Okay so I'm at that point where a lot of my crafting-table upgrades call for Copper Wire. According to wiki sources, Copper Wire is made at a wiring station. A Wiring Station requires that I upgrade my inventor's table to it's final stage. That upgrade requires Copper Wire. ... am I seriously going to have to look for the wires off of robot monsters?
Well don't I feel stupid now! I was going off old wiki information, looks like, which told me copper wires required a wiring table to make. And here I was standing around on an alien planet trying to hunt robots.