Leading the line-up is the Heller HF 5500 FLEX horizontal simultaneous 5-axis mill-turn machine, which will be showcased at the event. Ten additional machine tools will also feature, rounding out the full complement of 11 machines on show.
Headline machine
Leading the line-up is the Heller HF 5500 FLEX horizontal simultaneous 5-axis mill-turn machine, which will be showcased at the event. Ten additional machine tools will also feature, rounding out the full complement of 11 machines on show.
One-hit machining in focus
The event is aimed at UK and Irish component manufacturers, and the theme is unambiguous: one-hit machining. Mills CNC will use the day to highlight the benefits of completing components in a single setup, with the stated focus on increasing productivity and improving process efficiencies.
For manufacturers weighing up multi-tasking investment, that framing matters. The machines on display — including the Heller HF 5500 FLEX horizontal simultaneous 5-axis mill-turn machine — are being presented as tools for process consolidation, showcasing their ability to streamline workflows.
The emphasis on one-hit machining signals that the demonstrations will focus on the operational and commercial benefits of these machines, highlighting how they can enhance productivity and efficiency.
Why it matters
Process efficiency remains the central concern for component manufacturers across the UK and Ireland, and events built around live machine demonstrations give engineers the chance to evaluate capability against their own production requirements. With 11 advanced multi-tasking machine tools under one roof at the Technology Campus facility in Leamington Spa, Mills CNC's Innovation Day offers exactly that opportunity.
The event takes place on 8th October 2026.
HF 5500 FLEX – a closer look
Equipped with the Siemens SINUMERIK ONE control and 24” multi-touch screen, the HF 5500 FLEX features a powerful HSK-T (mill-turn) spindle (45kW/12,000rpm/400N-m), up to 90m/min rapids on its linear axes, a 630mm x 630mm rotary, tilting table and a 50-tool position ATC.
The machine’s “FLEX” designation refers to the machine’s table loading configuration which, unlike some other Heller models, is built without an integrated pallet changer but, instead, features a) fast and flexible table loading access with direct workpiece set up and b) the ability to integrate the machine with a myriad of external linear or rotary pallet systems.
The absence of an integrated pallet changer also means that the HF 5500 FLEX is a more compact machine with a smaller footprint.
The HF 5500 FLEX’s spindle is characterised by its narrow (lean) neck which, with its horizontal orientation, allows maximum spindle/tool projection and optimal reach inside complex-shaped workpieces.
Unlike vertical machining centres, the HF 5500 FLEX’s horizontal configuration and a 225-degree tilt on the machine’s table allows chips to fall naturally, and unencumbered, into a central conveyor to keep the workspace clear. Such ‘gravity-assisted’ chip removal ensures uninterrupted machining and higher productivity.
To manage heavy machining loads, the HF 5500 FLEX utilises a unique combination of a counter bearing and a YRT high-precision axial-radial roller bearing on the machine’s A- and B-axes ensuring greater process reliability and higher accuracies when machining higher loads.
Real time, multi-layered thermal compensation (i.e., active spindle thermal growth compensation), chilled spindles and drive and cabinet cooling keeps heat, and its effects, out of critical structural zones during heavy-cutting cycles and long machining runs – thereby improving part accuracies.
Furthermore, all linear axes use direct absolute linear encoders (measuring systems) rather than relying on motor encoders to maintain high precision, and ball screw thermal expansion issues are immediately detected and rectified in real time too.
“The Heller HF 5500 FLEX is a powerful, fast, precise and flexible mill-turn machine that delivers unrivalled simultaneous 5-axis machining performance and exceptional one-hit part processing.
“For highly-regulated industries and sectors that demand the machining of flawless, right-first-time and repeatable high-precision components, even when machining hard and difficult-to-machine materials, the Heller HF 5500 FLEX can be relied upon to deliver.
“The machine is one of eleven advanced machine tools being showcased at our Innovation Day technology event in October and, along with our latest SYNERGi automation systems, will demonstrate the way forward for component manufacturers looking to maintain, or acquire, a competitive edge.”
Tony Dale, Group CEO at Mills CNC
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