A Universal Constructor, also known as a
Part of a UC at Vandenberg Air Force base, lacking a containment shield.
Molecular Assembler or a Nanofactory, is a large machine featured in Deus Ex. Universal Constructors, easily the most impressive new technology of the 2050s, use Nanites to rearrange substances on the molecular and atomic level, essentially being able to create any possible physical entity from any other entity, as long as the machine has enough power to operate. UC's have existed as long as Nanotechnology has, but before they were only able to modify materials one at a time on the atomic level, making them impractical at best to create usable, reasonably sized structures. Recently before the game begins, a type of "compound" UC was invented, where millions of atoms can be arranged on arrays and constructed at once, so entities multiple meters tall can be constructed in a matter of seconds.
Hong Kong Universal Constructor
There are a few Universal Constructors featured in Deus Ex. The first of these is at the Versalife facility in Hong Kong. There is one at the X-51 base in Vandenberg, and one in the ocean labs. Three exist under Bob Page's chamber at Area 51 (One assembles Gray, one assembles Karkians and Greasels, and one assembles Chiang Arcbot M2s.
As far as the game reveals, only Majestic 12 and former MJ12 personnel are capable of constructing a working "modern" UC, as neither the Illuminati nor the Hong Kong Triads have an operating model. Tracer Tong is only able to use a UC after contacting X-51, former MJ12 scientists who likely helped build the first models.
As they are still an experimental technology,
Hong Kong Universal Constructor, focusing on the room above the chamber where the products are apparently produced.
there is no "standard" appearance for constructors; The one in Hong Kong is a large spike emitting a beam, presumably made of Nanites, that reach to a room suspended by catwalks over the chamber. This room is likely where the Products are assembled, as many Augmentation canisters are located here. The Model in Vandenberg, on the other hand, features several large chambers apparently filled with Nanites, and a platform with several arms extending around it; this is where the product is formed. This appearance may just be the UC's lack of a "Containment Shield" - a part X51 needs to make their machine completely operational. The Hong Kong Constructor has a large pool of radioactive waste collecting in a chamber under it, a side effect of manipulating at the atomic level, that empties out to the Hong Kong Canals. A Karkian patrols this sewer, although it is strange that the desired product of a machine would be placed in the same place as the Waste.
The few Universal constructors in Area 51 are used to create multiple clones of transgenics (including spider bots and grays) each one creating only one type of transgenic and can only be stopped if the doors to the room of the UC are shut.
Universal Constructors are capable of manufacturing
A UC assembling a Gray in Area 51.
almost anything, though they are best used in creating Nanotechnology: namely Transgenics such as Karkians and Greasels, the Dragon's Tooth Sword, Nano-Augmentations, Augmentation upgrade canisters, and the Gray Death virus, as well as the Ambrosia vaccine.
Although Universal Constructors do not appear in the sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, a similar machine exists. Nanoformers are bulky, hovering bots that are able to perform the same operations, albeit more efficiently, while taking up less space and being mobile. JC Denton/Helios uses Nanoformers to rebuild the Statue of Liberty after being revived.