Inventors gain the ability to dismantle items after completion of the Dangerous Curiosity side quest. The more powerful the item, the more powerful the components it can generate.
Placing an item of Magical (yellow) or better quality in the dismantling chamber will break it down into basic parts, converting the item into valuable scrap and components. Augments can also be removed without destroying the item (and indeed, choosing to keep the item will always destroy its augment as well as its component). A different component can then be applied to the salvaged item, or the salvaged component used on a different item. If the item is recovered, the component will be lost, and vice versa. The player can then choose to keep either the item or the added component. The salvage chamber is used to separate components from items. There are a total of three Inventors throughout the game. In Forgotten Gods, they also gain the ability to replace an item with another from the same set.
Later in game, they'll learn how to dismantle items using dynamite, producing scrap and components. Inventors can separate items from inserted components, saving one or the other. Inventors are NPCs who offer multiple services for the player.