Can you tell me which research unlocks it? I can't figure out how to unlock it. Also if it is unlocked from the start, can you tell me what i need to craft it? it doesn't show up in the crafting menu.

Hello, please refer to this image

https://postimg.cc/w3CMrHB9

First you need to put some stone into assembling machine and make [Material Crystals], next put them into another assembler and make [Charged Material Crystals]. With their help you are able to craft [Memory Card] and [Material Chest] - this is special chest. Whatever you put inside it will move that thing into some kind of "background" storage. If you want to get that thing back - simply click middle mouse button on empty slot and select item you want to get as filter. Material chest will always keep that slot with full stack of that item unless it has some in "background" storage. If you want more storage - craft memory card and put inside the chest. It won't take it, it will simply stau there and append some storage space. That storage space you could actually see on a top of the screen.

Next, probably you are are curious about that "Crafting Template" things with different items on them. That are special modules that allow chest to craft things. Say, you want your chest to produce gears, you craft gears template, put it inside the chest and supply storage with iron plates. Once you set gears to slot filter using middle mouse button (just as if you want simply get them from storage) chest will start to craft 1 gear per second. If you place 2, 3... templates it will increase crafting speed.

When crafting items chest consumes energy (that is written on the top of the screen next to storage volume). To replenish that energy you could either craft special solar panel or simply put some [Charged Material Crystals] inside. Chest will consume them making 1000 energy per each.

Please feel free to ask further, but I payed special attention to items descriptions explaining how thigs work

Cheers,
Engineer

I don't have this tab you show in the image. I asked if it requires Research, which Research it requires and the image makes it clear it is likely some issue stopping the Reasearch from appearing in the Reasearch menu. Searching for material only brings up the BASE GAME Researches, and none have the material chest (or related items) in their unlocks.

This mod has no research at all, everything is unlocked from the beginning because no need. Crafting templates are locked by items they craft so there is no chance you get something too early. Probably you have a mod in your setup that modifies player's crafting menu tabs? Does this issue appear when you start new game?

Please try to turn off all your mods except Material Storage. If new tab with recipes appear it clearly indicates my initial suspect is true. Then you have to find which mod hides crafting tabs.

Most efficient way to do that is "half-search" - turn on a half of your mods and check if tab disappears. If it disappears - that means mod you are searching is turned on, if not - that means it left turned off, so using this method you could find it pretty simply.

If you will succeed with this, please share the name of that mod, I will take a look what could be done. But honestly this is very bad approach in mod making to selfishly modify crafting tabs or disable recipes from other mods

Yes i have an overhaul mod which adds a crafting menu tab. It changes a lot of recipes. (pretty much anything with metal components) I have no other mods which change crafting menu tabs (adding, removing, renaming, changing icons) Link to this Overhaul Mod (which is in alpha): https://mods.factorio.com/mod/galdocs-manufacturing

I installed that mod and tried to launch factorio with only that mod and my mod active, I see no problems, all crafting tabs are active.

Tell me please, are you able to see "Material Storage" crafting tab if you leave only my mod active?

The mod works by itself:
https://steamcommunity.com/id/BraveCaperCat/screenshot/2120688809000318508/

It also shows this message in the top left, which didn't show up with the other mods.

Loading back into the save, THE MOD WORKS NOW. I think the mod got disabled. Maybe i synced it before opening with the material chest and that disabled it.

XD I'm really happy for you. Please feel free to ask questions if you get any and share your thoughts about new and existing functionality

Cheers,
Engineer