| Symptom | Root Cause | Immediate In-Game Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Items rest on press; no compression | Drop height is less than 25 blocks | Raise top feed conveyor or lower the press to achieve 25+ clear vertical drop. |
| Press cycles once then stalls | Non-burnt material fell into shaft | Install a side-facing 45° Launcher across the press top to blow away stray pixels. |
| Items disappearing at press intake | Tile entity density limit exceeded | Throttle upper feed rate to max 20 items/min to prevent pile deletion. |
| Press idle despite falling items | Bottom output port obstructed | Excavate space directly underneath and place a collection conveyor. |
03
Never enclose the top of the Kinetic Press in solid blocks. As officially confirmed by developers, the optimal anti-jam configuration installs a 45-degree angled Launcher facing across the top surface of the press.
When an unconvertible item lands on the press plate, the side launcher automatically ejects the stray pixel onto a waste return loop, allowing legitimate Burnt Residue falling from the 25-block height to strike the anvil without manual intervention.
04
Each successful compression cycle produces exactly 1 Gold and 1 Seed from the bottom of the machine. Position a collection belt or vacuum hopper directly beneath the machine base to shuttle Gold into storage vaults while routing Seeds back into Planter Boxes for continuous agricultural loops.
Each Kinetic Press handles up to 20 drops per minute. To scale a mega-factory without conveyor backpressure, build parallel 25-block drop shafts side-by-side using our interactive Ratio Calculator.
Questions answered
The Kinetic Press requires incoming material (Burnt Residue) to fall from a height of at least 25 vertical blocks. Feeding it directly from a conveyor belt will not trigger the compression cycle.
Each successful strike converts 1 Burnt Residue into 1 Gold and 1 Seed, dropping out of the bottom of the machine.
Mount an angled Launcher facing horizontally across the top of the press. This automatically blows away unburnt or stray items without disturbing incoming falling residue.
Evidence notes
