One of the most nagging problems in manufacturing is the deburring of cross-drilled holes. Burrs are always created where the holes intersect. Getting at the burrs, let alone removing them, can be a real challenge.

A handful of methods are commonly employed for dealing with these burrs: sandblasting, extrude hone, and of course, manual deburring with knives, abrasive stones, brushes, burs, etc. While effective to varying degrees, these methods have their drawbacks. They're all off-line processes, i.e. they are a separate operation. Parts need to be handled and/or moved from machining to deburring. Often deburring is an out-sourced operation. The extra handling, movement, queue, transport, etc. represent non-value added operations. Sandblasting, extrude hone, and similar devices involve capital investment, often substantial, or again, outsourcing. Manual deburring, as everyone knows, is very labor intensive, as well as craft sensitive.