Broaching can be an appropriate procedure to obtain great accuracy when producing intricate holes or surfaces. Long tools called broaches, which have roughing, semi-finishing, and finishing teeth all on the same tool, can produce intricate designs in a single pass. This indicates that the broaches themselves are made up of numerous teeth, each of which only makes one cut per portion. Because of this, the broach can create a lot of components before needing to be sharpened again.

Both internal and external broaching are possible. Internal broaches typically produce intricate hole designs in the centre of tools, including flat surfaces, internal splines, non-circular holes, and keyways. Splines, slots, and other surface shapes requiring a high degree of accuracy can be created with external broaches. As an alternative to milling, boring, turning, grinding, and EDM, broaches are used in conjunction with a broaching machine, which guarantees good repeatability and a reliable process appropriate for big batch manufacturing.