The Broach Masters

What The Broach Masters does

The Broach Masters, Inc. is a privately held precision tool manufacturer founded in 1978 and headquartered at 2160 Precision Place, Auburn, California. The company designs and manufactures broaches (spline, fine pitch gear, form, serration, and bearing cage), shaper cutters (shank, disk, hex, square, and special form), and supporting inspection products (master gears, Go/No-Go plug and ring gages, Posi-Loc spline arbors, and the proprietary "Quick Spline" software). Production broaching capacity extends to 90 inches and 50 tons, and the firm operates a parallel gear-cutting brand, Universal Gear Company (U.G.C.), which was acquired and retained as a wholly owned subsidiary. The company qualifies its tools on Klingelnberg P26 and Wenzel WGT350 Gear Analyzers and pitches capabilities across a .100 to 6.0 P.D. size range and 6 D.P. to 150 D.P. diametral pitch range.

The business operates as a hybrid manufacturer and job shop. Revenue is generated through two streams: (1) one-time sales of specialized precision tooling (broaches, cutters, inspection gages) and (2) production services including broaching, blind hole broaching, CNC hobbing, CNC shaping, and gage calibration. Pricing is custom-quote based with no public list, and re-calibration is positioned at below-industry rates. Customer segmentation is vertical: Aerospace and Defense (NASA, F35, Mars Rover) and the instrument industry are primary, while the company also serves small gear shops and precision manufacturing customers globally. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales via phone, email, and physical presence at the Auburn facility, with no distribution partners or resellers. Proprietary technology assets include a 25+ year-refined shank cutter design software that produces 8-tooth cutters with 6:1 deflection performance vs. standard 5-tooth designs, and a dwell tooth broach design that achieves near-perfect concentricity from pitch diameter to broached minor diameter.

Name

The Broach Masters

Legal name

The Broach Masters, Inc.

Website

https://broachmasters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Broach Masters is a privately held precision tool manufacturer founded in 1978 in Auburn, California, producing broaches, shaper cutters, and inspection gages for aerospace, defense, and precision manufacturing customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Precision Tooling Sales: Manufacture and sale of broaches (spline, fine pitch gear, form, serration, bearing cage), shaper cutters (disk, shank, hex, square, special form), and gear inspection tools (master gears, gages, arbors). One-time purchase of specialized precision tooling.
2. Precision Manufacturing Services: Production broaching, blind hole broaching, CNC hobbing, CNC shaping, and gage calibration services. Turnkey manufacturing capabilities including prototype and production parts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

The Broach Masters manufactures precision broaches (spline, gear, form, serration, bearing cage), shaper cutters (shank, disk, hex, square, special form), and inspection tools (master gears, Go/NoGo gages, Posi-Loc arbors) while also providing contract services including production broaching, blind hole broaching, CNC gear grinding, CNC hobbing, CNC shaping, and gage calibration for aerospace, defense, instrument, and gear shop customers.

Product overview

The Broach Masters is a precision manufacturing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of broaching tools, gear cutting products, and inspection equipment for the aerospace and industrial sectors. The product line centers on Spline and Gear Broaches (including Special Form Broaches) and Shaper Cutters (Shank, Disk, and Special Form types), supplemented by inspection products (Master Gears, Go/No-Go Gages, Posi-Loc Arbors, and Quick Spline Software). Services include Production Broaching, Blind Hole Broaching, CNC Gear Grinding, CNC Hobbing, CNC Shaping, and Gage Calibration. The company operates under both The Broach Masters brand for broaching solutions and Universal Gear Company for gear cutting tools, providing a complete source for tooling and production needs from prototype through production runs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Universal Gear Company (U.G.C.): Shank and disk type shaper cutters, spline plug gages, Posi-Loc spline arbors, and master gears for precision gear cutting applications.

