This. The INpure mod is good, but if you don't know about it you might be fooled into thinking certain items aren't in the game. It also might be the reason the Thermal Expansion machine tier recipes aren't correct, they all show a (Basic) machine in the recipe however you have to work your way up the tiers like a ladder. You can't make a top tier machine from the lowest tier machine, you have to make them in sequence. If you examine NEI you will be fooled like I was.
& the basic machine recipe is the last 1 listed.
The TiC metal blocks don't seem to be microblock compatible anymore.