Cogsdill-Nuneaton, a leading precision tooling specialist, has recently invested in a new DNX 2100SB multi-tasking mill-turn machine supplied by Leamington-Spa-based
Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland.
The machine has significantly bolstered the sub-contractor’s turned-part processing operations and is a ‘technology centrepiece’ in Cogsdill-Nuneaton’s drive to revamp its machining operations, improve operational efficiencies and achieve lights-out, unattended operation. Only recently introduced into the UK and Irish markets in the late autumn of last year, the DNX 2100SB is an advanced mill-turn machine that can machine complex, high-precision parts in ‘one hit’ that is already proving to be a popular choice.
DNX 2100SB machines are equipped with 10in chuck/81mm bar capacity main spindles and 8in chuck sub-spindles, an 18.5kW/12,000rev/min B-axis milling head with a +/-120deg rotary/tilting movement range and 0.0001deg indexing capabilities, a 60-tool-position automatic tool changer (ATC)d and an advanced Fanuc 0iTP control.
Additional extrasCogsdill-Nuneaton’s machine has been supplied with a number of additional extras, including: a Hydrafeed (MultiFeed 80) short magazine bar feeder to facilitate continuous automated production; a Hydrafeed ‘Rota-Rack’ rotary parts accumulator for the safe transfer and storage of finished parts; a Renishaw RMP 60QE compact spindle probe with radio signal transmission for automated workpiece inspection and faster job set ups; and a Renishaw HPMA servo-driven, in-process, tool-setting and broken-tool detection system.
The machine was installed at Cogsdill-Nuneaton’s 27,000ft
2 facility in December 2025, just before the Christmas break, and was, at that time, the first DNX 2100 model to be both purchased, and installed, anywhere in the UK or Ireland. Although Cogsdill-Nuneaton is no stranger to mill-turn machine tool technologies, the DNX 2100SB is the first multi-axis multi-tasking machine the company has acquired from Mills CNC in its 45-year history.
Lee Donaldson, Cogsdill-Nuneaton’s managing director, said: “Our relationship with Mills CNC stretches back over many years. We have supplied, and continue to supply, many of Mills CNC’s machine tool customers operating in the oil and gas, aerospace, motorsport and automotive sectors, with our standard and custom precision tooling solutions. We also regularly work collaboratively with DN Solutions in its own right as well as with Mills CNC’s applications engineers and sales staff on their customers’ complex turnkey projects.”
Cogsdill-Nuneaton’s partnership with Mills CNC was further strengthened back in 2018 when, following an internal audit into the company’s CNC milling capacity and capabilities, the decision was made to invest in a new, large-capacity DNM 6700 vertical machining centre. Such was the high-performance and reliability of this first machine that, against the backdrop of increasing sales and a drive for further efficiencies, Cogsdill-Nuneaton soon acquired three more DNM machines in fairly quick succession — a second DNM 6700 was acquired in 2022 and two smaller DNM 5700 machines were acquired in 2023.
The company’s decision to invest in a new DNX 2100SB in 2025 was therefore a combination of its previous positive experiences with Doosan machine tools and of being familiar with Mills CNC’s industry-leading pre- and after-sales services and support.
Continuous improvementCogsdill-Nuneaton is a company committed to continuous improvement and, as such, regularly invests in its people, in its plant and equipment and in its systems and processes. With domestic and international demand for its standard and custom precision tooling systems and solutions on the rise, the company in mid-2025 undertook an audit into its turning operations to identify actual and potential production bottleneck and pinch points that, if not addressed, could have a detrimental impact on production and the company’s ability to meet customers’ lead times.
Mr Donaldson said: “We have an extensive product range and demand, especially from overseas, for our standard burnishing, de-burring, reaming and recessing tools, and ZX tooling systems is at an all-time high. It is a similar situation with our customised tooling solutions too. Recent and ongoing moves to develop and exploit business opportunities in new international markets combined with a stronger and more active presence across a number of social media platforms and channels have further increased demand for all our products and solutions and, as a consequence, have put pressure on our existing UK manufacturing operations and resources.
