Before a run starts, you need to know what each board needs, what you have, and what you can build right now. PartsBox shows all three: it reads the BOM, multiplies it out for the run, checks every line against stock, and tells you how many complete units you can build at this moment. Shortages are flagged in red, and the shortfall feeds a purchase list, so a gap becomes an order instead of a surprise. You can still build a partial run against stock you have not entered yet: build what the shelves allow, and PartsBox deducts only what the run actually used.
Attrition adds a percentage, a fixed quantity, or both to each part, so a reel's leader and pick-and-place losses do not become a shortage halfway through a run. PartsBox shows the requirement as "15 (12+3)" — the base plus the overhead — and picks and buys accordingly. For a prototype or a pre-counted kit, switch attrition off for the whole build, or override it on single entries.
Print a pick list for the floor: each line shows the part, the quantity including attrition, and where it is. Group it by location to walk the shelves once, mark lines as they are pulled, or export it to PDF or CSV and hand it off. PartsBox decides which stock to pull — by location and, with lot control, by specific lot — using a strategy you choose: first in first out, last in first out, largest or smallest lot first, or an order you set by hand, to empty a nearly-finished reel or to use the lot that expires soonest. Builds respect substitutes, so an approved replacement in stock keeps the run moving, and you can restrict a build to a single source per line when you want clean traceability.
A multi-stage build places part of the BOM now and the rest later — filter by a tag such as #smd to select a stage — while the device keeps one ID Anything™ code from start to finish, so scanning an unfinished board shows exactly how far it has got. In-progress builds sit in their own section, with a comment recorded at each stage, and each stage prints its own pick list. Building a project can create stock of a sub-assembly part, which you then use as a component in a larger product, so several assembly levels work as one.
A completed build deducts the exact stock it consumed and records the project, the quantity, the date, and the cost of the parts used. Build configuration history keeps the full detail of how each run was made, down to the exact lots, and serial numbers give every unit built its own identity and history.
Building and pick lists are in every plan, including the free Maker plan. Sub-assemblies and build history start on the Essentials plan. Attrition, multi-stage builds, and the advanced build system are on the Production plan. Choosing the exact lot a build consumes comes with lot control, on the Control plan.