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Plastic is one of the most useful resources in Astroneer. As you progress through the game and start building more advanced equipment, you will quickly notice that plastic is required in a large number of important recipes.
Many essential items rely on plastic, including things like the Atmospheric Condenser, Shelter modules, Rover Seats, and various other mid-to-late game structures. Because of how often it is used, learning how to produce plastic efficiently is an important step in expanding your base and exploring new planets.
At first glance, crafting plastic in Astroneer might seem confusing. However, once you understand the materials and machines involved, the process is actually very simple. In this guide, we will walk through everything you need to know about making plastic in Astroneer, including the machines required and how to gather the necessary resources.
Where to Make Plastic
Plastic is created using the Chemistry Lab, which is one of the more advanced crafting stations in Astroneer. The Chemistry Lab allows you to combine refined resources into more complex materials that are required for higher-tier equipment.
Before you can make plastic, you will first need to build the Chemistry Lab. This machine is printed using the Medium Printer, so make sure you have that available at your base.
To build the Chemistry Lab, you will need the following materials:
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Tungsten
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Glass
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Ceramic
Once you gather these resources and print the Chemistry Lab, place it somewhere convenient in your base. You will likely use it frequently, since many advanced materials in Astroneer are crafted using this machine.
Materials Required to Make Plastic
Fortunately, the recipe for plastic itself is fairly simple. Plastic only requires two materials: Carbon and Compound.
While compound is very easy to find, carbon requires a small extra step before you can use it.
Carbon
Carbon is a refined resource, which means it must be created in a machine rather than mined directly.
To obtain carbon, you first need to collect Organic material. Organic is one of the most common resources in Astroneer and can usually be found scattered across the surface of planets. It often appears as small clusters of plant-like material that can be easily mined using your terrain tool.
Once you collect organic, place it inside a Smelting Furnace. The smelting process converts organic into carbon.
After the smelting process finishes, you will have carbon ready to use for crafting plastic.
Compound
Compound is one of the most abundant natural resources in Astroneer. It can typically be found all across the surface of planets, especially near your starting location.
You will recognize compound by its small white clustered deposits that appear on the ground. Simply use your terrain tool to mine it and collect it in your backpack.
Because compound is so common, it is usually the easiest part of the plastic crafting process.
How to Make Plastic
Once you have both required materials, creating plastic is very quick.
Place Carbon and Compound into the Chemistry Lab and activate the machine. After a few seconds, the lab will process the materials and produce Plastic.
That’s all there is to it.
Because the ingredients are relatively easy to gather, you can produce plastic fairly quickly once your base is properly set up.
Why Plastic Is Important
Plastic becomes increasingly important as you progress further into Astroneer. Many advanced machines, vehicles, and base structures rely on it as a crafting component.
For example, plastic is commonly used in transportation equipment like rover seats and other vehicle parts. It is also required for machines that help automate your base or generate resources more efficiently.
Since plastic is used so often, it is a good idea to keep a steady supply of compound and organic available. That way you can always produce more carbon and plastic whenever you need it.
Tips for Producing Plastic Faster
If you plan to build larger bases or advanced automation setups, you will eventually need large amounts of plastic. Thankfully, there are a few ways to make the process more efficient.
First, try to gather large amounts of organic whenever you are exploring. Organic is lightweight and easy to collect, so it is worth grabbing whenever you see it.
Second, consider placing your Smelting Furnace close to your Chemistry Lab. This makes it easier to convert organic into carbon and immediately use it for plastic production.
Finally, keeping extra compound stored in your base will ensure that you can craft plastic whenever you need it without having to leave your base to gather more materials.
Final Thoughts
Plastic is one of the most commonly used materials in Astroneer, and luckily it is also one of the easiest advanced materials to produce. Once you unlock the Chemistry Lab and understand how carbon is created, the process becomes extremely straightforward.
By gathering organic for carbon and mining compound from the surface of planets, you will be able to produce plastic whenever your base needs it.
As you expand your base and unlock more advanced technology, having a reliable way to produce plastic will make building new equipment much easier.