A centrifuge for high-speed centrifuging, includes: a shaft, mounted for continuous rotation about its axis, the shaft having a working section having a loading end and an unloading end; an acceleration member mounted adjacent to the loading end for rotation with respect to the shaft and; a deceleration member mounted adjacent to the unloading end for rotation with respect to the shaft; auxiliary drive arrangement for accelerating the acceleration member and the deceleration member to the shaft speed; carriages for supporting specimens for centrifugation. The carriages are slideably mounted for traversing from the acceleration member to the working section and from the working section to the deceleration member. A carriage may be accelerated on the acceleration member and then transferred to the working section for a period sufficient to perform centrifuging and then transferred from the working section to the deceleration member.