mandrels

Noun

mandrel (plural mandrels)

1. A round object used as an aid for shaping a material, e.g. shaping or enlarging a ring, or bending or enlarging a pipe without creasing or kinking it.
   • The coil springs were manufactured by winding the heated steel strip direct out of the furnace on to a mandrel of the requisite size.1945 January and February, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—III”, in Railway Magazine, page 13
2. A tool or component of a tool that guides, grips or clamps something, such as a workpiece to be machined, a machining tool or a part while it is moved.
   • This socket forms the starting point of the piercing operation, enabling the mandrel to center itself on the work.1920, Lester Gray French, Machinery, volume 26, page 491

See all 3 meanings of mandrel