Can you make a version of this that allows for inline crafting of simple items like copper cables, iron gears, etc?
Just replace betltbox with an assembly machine.
Beltbox can't do what you're asking because it's a "furnace" which means that it must be able to figure out which recipe to apply without your help. This means that there can be only one recipe which uses copper plates. And beltbox already has such recipe - it stacks plates.