Believe me, we are just as angry as you. Over the past few months we have determined it is impossible to rely on manufacturing in the US. Some machine shops quoted us as much as $2000 for a set of 4 arms. Others were cheaper at $1500. I find it kind of ridiculous that I cannot fall back on my own damn country for simple cnc work. The arms are truly the last step. Since nobody wants to charge a fair price on arms we have decided to step up and purchase a big cnc machine. It is a huge and very costly step. However if I can justify the purchase by using it on other contracts I have then it could be justifiable. So that's where we are sitting on the project at the moment performing our due diligence and chugging along.
I have physically given up on the project a few times but the potential customers and continually growing interest keep me going. Thank to everybody for keeping the dream alive.