Mining Drill

A remote iron, copper, or limestone vein located through exploration or the Omniseeker.

Before you go

Mining Drill and the materials shown in its current build panel.
Fuel or a supported power connection for the chosen setup.
Smelter and its construction materials if processing ore at the site.
Monorail Depot and route materials or a High Voltage Cable and Voltage Stepper for logistics/power.

Find a suitable vein with the Omniseeker and inspect its resource type and access.
Gather the Mining Drill materials and any fuel, power, or smelter inputs needed at that site.
Place the drill on the vein and provide its operating supply as required by the in-game panel.
Choose whether to transport raw ore or smelt at the vein; if smelting there, bring a Smelter and feed its required limestone and copper components.
For monorail delivery, set up a depot near the factory and another at the vein, then connect the route.
Use a separate depot route for each vein because the described route does not support multiple stops.
If delivering power remotely, run High Voltage Cable with Voltage Steppers rather than extending power with base-building pieces.

A remote depot pair makes each vein’s route easier to inspect and service.
Check fuel and output buffers periodically; an automated drill still depends on supplied inputs and working logistics.

Repeat the setup at each useful vein. Deposits are finite, so when one runs out, relocate the drill and service route to another site.

Building before confirming the resource: verify the vein in person first.
Planning one monorail route with several vein stops: use a depot pair per vein.
Ignoring fuel, smelter inputs, or power: supply the entire chain before expecting continued output.

Stop servicing a vein when its deposit is depleted or the delivered material exceeds demand; relocate equipment or develop another listed deposit.

Sources & fact checks

Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.

Production chains

Mining Drills turn a discovered vein into an automated ore supply for smelting and factory production.