'We are not in the business of making machines; our business is space, aviation, oil & gas.' This statement is typical of senior managers when asked if they ever considered making their own PBF-LB machine. And it's understandable. Where do you even start and where can the talent be found to pull it off? However, a close look at PBF-LB system manufacturers reveals they are actually parts integrators, in most cases, buying components made from specialist companies and contract manufacturers. They perform the assembly and provide the machine control (MCS) software. The PBF-LB machine manufacturers integrate the Swiss Army Knife of machines to address all industry applications with none optimised for a particular part family. This creates an opening for bespoke internally developed machines.
The technical case for making
