A build turns a project into finished devices and removes from stock the exact parts the run consumed, so your inventory stays correct without counting by hand. You pick a project and a quantity; PartsBox reads the BOM, works out how many of every part the run needs, checks it against what you hold, and deducts the stock when the build is done.
The build table shows what each device needs, what you have, and how many complete units you can build right now. Change the planned quantity and every line updates instantly. Parts you are short on are highlighted in red, and where attrition applies, the required column shows the breakdown — "15 (12+3)" for twelve boards' worth plus three for the process.
Any line can be excluded from the run — a do-not-populate checkbox — and no stock is removed for it. You can still run a partial build against stock you have not entered yet: build what your shelves allow, and PartsBox deducts only what the run actually used.
Builds respect substitutes, so a shortage on one part does not block the run when an approved replacement is in stock. When a part sits in more than one place — several storage locations, or several lots — PartsBox draws from them in an order you set, and prints a pick list that tells the floor what to pull and from where. Kitting takes the same list and sets the parts aside ahead of the run.
Every build is recorded: the project, the quantity, the date, and the cost of the parts consumed. A Stock Used view shows what the run drew — with lot control, down to each lot, its cost, and what remains on it — and each build carries its own ID Anything™ code, so a label on the finished batch scans back to the full record. That record is the basis for build configuration history, which keeps the detail of how each run was configured.
From this core, builds scale to real production. Add attrition so process waste does not turn into a shortage. Run a board in stages with multi-stage builds. Control exactly which lots a run consumes with the advanced build system. Build a project into a sub-assembly part you stock and use in a larger product. Track each device by serial number for its whole life.
Building a project into devices is in every plan, including the free Maker plan. Build configuration history starts on Essentials. Attrition, multi-stage builds, and the advanced build system are on Production. Per-device serial numbers are on Control.