Originally Posted by
mmc45414
Yeah, I think the net cost of the part would be low, but...
Taking somebody's slide out of box, putting it onto a machine, making sure it is all located correctly, running it, cleaning it off, coating it, and putting it back into a box, compared to writing a program for a multi-axis turning center that feeds a bar and turns it into a slide without it being touched by a human hand. It is probably start to finish faster, cheaper (including overhead), and less error prone.
And if you do make an error, you need another stick of metal instead of explaining to some dude that his precious slide is ruined.