1. a shaft or spindle on which material is forged, shaped, or machined
Usage: technical; metalworking
2. a metal rod used as a core around which metal is cast, bent, or shaped
Usage: manufacturing

Examples

• The blacksmith placed the hot metal over the mandril to shape the ring.
• The machinist secured the workpiece on the mandril before turning it on the lathe.
• A tapered mandril was used to expand the metal tube to the correct diameter.
• The jeweler used a small mandril to form the wire into perfect circles.
• Without the proper mandril, it would be impossible to create such precise curves in the metal.
• The mandril must be perfectly smooth to avoid marking the finished product.