two robot arms controlled by a preprogrammed system support each in turn a thread dispensing cassette , one of the arms 16 equipped with the cassette travelling over one part of a winding path 19 around a mandrel 2 , at the end of which the cassettee is transferred to the other arm 17 , which travels over the other part of the said path up to the point of departure of the first arm , in such a way that the thread is wound around the entire periphery of the mandrel in a movement that is analogous to the placing of a bandage around a limb when the rolled up bandage is passed from one hand to the other while unrolling the said bandage . application to filament winding of complex shapes , particularly of toroidal articles , is disclosed .