Mills CNC has announced that it will be hosting a one-day advanced technology event at its Campus facility in Leamington on 8th October 2026.
The event, focused on innovation and best-practice, provides UK and Irish component manufacturers with a unique opportunity to find out more about the productivity and process efficiency gains that can be achieved by embracing one-hit machining and investing in advanced multi-tasking DN Solutions’ and Heller machine tools.
A Focus on One-Hit Machining
The emphasis is telling. One-hit machining — completing parts in a single setup rather than shuffling them between machines — remains one of the most direct routes to shorter cycle times and fewer handling errors. Mills CNC is putting that philosophy at the centre of the event, alongside multi-tasking machine tools and automation, with the aim of demonstrating how visitors can increase productivity, improve process efficiencies, and maintain their competitive edge.
That combination is no accident. Multi-tasking platforms and integrated automation are increasingly the backbone of shops trying to do more with fewer setups and fewer operators, and the event is structured to show those systems working as a coherent whole rather than as isolated exhibits.
UK and Irish Debut for the Heller HF 5500 FLEX
The headline act, however, is hardware. Mills CNC will use the event as a hi-tech venue for the formal introduction of the Heller HF 5500 FLEX horizontal simultaneous 5-axis mill-turn machine to UK and Irish component manufacturers.
A horizontal simultaneous 5-axis mill-turn platform sits squarely at the intersection of the event's themes — multi-tasking capability, single-setup machining, and the kind of process consolidation that one-hit strategies demand. For manufacturers in the UK and Irish markets, the Innovation Day offers the first formal look at the machine in a working technology-show environment rather than a brochure.
Why It Matters
Technology days live or die on whether they show engineers something actionable. By anchoring the 2026 event to a formal machine introduction and a clear productivity agenda, Mills CNC is positioning this one-day show as more than a showroom open house.
The event has also been selected as the ideal venue and platform for Mills CNC, following DN Solutions acquisition of Heller last year, to introduce and ‘get under the bonnet’ of a proven Heller machine to customers and event visitors.
The machine, a Heller HF 5500 FLEX, was a late addition to Mills’ machine tool line-up at the MACH Show in April 2026 but now, at this smaller and more targeted event, the HF 5500 FLEX will share centre stage with ten DN Solutions’ machines.
“DN Solutions’ acquisition of Heller in 2025 has significantly increased the depth and breadth of machine tool technologies we can now offer to our customers.
“At our Innovation Day event, customers will be able to not only see the Heller HF 5500 FLEX being put through its paces machining a high-precision aerospace blisk, but will also be able to find out more about the machine and its strengths via a series of live in-person presentations delivered directly by Heller technical representatives.”
Tony Dale, Group CEO at Mills CNC
Heller HF 5500
The Heller HF 5500 FLEX, a horizontal simultaneous 5-axis mill-turn machine, equipped with the new Siemens (SINUMERIK) ONE control and a 24” multi-touch screen, is a heavy-duty machine that has been designed and built for simultaneous 5-axis machining and complex mill-turn operations.
The machine features a powerful HSK-T spindle (45kW/12,000rpm/400N-m), up to 90m/min rapid rates on its linear axes, a rotary tilting table with a 630m x 630m pallet and a high-speed 50-tool position ATC. The machine also has fast and easy table loading capabilities.
For the event, the HF 5500 FLEX will be undertaking a challenging machining demonstration i.e., the fast and precise processing of a complex aerospace blisk component made from a heat-resistant super alloy.
Other highlights
While much of the initial limelight is on the Heller HF 5500 at Mills’ Innovation Day, ten DN Solutions’ machine tools will also be showcased at the event.
These machines, all multi-tasking, one-hit machine tool icons in their own right, include two [DVF 4000 simultaneous 5-axis centres](https://www.millscnc.co.uk/product/dvf-4000/) (one integrated with an automatic workpiece pallet changer), two DN Solutions mill-turn machines (an [SMX 3100](https://www.millscnc.co.uk/product/puma-smx3100/) and a recently-launched DNX 2100S), a large-capacity [V8300M vertical turning lathe with driven tooling capabilities](https://www.millscnc.co.uk/product/puma-v8300m/) and a [NHP 5000 horizontal machine](https://www.millscnc.co.uk/product/nhp-5000/) integrated with a (12-pallet) linear pallet system (LPS).
Mills is also using the event to showcase its latest [automation systems](https://www.millscnc.co.uk/automation-systems/) to attendees.
First introduced at MACH 2026, the company’s innovative T-series, designed for High-Mix/Low-Volume production, can be integrated with CNC lathes, machining centres and mill-turn machines to create flexible, high-productivity automated manufacturing cells capable of lights-out, unattended operation.
“Our Innovation Day, best-practice event is focused on one-hit machining and is aimed at UK and Irish component manufacturers who, owing to older and less capable machine tools and/or outdated and labour intensive processes, may be struggling to improve their productivity and maintain their competitive edge.
“Although one-hit machining is not a new concept, the continuous development of new machine tools capable of delivering single set-up machining means that the one-hit machining landscape is constantly changing and improving.
“Our Innovation Day event provides a unique opportunity for visitors to check out the very latest DN Solutions and Heller multi-tasking machines, and to see how they can revolutionise their productivity and help them realise their true potential.”
Tony Dale, Group CEO at Mills CNC
[You can register for Mills CNC’s Innovation Day on Thursday 8th October 2026 here.](https://www.millscnc.co.uk/registration-form/)
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