The Catalyser is a medium-level workstation and is required to create materials utilised in constructing many other workstations/furniture in this mod, be they the mighty Geothermal Ladles or quaint Mantizi lighting fixtures. 

This machine is in effect an improved Refinery, being capable of refining metals and ingots at a higher Pixel rate - 80% of the items' Pixel value, as opposed to just 50% with a conventional Refinery. 

In addition to the usual collection of minerals and such, the Catalyser can also do some pretty useful stuff, such as recycling soggy paper and create compounds suitable for industrial use - in short all the other devices. Apart from that, it can be used to refine fuel, and also provides a more efficient means of dye concoction, but you will need quite a number of ingredients to make them. The ability to create more dyes is limited to Frackin' Universe users, however. Nevertheless, this mod should work for non-FU players of Starbound.

Obtaining a Catalyser 

There are several ways to obtain a Catalyser. The first is to seek out certain Merchants: the vanilla Wizard Merchant may have a Catalyser unit in stock. 

This Wizard Merchant can be forced to spawn outside of Admin mode by users of the Tenant Pack mod. The Steampunk Merchant spawned through the Colony Tweaks mod may also stock a Catalyser, and has a greater probability of offering you one.

If you don't have the patience for these, then you will have to learn how to craft this by obtaining either a Dark Alchemy Table or a Dark Altar.

• A Dark Alchemical Table is one of the basic-level crafting stations bundled into the Alchemical Reactions mod, and is the quickest way for a player to learn the recipe for a Catalyser.
• An Eldritch Brazier is similar to a Dark Alchemical Table but cannot be crafted by the player. Rather, it must be purchased from the Castlevania Trader, available from the Beakeasy under the Outpost. However, the cost in Pixels for doing so will not be cheap. 

Summary

• Crafting station which processes chemicals and converts compounds into Pixels.
• Used to obtain Polysteel, Moltinum, Cavorite and Tritanium Ingots.
• Required in order to obtain more advanced workstations (excluding Potter's Workbench, Chiminea and Survivalist's Oven).

NOTE

If you are unable to access a Science Station or obtain the reagents required, you can search in space or on Scorched Planets for a Catalyser unit. Certain merchants also do stock the Catalyser, albeit at drastically high prices, but the power of this device is usually worth it.

For those who have installed BOTH the Base in a Box AND the Alchemical Reactions mods, the Catalyser can be manufactured from a Science Station.