Abstract: An improved needle inspection station for use in a combined index machine for forming drilled taper point needles of the type having a plurality of chucks mounted on a rotating platform adapted to selectively engage and release a needle to be formed, a rotary drive for indexing the platform and the chucks through a plurality of radial positions, and a plurality of work stations circumferentially disposed adjacent the radial positions occupied by the chucks. A needle inspection platform slidably mounted on the baseplate reciprocally movable toward and away from a chuck occupying a position adjacent the inspection station. A slide member is movable toward the chuck to permit the gripper to engage the needle, retract it from the chuck and rotate it 180 degrees to reverse the orientation of the needle relative to the chuck. The slide member is then movable back toward the chuck to allow the gripper to replace the needle in the chuck.