As in real world, automation in Blackvoxel is built around modular base mechanism. These base mechanism are combined in order to produce complex functionnalities.
We'll start by building our first basic block, the materializer. As we remain in an early game phase, we'll build the "slow" version which is very simple to build and very affordable (you'll get a lot of these for a very low amount of materials).
Go in the manual to this page and follow the manufacturing instructions to build some materializers.
Now, let's try to make them to work...
In a clear area, put an Atomic Compressor to the ground. Next to one of it's side, put a Materializer.
Now, open the Atomic compressor with your middle mouse button (or "V" key) while pointing your crosshair to the Atomic compressor. Put something in the Atomic Compressor, preferably several blocks. Then, close the window with "i" key.
Look at what the materializer did. Yes, some block came out of the Atomic Compressor and has been materialized.
Try to grab this block... and see what the materializer is doing. Another block is materialized.
Once you have played with it and understood how it's working, your mission is over...