“To avoid any supply-side issues moving forwards, it was important that the capacity and capabilities of our machine shop, specifically our in-house turning resource, was up to scratch, and that any process inefficiencies were addressed sooner rather than later.”
The audit revealed issues with Cogsdill-Nuneaton’s turning section, including: an over-reliance on two older CNC lathes, which were slower and more prone to breakdown; labour-intensive practices (manual part-loading and unloading operations), that were affecting throughput, productivity and the cost-per-part.
A secondary but, never-the-less, important issue concerned the skills and knowledge of the firm’s machine operators, which were effectively tied to a specific machine tool manufacturer’s machines and control system, and whether this situation was comprising the company’s future machine tool acquisition strategy and limiting its ability to attract, recruit and retain top CNC lathe/mill-turn programmer talent.
Mr Donaldson explained: “We clearly needed to replace the older CNC lathes but, rather than adopt a ‘like-for-like’ approach decided, instead, to invest in multi-tasking machine that would enable us to gradually phase out the older models and machine precision parts much more quickly and efficiently in one hit, with minimal labour intervention. We also made the decision to go for a Fanuc-controlled machine, not only because we had experience of Fanuc systems with our four DNM vertical machining centres, but also to widen the recruitment net and broaden our appeal to qualified and experienced ISO programmers.”
DNX 2100 ticks all the right boxesCogsdill-Nuneaton contacted Mills CNC to discuss its requirements further, and to find out more about the recently-launched DNX 2100 series of mill-turn machines. Mr Donaldson said: “I saw a Mills CNC advert and watched a video on the new DNX 2100, and liked what I saw. The machine not only looked the part but, from a specification, capacity and availability perspective, ticked all the right boxes. In addition to the machine’s powerful, direct-drive spindles and flexible B-axis milling head, the DNX 2100SB’s generous-size 60-tool position ATC was a welcome feature that, we could see, would facilitate uninterrupted production and enable us to machine small batches, quickly and efficiently, without having to stop the machine for re-tooling operations.
“Furthermore, because we already had experience of dealing with Mills and could vouch for their pre- and after-sales service and customer support, the investment in the DNX 2100SB soon became a ‘no-brainer’, and we placed the order for the machine.”
To help bring existing staff in Cogsdill-Nuneaton’s turning section up to speed with what was for them, in effect, a completely new control system, Mills CNC organised short and intensive programmer and operator training sessions (on site) to ensure that the machine could be operational and cutting metal as soon as it was installed.
Since being installed the DNX 2100SB has been used, primarily, to machine relatively simple turned parts for the company’s standard products (burnishing tools), in small batches (up to 200-off). These finished parts (shanks, cages, housings), are machined in a single set-up to tight tied up tolerances (0.01mm), excellent roundness (<2µm) and high surface finishes (Ra 0.2µm).
Although only being used to machine core product components, at present, the intention in the future is that, when fully operational, the DNX 2100SB will be used to machine custom and special parts during the day, and will be set up to machine standard components overnight — thereby achieving 24/7 continuous production. Mr Donaldson added: “That is the plan. We are not quite there yet, but everything is in place to make sure this happens in the next few months.”
Cogsdill-Nuneaton is a successful company renowned for innovation and the quality of its precision tooling. The company is committed to continuous improvement and is always looking at new ways to improve its productivity, increase its process efficiencies and maintain its competitiveness.
The company’s investment in a new DN Solutions’ DNX 2100SB from Mills CNC signifies an important step-change for the company and is one that will help it reduce operational costs and improve process efficiencies, improve turnround times and reduce lead times, liberate the productivity potential of its turning section and wider machine shop, and improve profitability.
Furthermore, integration of a bar feeder and sophisticated parts accumulator in addition to the machine’s large ATC and in-process tool setting and tool break detection has resulted in the creation of an automated manufacturing cell that is capable of running 24/7.