A mandrel is an object used to shape machined work, a tool component that grips or clamps materials to be machined, or a tool component that can be used to grip other moving tool components Mandrel may also refer to: Mandrel (bending), a device inserted into a pipe or tube to keep it from collapsing during bending Mandrel (catheter), the metal guide for flexible catheters Mandrel (electronics) was the code-name of a World War II electronic counter-measure used by the RAF. Mandrel Screen, a Royal Air Force aviation patrol in December 1942 employing the radar jammers during World War II Mandrel wrapping, a technique used in multimode fiberoptics Operation Mandrel, a series of 53 American nuclear tests in 1969 and 1970 See also Mandrell Mandrill