Claim and place the core first
Complete the Strataform objective and confirm the Stratacore reward. In the building menu, open the separate Stratacore tab. Place the core away from storage and leave room around the growing terrain and below it for collection. A deleted core can be placed again from that tab.
Start with a visible mining cycle
Mine a small part of the growth with an available digging tool, collect the Sand, then let terrain regrow. Keep mining and collection clear of one another. Send the clean Sand to the existing wet-sand line only after a few cycles work. This repeatable route is useful even before an automatic miner is ready.
Add Lava only after the collection route works
Update 0.5.6 added Lava damage to Strataform, Redsoil and Fluxite. In a contained test area, let a small amount of Lava contact the growing terrain and collect the released Sand separately. More Lava does not prove a better production rate; growth, contact and collection can each limit output.
Understand the Cinder return circuit
A Thermal Buffer below zero converts contacting Lava back into Cinder instead of fully consuming it. Separate that solid, carry it back with a belt or launcher, and reheat it before the mining contact. Keep cooling available and watch the buffer temperature: this is a recycling circuit with heat and cooling requirements, not a promise of free perpetual output.
Fix low output or an old Blueprint
Check which part has stopped before adding more machinery.
- No core in the normal list: open the dedicated Stratacore tab.
- Growth remains but no Sand arrives: check mining contact and the collection exit.
- Cinder accumulates: restore the return route and reheating stage.
- A pre-0.5.7 layout stops: inspect Advanced Filter Walls; Lava leakage through them was fixed.
Common questions
Can I use Dune instead?
Sunsand from Dune is a different material and is not a substitute for ordinary Sand in the wet-sand chain.
Is this a tested maximum-rate Blueprint?
No. It describes the renewable source and the documented Lava/Cinder mechanism. A specific layout still needs its own throughput and restart test.