International Safety Components (ISC), a leading global design and manufacturing specialist supplier of innovative industrial height safety equipment, invests in two new, advanced (Fanuc-controlled) DN Solutions machines from Mills CNC.
The two machines, a high-performance NHP 4000 horizontal machining centre and a Lynx 2600SY multi-tasking lathe, were both acquired, as part of a major in-house manufacturing technology upgrade programme, to help the company increase production capacity and streamline its process efficiencies in order to meet increasing worldwide demand for its proven and popular safety-critical climbing, rigging and rescue equipment from its diverse and growing customer base.
Mills CNC has recently supplied International Safety Components (ISC), the Bangor-based design and manufacturing height safety equipment OEM, with a new DN Solutions NHP 4000 (twin-pallet) heavy-duty horizontal machining centre and a DN Solutions 10”chuck/81mm bar capacity Lynx 2600SY sub-spindle Y-axis multi-tasking lathe integrated with a high-productivity bar feeder.
Both machines were installed at ISC’s extensive and vertically integrated manufacturing facility located on the Llandygai Industrial Estate in Gwynedd in 2026, and were acquired to help the company meet a sustained increase in global demand for its innovative and high-quality height safety and life-saving equipment.
The arrival of the new machines, as intended, has increased and improved the company’s in-house machining capacity, capabilities and process efficiencies.
“We regularly monitor and benchmark the performance of our machine tools and are always looking at ways to improve and upgrade our capabilities.
“In 2025, as part of an ongoing, company-wide continuous improvement programme, we audited our machine shop’s performance in order to identify potential issues that, if not addressed quickly, could detrimentally affect process efficiencies and floor-to-floor times, and our ability to meet our customers’ (i.e., domestic and international retailers and end-users) lead times.”
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC
With global demand, specifically from the US, for the company’s height safety equipment hitting all time highs, and with new products like its recently introduced REFLEX mechanical hitch system, aimed at the global arborist industry, taking the market by storm, the audit was both timely and targeted, and ultimately identified several ‘legacy’ machine tools that needed to be replaced.
ISC’s machine shop
ISC has a well-resourced machine shop with a range of machine tools at its disposal. These machines include horizontal and vertical machining centres, standalone and bar-fed horizontal fixed head lathes and sliding head lathes with integrated bar feeders.
ISC’s machines are used to process a range of different materials (i.e., 6082, T6 and 7075 high-strength aluminium alloys, 316, 71-4PH and 420S29 stainless steels, engineering plastics etc.), to tight geometric tolerances (i.e., 18 microns) and high surface finishes (i.e., Ra 1.6µm)
Batch sizes vary, from 10- and 20-off through to 5000-off, and parts are machined from near net-shape castings and forgings, and from solid bar, billet and plate.
“High accuracies, guaranteed repeatability’s and fast processing speeds are of critical importance.
“Our CapEx investment strategy has always been geared, where possible and feasible, towards acquiring new, high-performance multi-axis and multi-tasking machines capable of processing high precision complex parts in one hit.”
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC
ISC is no stranger to investing in machine tools from Mills CNC and in the early 2000s invested in a Doosan Puma 2500SY (sub-spindle, Y-axis) lathe and a Doosan TT800SY twin-turret/twin-spindle turning centre.
The company continued its relationships with Mills in 2017 when it acquired a new Lynx 2100LB (2-axis) standalone lathe to strengthen its small turned part operation.
“Mills has a good reputation in the market for the machines its sells and supports, and whenever we are in the market for a new machine we always make sure to check out what the company (Mills CNC) can offer.”
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC
NHP 4000 investment
In 2025, ISC made the decision to increase its milling capabilities by investing in a new, sophisticated horizontal machining centre equipped with a powerful spindle with through-spindle-coolant capabilities, a large and fast tool changer, tool and workpiece touch probes for in-process measurement and an integrated, high-efficiency swarf management system.
Mills CNC was one of a number of companies ISC approached with its new machine tool requirements.
“We discussed our plans with Mills sales staff and soon after arranged to visit the company’s Leamington Spa facility where we were introduced to the NHP 4000.
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC
The NHP 4000 is an impressive, rigidly-designed and built machine.