Products and services

• Gear and Spline Broaches Precision ground spline and gear broaches for aerospace and instrument industries, featuring fine to medium pitch capabilities with dwell teeth for near-perfect concentricity and standard ground fillet radius. Sold to aerospace manufacturers, instrument companies, and gear shops.
• Special Form Broaches Custom-designed broaches including Hex, Square, D-D, Body Keyway, and Serration broaches, often featuring side shaver teeth for tolerance requirements and designed for end-user success.
• Shank and Disk Shaper Cutters Precision shaper cutters for internal and external spur gears, splines, hex, square, serrations, and form cut keys, featuring maximum rigidity and minimum deflection design using Rex 45 and other high-speed steel materials. Sold through the Universal Gear Company brand.
• Generated Form with Ground Fillet Radius Cutters Specialty gear cutting tool with generated form geometry and precision ground fillet radius for enhanced spline and gear performance.
• Go NoGo Plug Gages and Ring Gages Spline and gear inspection gages element-checked and charted on Klingelnberg P26 and Wenzel WGT350 analyzers, laser marked for identification, covering size range .100 to 6.0 P.D. and 6 D.P. to 150 D.P.
• Posi-Loc Spline Arbors Quick-check method for verifying part run out tolerances, featuring tapered spline mandrel design for concentricity checking of spline P.D. to location diameter.
• Master Gears Precision master gears ground on CNC equipment and qualified on Klingelnberger P26 Gear Analyzer, covering pitch diameter .500 to 5.0 P.D. and diametral pitch 10/20 to 96 D.P.
• Small Gears Precision small gear manufacturing including parts as small as .100 P.D. and up to 150 D.P., with capability for internally broached gears.
• Production Broaching Services Internal production broaching services with capacities up to 90 inches and 50 tons, featuring pull-through and blind hole capabilities with typical 7-10 day lead times.
• Blind Hole Broaching Services Economical internal spline production service offering good concentricity to ground location journals, competitive with shaping for parts under 3/4 inch P.D., highly repeatable without cutter deflection variance.
• CNC Gear Grinding Services External gear grinding service with flexible dress system enabling profile modifications like Plus Tip, using diamond wheel dressings for exact tooth geometry programming.
• Precision Broaching Services (CNC Hobbing and CNC Shaping) Full-service precision broaching including CNC hobbing, CNC shaping, and gage calibration for tooling and production needs.
• Gage Calibration Services Professional calibration services for precision gages, including re-calibration based on customer set requirements at competitive industry pricing.
• Quick Spline Software Proprietary software tool for spline inspection and measurement capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8-tooth cutters outperform 5-tooth cutters by 6:1 in deflection tests
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Apex Broach & Machine Company: Apex Broach designs and manufactures broaches, spline tooling, and special form cutters for aerospace and defense applications. Comparable product mix and similar customer base make it a direct competitor to The Broach Masters, particularly on aerospace and instrument industry programs.
• Star Cutter Company: Star Cutter manufactures broaches, hobs, shaper cutters, and gear inspection tools serving aerospace and industrial gear shops. It is a direct competitor in broaches, gear shaper cutters, and master gears, overlapping with both The Broach Masters and Universal Gear Company product lines.
• Colonial Tool Group: Colonial Tool produces broaches, shaper cutters, and gear cutting tools for aerospace, automotive, and industrial customers. It directly competes with The Broach Masters in spline and gear broaches and serves many of the same aerospace prime contractor customers.
• Forst Tool & Cutter: Forst Tool specializes in custom broaches, hobs, and shaper cutters for precision gear and spline applications. Its specialty in custom precision tooling for aerospace and instruments places it in direct competition with The Broach Masters.
• Detroit Broach Company: Detroit Broach produces broaches, gear shaper cutters, and related precision tooling for automotive, aerospace, and industrial gear producers. Overlapping product offering and target customers make it a direct peer in the U.S. broach and cutter manufacturing market.
• IMPCO (Industrial Metal Products Corporation): IMPCO manufactures precision broaches, gear hobs, and shaper cutters for aerospace, automotive, and industrial customers. Its specialty in precision cutting tools and direct aerospace customer base make it a direct competitor to The Broach Masters.

Broad incumbents

• OSG USA: OSG USA is the U.S. subsidiary of OSG Corporation, a global cutting tool manufacturer offering taps, end mills, and broaches. While not a pure-play broach specialist, OSG overlaps with The Broach Masters on selected broaching and gear cutting tools supplied to industrial customers.
• Sandvik Coromant: Sandvik Coromant is one of the world's largest metal cutting tooling manufacturers, offering broaches, shaper cutters, and gear tools as part of a broader portfolio. It competes with The Broach Masters at the high-volume and global tier where scale advantages matter.
• Kennametal: Kennametal manufactures a wide range of metal cutting tools including broaching and gear cutting solutions. As a large diversified industrial tooling incumbent, it competes where customers prioritize vendor consolidation and global supply.

Regional players

• Nachi America (Nachi-Fujikoshi): Nachi-Fujikoshi produces cutting tools, broaches, and gear cutters primarily serving the U.S. market from a Japanese parent. It is a regional competitor with overlapping broaching and gear cutting product categories, though its primary footprint is in Japan and Asia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Broach Masters