A sub-spindle (secondary spindle) is a second chuck opposite the main spindle on a turning center. It picks the part off the main spindle in-cycle and presents the back side for machining, so the part is finished on both ends complete — no manual re-chucking.
Sub-spindles are central to 'done-in-one' turning and to Swiss-type machines, where they enable continuous, unattended production of complete parts from bar stock.
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