My proposal is a 3-way Splitter similar to those in Satisfactory. These would be a 1x1 buildable, capable of dividing inputs evenly across any number of connected belts (from 1 to 3).

This would allow load balancing of both even and odd numbers of machines, for players who are interested in that, as well as making more compact and aesthetically pleasing manifolds for the players that prefer those.

Due to the footprint upgrade compared to their current 2-output cousins, these could be placed later in progression or in the tech tree, at the point where the player is building larger and larger banks of machines.

Alternatively, a system similar to the belt system in Shapez 2 could be implemented- permanently baking splitters and mergers into Belts to enable clean, compact visuals(something this game is striving for) and rapid, dynamic belt placement.