Equipped with a powerful, high-torque spindle (30kW/15,000rpm), a 60-tool ATC, 400mm x 400mm twin pallets and a B-axis 360° rotary table that provides indexing in 0.001° increments or standard 90° positioning), the NHP 4000 is a proven, highly capable production machine.
Having seen the NHP 4000 in action and after agreeing the machine’s specification, cost and delivery, ISC placed the order for the machine. After just a few weeks, the new NHP 4000 was delivered and installed at ISC’s machine shop and was cutting metal not long after.
Since being installed in January 2026, the new NHP 4000 has been, and is being, put through its paces machining, in one setup, a range of high-precision, complex components using high-density tombstone work-holding combined with ISC’s innovative fixtures.
“By using two of the four faces available on the tombstone, multiples of the same parts (i.e.,10, 20, 30-off etc.), can be fixed into position and machined in one go.
“Furthermore, whilst the machine is processing these parts, our operators can load and setup the second, alternate pallet with workpieces on a different tombstone ready for machining thereby optimising spindle uptime and enabling continuous production.”
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC
Lynx 2600SY investment
The new Lynx 2600SY lathe provides ISC with increased turning capacity and capabilities, and replaced a Doosan Puma 2500SY that was acquired from Mills in 2004.
“Our Puma 2500SY was a good machine and had served us well.”
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC
Having done its homework and researched the market, ISC contacted Mills to discuss its new lathe requirements.
“Owing to the type of parts being machined, and the volumes required, we decided that we no longer needed a box guideway machine but still required the new machine to have full multi-tasking capabilities and for it to be supplied with a bar feeder.
“Mills recommended the Lynx 2600SY which, to all intents and purposes, was similar, in terms of its size and capabilities, to the Puma 2500SY it was set to replace.
“However, the Lynx 2600SY with its linear roller guides, integrated thermal compensation, larger turning length, diameter and Y-axis, and its more advanced Fanuc iPlus control had distinct advantages over the Puma, and was a good fit for us moving forwards.”
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC
The 10” chuck/81mm bar capacity Lynx 2600SY is equipped with an 18.5kW/3500rpm main spindle and a 12-station (24-position) servo-driven turret, and has a 380mm maximum turning diameter and a 610mm maximum turning length.
With its 6” chuck sub-spindle (4500rpm), integrated Y-axis (+/-52.5mm) and driven tooling (5000rpm) capabilities, the Lynx 2600SY is a versatile machine that is ideal for turning, milling and drilling a range of high-precision complex parts in one hit.
Since being installed in March 2026, specific parts machined on the Lynx 2600SY have included the fast processing of a range of different size and diameter pulley wheels from bar stock, and can involve the machining of OD profiles, centre bores and V-belt profiles.
To increase throughput and achieve lights-out production, the Lynx 2600SY was supplied to ISC with a Hydrafeed ‘Multifeed 80’ bar feeder, an auto tool setter and a Renishaw RLP 40 workpiece inspection and job setup probe, as well as a Hainbuch 80mm quick-changeover dead-length power chuck system.
The machine was also integrated with a J & S Engineering’s part accumulator to create a fully automated turning cell capable of running unattended.
“The Lynx 2600SY replete with the integrated bar feeder and parts accumulator is a sophisticated solution that has significantly increased the efficiency and productivity of our small turned parts operation.”
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC
ISC overview
Established in 1966, ISC is a family-owned, vertically-integrated company committed to continuous improvement and, as such, regularly invests in its people, in its plant and equipment and in its systems and processes.
The company, firmly in control over its supply chain, from design, development, manufacture, assembly, inspection, testing and sales distribution, currently employs 75 members of staff and, like every market leader, is constantly evolving and innovating.
This is not only evidenced by new and exciting product introductions, like its recently-launched REFLEX Mechanical Hitch series, and numerous planned product improvements, developments and iterations, but also by improvements to its global customer service operations which, to improve responsiveness, operational control and distribution margins, are now focused directly on retailers and end users, and less on distributors and wholesalers.
“Our future success will be built on our ability to develop, strengthen and maintain long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers.
“Integral to us achieving our growth ambitions is having a world-class manufacturing facility at our disposal, capable of producing high-quality, fast turnaround and competitively priced products at the increased volumes we now require.
“The recent investment in two new DN Solutions machines demonstrates our commitment to improvement and growth.”
Ricky Jones, CNC Supervisor at ISC